Recent Publications

Silent Partners: Organized Crime, Irregular Groups, and Nation-States
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive SummaryThe U.S. Army increasingly faces adversaries that are difficult to define. The threat landscape is further complicated by the silent partnership between criminal organizations, irregular groups, and nation-states. This collaboration, whatever its exact nature, is problematic, because it confounds... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Better Late Than Never
October 23, 2018 — Author: Dr M Chris MasonSeventeen years ago this November, in a conference room in the Pentagon, I explained that, in whatever form it took, the new Government of Afghanistan would require some sort of provincial or territorial forces under Afghan Army command to augment the regular national army, which the interagency working group was tasked with... MORE

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Assessing the Collective Security Treaty Organization: Capabilities and Vulnerabilities
October 18, 2018 — Author: Dr Richard WeitzView the Executive SummaryRussia has strengthened its military position in Central Asia and the South Caucasus through a combination of bilateral and multilateral initiatives. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has become the most important multilateral defense structure in the former Soviet Union and is an... MORE

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Russia’s Syria Problem
October 8, 2018 — Dr. Robert E. Hamilton, Oct 2018The Russians are discovering that success on the battlefield doesn’t automatically translate to achievement of political goals. Several recent publications and organizations have proclaimed victory for Russia and the Assad regime in the Syrian civil war. President Obama’s prediction back in the autumn of 2015 that... MORE

Parameters VOL. 48 NO. 2 SUMMER 2018
October 4, 2018 — Editor: Dr Antulio J Echevarria IIFEATURES: Special Commentary. “The Military as Social Experiment: Challenging a Trope” by Jacqueline E. Whitt and Elizabeth A. Perazzo. Teaching Strategy. “Stuff Happens: Understanding Causation in Policy and Strategy” by Andrew A. Hill and Stephen J. Gerras. “Comparative Strategy in Professional Military... MORE

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Maintaining Information Dominance in Complex Environments
October 3, 2018 — Author: Dr John A S. Ardis, Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive SummaryThere are many risks to the U.S. Army’s command and control (C2) operations and to its intelligence and information warfare (IW) capabilities. The challenges include: significant uncertainty; sudden unexpected events; high noise and clutter levels in intelligence pictures; basic... MORE

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The Relevance of the European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the United States in the 21st Century
September 27, 2018 — Author: Dr Joel R HillisonView the Executive SummaryThe “America First” approach to foreign policy seems to call into question the value of institutions like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU). However, in a more competitive and uncertain strategic environment, NATO and the EU remain vital to promoting U.S... MORE

Strategic Insights: ISIS in Libya: A Threat or a Dead-End?
September 26, 2018 — Author: Dr Azeem IbrahimPrior to 1912, Libya was a province within the Ottoman Empire and subdivided into two regions (Tripolitania in the west and Cyrenaica in the east) reflecting a long-standing ethnic and geographic division in the country. Although not administered separately, the large region reaching south into the Sahara had a different... MORE

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Exit Strategy: Rule of Law and the U.S. Army
September 25, 2018 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive SummaryEstablishing the rule of law is a key goal and end state in counterinsurgency (COIN) operations and is a critical aspect of securing peace and preventing future conflict. However, recent experience in theaters such as Afghanistan has shown that establishing effective rule of law institutions and... MORE

The Dual-System Problem in Complex Conflicts
September 20, 2018 — Authors: Ms. Melissa Gregg, Dr. Robert D. LambView the Executive SummaryConflict and fragile environments are increasingly complex and unpredictable, but the U.S. policy system itself is much more complex and unpredictable than most leaders appreciate. In this monograph, the authors argue that until we get a grasp on this “dual-system problem,” the... MORE

A Security Role for the United States in a Post-ISIS Syria?
September 14, 2018 — Author: Mr Gregory AftandilianSyria has become one of the most vexing and complex problems for U.S. strategic planners in recent times. Currently, the United States has about 2,000 troops in the northeastern part of the country whose primary mission has been to aid the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up primarily of Kurds and some Arab... MORE

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Impacts of Anti-Access/Area Denial Measures on Space Systems: Issues and Implications for Army and Joint Forces
September 5, 2018 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L CatonView the Executive SummaryThe 2018 National Defense Strategy and National Space Strategy both reaffirm the vital interests that the United States has in the domain of space. However, space remains an inherently hostile environment that has become congested, contested, and competitive among the nations. What are ways for... MORE