Recent Publications

Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 2
January 17, 2019 — Author: USAWC Strategic Studies Institute Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly... MORE

Cover for Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 2

Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 1
January 17, 2019 — Author: USAWC Strategic Studies Institute Originally commissioned by Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond T. Odierno, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army’s interim examination of military operations in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This study, published in two volumes, is a narrative history that tells the story of U.S. forces in Iraq, mainly... MORE

Cover for Executive Summary: The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, Vol. 1

The Land, Space, and Cyberspace Nexus: Evolution of the Oldest Military Operations in the Newest Military Domains
March 27, 2018 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L CatonView the Executive SummaryOver the last century, the domains of air, space, and cyberspace have joined the traditional warfighting domains of land and sea. While the doctrine for land operations is relatively mature, the doctrine for space and cyberspace continue to evolve, often in an unstructured manner. This monograph... MORE

The Ethics of Drone Strikes: Does Reducing the Cost of Conflict Encourage War?
September 29, 2015 — Authors: Dr Marcus Schulzke, Dr James Igoe WalshView the Executive Summary Armed unmanned aerial vehicles—combat drones—have fundamentally altered the ways the United States conducts military operations aimed at countering insurgent and terrorist organizations. Drone technology is on track to become an increasingly important part of the country’s... MORE

Colloquium Brief: Robotics and Military Operations - Kingston Conference on International Security
August 14, 2015 — Dr. Robert J. Bunker Key Insights: A number of definitions for autonomous systems exist. One of the working definitions used at the colloquium was that in which their key feature is viewed as the ability of a given system to perform certain functions independently. Autonomous systems can support military operations by contributing to force... MORE

Evolving Army Needs for Space-Based Support
April 21, 2015 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L Caton View the Executive SummaryThe Army has been involved with space-based military operations for well over a half-century. During this time, space operations have changed from a realm exclusive to scientists and engineers, to highly classified activities largely unknown to the general population, to the unveiling 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

The Security Concerns of the Baltic States as NATO Allies
August 27, 2013 — Author: Dr James S Corum View the Executive SummaryIf the United States is likely to fight in a coalition with small allies in the future, then it is useful to understand the experience, capabilities, and perspectives of those allies. Since regaining independence in 1991, the countries of Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania have been very active in... MORE

Making Strategic Sense of Cyber Power: Why the Sky Is Not Falling
April 1, 2013 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray View the Executive SummaryCyber is now recognized as an operational domain, but the theory that should explain it strategically is, for the most part, missing. It is one thing to know how to digitize; it is quite another to understand what digitization means strategically. The author maintains that, although the technical... MORE

The Changing Face of Afghanistan, 2001-08
July 1, 2011 — Author: COL Deborah Hanagan Based on the reporting of major American news media, one could have drawn the conclusion that the Bush administration had paid little attention to Afghanistan or that its strategy focused mainly on military operations in the country. This conclusion would have been inaccurate. Shortly after the terrorist attacks of... MORE

The New Aztecs: Ritual and Restraint in Contemporary Western Military Operations
July 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Zhivan Alach The Western way of war has come full circle. After centuries of evolution toward increased totality and brutality, it has turned back once again to the ritualistic and restrained methods of primitive warfare. Largely, this has been due to an interaction between the perceived lack of utility in contemporary warfare,... MORE

Puncturing the Counterinsurgency Myth: Britain and Irregular Warfare in the Past, Present, and Future

Army Strong–Really?
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Charles D Allen The author outlines the past, present, and future of the Profession of Arms.It would be easy to discount the conjecture that the U.S. Army is in trouble. After all, we are unmatched as a fighting force and were successful in conducting military operations for regime change in two countries in the space of 18 months. Our... MORE