Recent Publications

Do Fewer Resources Mean Less Influence? A Comparative Historical Case Study of Military Influence in a Time of Austerity
January 30, 2015 — Author: Dr Mary Manjikian View the Executive SummaryAs military conflicts come to an end, it is not uncommon for societies to expect a “peace dividend” and to engage in elite and popular conversations about how much defense spending is still needed. The issues are similar across countries and time periods: How can defense planners preserve... MORE

Strategic Insights: The China-CELAC Summit: Opening a New Phase in China-Latin America-U.S. Relations?
January 27, 2015 — Dr. R. Evan EllisNote: This article was first published in The ManzellaReport.com available from www.manzellareport.com/index.php/world/945-the-china-celac-summit-opening-a-new-phase-in-china-latin-america-u-s-relations.Since the People’s Republic of China (PRC) began to open its economy in 1978, its relationship with Latin America and the... MORE

Strategic Insights: A New Year’s Resolution For Army Leaders
January 26, 2015 — Prof. William G. Braun, IIIAmericans love winners and deplore losers. The U.S. military’s greatest challenge to proving its relevance stems from a general perception that it cannot deliver results when confronted by the nation’s most pressing foreign policy problems. Barry Posen advocates that the United States abandon the post-Cold War strategy of... MORE

Army Support of Military Cyberspace Operations: Joint Contexts and Global Escalation Implications
January 23, 2015 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L Caton View the Executive SummaryMilitary cyberspace operations have evolved significantly over the past 2 decades and are now emerging into the realm of military operations in the traditional domains of land, sea, and air. The goal of this monograph is to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their... MORE

Getting to the Left of SHARP: Lessons Learned from West Point’s Efforts to Combat Sexual Harassment and Assault
January 13, 2015 — Authors: LTG Robert L Caslen Jr, LTC Daniel Gade, COL Cindy R Jebb, Cadet Hope C Landsem View the Executive SummaryOn July 26, 1948, President Harry Truman signed Executive Order 9981, ending the practice of segregating the military services by race. That same year, the Army allowed women to join the services on an equal basis with men. Both of... MORE

Strategic Insights: Brazil’s Election 2014: Continuity or Change for the “Sleeping Giant”?
January 13, 2015 — Dr. José de Arimatéia da CruzOn October 26, 2014, Brazilians went to the polls to elect a new president in one of the closest and most highly contested election in Brazil’s contemporary history since the military returned to their barracks in the early-1990s. The final results showed President Dilma Rousseff winning re-election with 51.6 percent in... MORE

The Effective Use of Reserve Personnel in the U.S. Military: Lessons from the United Kingdom Reserve Model
January 2, 2015 — Author: Dr Shima D Keene View the Executive SummaryThis monograph identifies areas where the U.S. Army and other services can potentially benefit from examining the United Kingdom's comparable program of reserve reform. Key areas where aspects of this reform have been entirely counterproductive are identified, as well as specific and expensive... MORE

Leaderless Organizations and the Strategic Value of Airstrikes in Syria
December 29, 2014 — Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Adelberg After more than three years of war in Syria, which has seen more than one million refugees, more than a quarter million dead, the use of chemical weapons, and dozens of atrocities on all sides, the United States finally became involved. On September 22, 2014 the United States and a coalition of Arab states... MORE

Regionalizing East Mediterranean Gas: Energy Security, Stability, and the U.S. Role
December 19, 2014 — Author: Ms Laura El-Katiri, Dr Mohammed El-KatiriView the Executive SummaryThe East Mediterranean has been witnessing an unparalleled natural resource boom since the late-2000s, when Israel, followed by Cyprus, made its first significant offshore hydrocarbon discoveries in many years. These discoveries have since proven to be substantially larger... MORE

Operationalizing Counter Threat Finance Strategies
December 15, 2014 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive Summary This Letort Paper describes effective Counter Threat Finance strategies as a specific area where the capability of U.S. and allied militaries can be augmented for the purpose of targeted action against adversaries. With appropriate analysis and exploitation, financial data can be used to reveal... MORE

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What the President’s ISIL Strategy Means to the Army
December 11, 2014 — Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Adelberg When President Barack Obama gave his speech outlining his strategy to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) on September 10, 2014, he was very clear that he would not send U.S. troops into Iraq with a ground combat mission. The United States will “degrade and ultimately destroy” ISIL though... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Landpower Robot Revolution Is Coming
December 10, 2014 — Dr. Steven Metz **Click here for a PDF version of the article** Military technical revolutions have a distinct pattern. When new technology becomes available, it initially is used to augment existing operational methods and tactics. In Europe, for instance, the first firearms were used to give formations of pikemen more punch. On the battlefields... MORE

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