Recent Publications

Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations
February 1, 2013 — Authors: Mr Elbridge A Colby, Mr Michael S Gerson What is strategic stability and why is it important? This edited collection offers the most current authoritative survey of this topic, which is central to U.S. strategy in the field of nuclear weapons and great power relations. A variety of authors and leading experts in the field of strategic... MORE

Talking Past Each Other? How Views of U.S. Power Vary between U.S. and International Military Personnel
February 1, 2013 — Author: COL Richard H M Outzen View the Executive SummaryThe 21st century U.S. military seldom operates alone. Except for initial entry and organizational training, it works almost always with and through foreign partners. Yet over the past decade, anecdotal evidence suggests that U.S. military organizations and personnel have trouble... MORE

Routine, Disciplined, and Results-Oriented: Joint Plans and Operations (JPOx) and Decisionmaking Processes in U.S. Forces-Iraq (USF-I)
January 31, 2013 — Colonel Matthew Q. DawsonLarge organizations, whether military or civilian, require routine processes and active leadership to ensure that the amount of time and energy spent on internal oversight and management is minimized; strategies, plans, and operations are synchronized; decisionmaking is facilitated; and output or productivity is maximized... MORE

Op-Ed: The Need For A “Half-Pivot to the Americas”
January 10, 2013 — Dr. Robert J. BunkerMuch discussion has been generated over the still relatively new U.S. strategic “Pivot to Asia” and what this will mean for our national defense policy and force structure. This pivot represents what will become a multi-year shift from the legacy of 9-11, with over a decade’s focus on ground and counterinsurgency operations in... MORE

Op-Ed: Can Sanctions Be More Effective Than Military Action In Iran?
December 7, 2012 — Dr. W. Andrew Terrill The United States and its allies are currently seeking to use international sanctions to prevent Iran from developing the technology leading to a nuclear weapons capability. It remains uncertain if the sanctions will be effective, and the U.S. leadership has correspondingly announced that all options—including military... MORE

Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring Almost no one seems to understand the Marxist-Leninist foundations of Hugo Chavez’s political thought. It becomes evident, however, in the general vision of his “Bolivarian Revolution.” The abbreviated concept is to destroy the old foreign-dominated (U.S. dominated) political and economic systems in the Americas, to take... MORE

Cover for Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability

The Impact of President Felipe Calderón’s War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico’s “Militarization” and Bilateral Relations
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr George W Grayson View the Executive SummaryIn the absence of honest, professional civilian law-enforcement agencies, President Felipe Calderón assigned the military the lead role in his nation’s version of the “War on Drugs” that he launched in 2006. While the armed forces have spearheaded the capture and/or death of several dozen cartel... MORE

Cover for The Impact of President Felipe Calderón’s War on Drugs on the Armed Forces: The Prospects for Mexico’s “Militarization” and Bilateral Relations

India’s Changing Afghanistan Policy: Regional and Global Implications
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Harsh V Pant View the Executive SummarySince 2001, the situation in Afghanistan has afforded New Delhi an opportunity to underscore its role as a regional power. India has a growing stake in the development of peace and stability in Afghanistan; and the 2011 India-Afghan strategic partnership agreement underlines India’s commitment to... MORE

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A National Security Staff for the 21st Century
December 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Jack A LeCuyer View the Executive SummaryOur legacy 1947/1989 national security system is unsuited for the dynamic and complex global security environment that has developed since the end of the Cold War. Over time, the National Security Council has evolved from the very limited advisory group initially imagined by President Truman to... MORE

Cover for A National Security Staff for the 21st Century

Op-Ed: Getting to the Win
November 28, 2012 — Colonel Michael (Scott) S. Weaver The Armed Forces that U.S. national leaders will have available to meet future contingencies and conflicts, in 2023 or 2029 for instance, will follow from U.S. strategic designs now being formulated. In September, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff released the Capstone Concept for Joint Operations: Joint... MORE

The Moral Corrosion within Our Military Professions
November 27, 2012 — Dr. Don M. Snider We have now had several weeks of breathless punditry on the moral failure of David Petraeus. The press and online commentariat do love a scandal, and the more so when a deserving American hero tragically falls from grace.The commentary has evolved from who (just the two of them?), to who else (well, maybe another general…), to why... MORE

Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq
November 1, 2012 — Author: LTC G Scott Taylor The Army goes to great lengths to capture lessons learned and preserve these lessons for current practitioners and future generations. Though the Army is one of the most self-critical organizations found in American society, a well-deserved reputation has also been earned for failing to inculcate those lessons by... MORE

Cover for Beyond the Battlefield: Institutional Army Transformation Following Victory in Iraq