Recent Publications

Russian Defense Reform: Current Trends
November 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Irina Isakova Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the topic of Russian defense policy has not received great attention. The rebuilding of Russian military strength is a high priority of President Vladimir Putin, and one to which he and his subordinates have devoted considerable time and resources. Therefore, inattention to Russian... MORE

Countering Global Terrorism: Developing the Antiterrorist Capabilities of the Central Asian Militaries
February 1, 2004 — Author: Mr Roger N McDermott The author offers a framework for improving the antiterrorist capabilities of the Central Asian militaries, including increased and focused military training with a special emphasis on Special Forces units. The training should take place within a regional train and equip program to increase effectiveness and efficiency... MORE

Pax NATO: The Opportunities of Enlargement
August 1, 2002 — Author: LTC Raymond A Millen The author examines NATO's extraordinary performance and incisive initiatives during the immediate post-Cold War years. He scrutinizes the impact of enlargement on the Alliance, not only from a military but also a geopolitical perspective. He is quick to point out that, without the needed reforms, new members will bring... MORE

Funding Defense: Challenges of Buying Military Capability in Sub-Saharan Africa
September 1, 2001 — Authors: COL Daniel W Henk, Dr Martin Revayi Rupiya Martin Rupiya, Director of the University of Zimbabwe's Centre for Defence Studies, and Daniel Henk of the Air War College provide one of the first comprehensive studies of defense budgeting practices in Africa. They assess both the problems with these practices and fruitful avenues of reform. By... MORE

Organizing for National Security
November 1, 2000 — Editor: Dr Douglas Stuart Over the last decade the United States has been confronted with not just the collapse of the Soviet empire but also with revolutionary scientific breakthroughs, the transformation of the global economy, and the erosion of many of the basic premises of the Westphalian system of international order. The U.S. policy community... MORE

Reforming NATO’s Military Structures: The Long-Term Study and Its Implications for Land Forces
May 1, 1998 — Author: Dr Thomas-Durell Young The contemporary debate over the expansion of NATO to include Poland, the Czech Republic, and Hungary has largely overshadowed an important effort on the part of the Alliance to achieve "internal adaptation" through the work of the Long-Term Study. Part of this process has been a tortuous attempt to reform and... MORE

Russia’s Armed Forces on the Brink of Reform
March 1, 1998 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank Despite over a dozen years of talk, the Soviet and now Russian military has not undergone a true military reform. What did happen was a form of degeneration and disintegration, but not a methodically planned and directed transformation and/or adaptation to new conditions. Consequently, defense policy, in all of its... MORE

Reform, Conflict, and Security in Zaire
June 1, 1996 — Author: Dr Steven Metz U.S. foreign policy in Sub-Saharan Africa seeks stability, democracy, and economic development. Despite recent positive trends, it is clear that not all African countries will move in this direction; some will sink into greater violence and misery. In the central part of the continent, Zaire is the linchpin. Because of its... MORE

Reform and the Revolution in Russian Defense Economics
May 19, 1995 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank As Russia's invasion of Chechnya shows, the Russian armed forces are suffering from tremendous shortages of capable leaders and soldiers. These problems, among others, relate directly to the shortage of funds for the military. Yet Russia cannot afford to spend more than it is now spending on the armed forces. This is the... MORE