Recent Publications

Finding “The Right Way”: Toward an Army Institutional Ethic
September 1, 2012 — Author: LTC Clark C Barrett The ethical lapses exemplified by Abu Ghraib, Mahmudiyah (Blackhearts), and Maywand (5/2 Stryker) are distressing symptoms of an even bigger, and a potentially devastating cultural shortcoming. The U.S. Army profession lacks an institutional ethical framework and a means of peer-to-peer self-governance. The frameworks... MORE

The Military’s Role in Counterterrorism: Examples and Implications for Liberal Democracies
May 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Geraint Hughes The author examines historical and contemporary examples of military involvement in counterterrorism, outlining the specific roles which the armed forces of liberal democracies have performed in combating terrorism, both in a domestic and international context. He describes the political, strategic, conceptual, diplomatic,... MORE

Resolving Ethical Challenges in an Era of Persistent Conflict
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff The character of irregular warfare has challenged the American “way of war” in a number of ways. Not only does it challenge how U.S. forces fight, it also brings into question the ethical norms that they employ to govern the fighting. The resulting confusion is especially evident in the public debate over the use of force in... MORE

The Army Officers’ Professional Ethic–Past, Present, and Future
January 1, 2010 — Author: COL Matthew Moten Colonel Matthew Moten of the West Point History Department has asked why so many other professions have clear statements of professional responsibility, but the Army officer corps does not. This essay briefly surveys the history of the Army’s professional ethic, focusing primarily on the officer corps. It assesses today’s... MORE

The Army’s Professional Military Ethic in an Era of Persistent Conflict
October 1, 2009 — Authors: Major Paul Oh, Dr Don M Snider, Major Kevin Toner As the character of conflict in the 21st century evolves, the Army’s strength will continue to rest on our values, our ethos, and our people. Our Soldiers and leaders must remain true to these values as they operate in increasingly complex environments where moral-ethical failures can have... MORE

Strategic Implications of Emerging Technologies
June 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II KEY INSIGHTS:• The conference could only scratch the surface regarding the strategic implications of several important emerging technologies, namely, biogenetics, biometrics, nanotechnologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, alternative energies, and electromagnetic weaponry. More research is needed in the form... MORE

The Army’s Ethic Suffers under its Retired Generals
January 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Don M Snider Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the January 2009 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Strategic Deception in Modern Democracies: Ethical, Legal, and Policy Challenges
January 26, 2004 — Authors: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II, Dr Carolyn Pumphrey In an effort to strip away some of that baggage and get at the root of the nature, extent, and potential applications of strategic deception, the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) and the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) held a conference on October... MORE

Peacekeeping and the Just War Tradition
September 1, 2000 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff Major Tony Pfaff, a former Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the United States Military Academy, addresses an important source of much of the confusion that currently surrounds many of the Operations Other Than War (OOTW) that the military finds itself participating in with increasing frequency. The author points out that,... MORE

Army Professionalism, the Military Ethic, and Officership in the 21st Century
December 1, 1999 — Authors: Major John A Nagl, COL Tony Pfaff, Dr Don M Snider The authors address what they—and many others—perceived to be a decline in military professionalism in the Army officer corps. The authors first describe the ethical, technical, and political components of military professionalism and then address the causes for the decline. They conclude... MORE

Technology and the 21st Century Battlefield: Recomplicating Moral Life for the Statesman and the Soldier
January 15, 1999 — Author: COL Charles J Dunlap Jr The author starts from the traditional American notion that technology might offer a way to decrease the horror and suffering of warfare. He points out that historically this assumption is flawed in that past technological advances, from gunpowder weapons to bombers, have only made warfare more--not less--bloody... MORE

The Revolution in Military Affairs: Prospects and Cautions
June 23, 1995 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr The current Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is taking place against the background of a larger historical watershed involving the end of the Cold War and the advent of what Alvin and Heidi Toffler have termed "the Information Age." In this essay, Dr. Earl Tilford argues that RMAs are driven by more than... MORE