Recent Publications

“Integrated Planning and Campaigning for Complex Problems”
July 12, 2021 — Shortfalls and inefficiencies in traditional planning and campaigning have become increasingly clear in the current hyperconnected security environment. US military planners can mitigate these deficiencies by embracing integrated planning and campaigning approaches including the development of new organizational structures and processes. These improvements will give senior leaders increased options as the US military and US Allies and partners address complex problems with better effect and to greater advantage... MORE

Strategic Insights: The Post-Conflict and the Transformation of Colombia’s Armed Forces
August 17, 2016 — Dr. R. Evan Ellis From July 11 to 15, 2015, I had the opportunity to participate in a seminar in Bogota, Colombia, on the topic of transnational organized crime that brought together security sector professionals from 10 countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, co-sponsored by U.S. Army South and the Colombian military. The activity... MORE

Cover for Strategic Insights: The Post-Conflict and the Transformation of Colombia’s Armed Forces

Re-examining the Roles of Landpower in the 21st Century and Their Implications
November 26, 2014 — Author: Dr William T Johnsen View the Executive SummaryAfter 13 years of prolonged ground combat, a weary American public is leery of further interventions requiring land forces. Shifting geostrategic conditions, such as a revanchist Russia and a rising China, reinforce this reluctance. At the same time, technological innovation once more offers... MORE

Political and Socio-Economic Change: Revolutions and Their Implications for the U.S. Military
September 1, 2014 — Author: Dr John R Deni View the Executive SummaryDramatic political, economic, and social changes across both the Greater Middle East and Latin America over the last several years—in some instances revolutionary, in others evolutionary—have had profound implications for global security generally and U.S. security specifically. Policymakers in... MORE

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Strategic Landpower Task Force Research Report
October 3, 2013 — Dr. Steven MetzAcknowledgement. The author would like to thank Frank Hoffman of the National Defense University for major contributions to this report. Introduction. The 21st-century security environment compels the United States to develop more effective and efficient ways to promote its national interests. This includes refining... MORE

Op-Ed: Developing A New Approach To Conventional Arms Control
April 8, 2013 — Dr. Jeffrey D. McCauslandIntroduction. Now that President Obama’s national security team has been confirmed, the administration can begin to consider its priorities and the policies for the second term. Many might suggest that one of the greatest foreign policy achievements of the President’s first term was the negotiation and eventual... MORE

Real Leadership and the U.S. Army: Overcoming a Failure of Imagination to Conduct Adaptive Work
December 1, 2011 — Author: COL John B Richardson IV This monograph begins with a case study that provides a means for analyzing the complexity of organizational leadership in the contemporary security environment. As such, it presents a high stakes problem-set that required an operational adaptation by a cavalry squadron conducting combat operations in Baghdad. This... MORE

Natural Gas as an Instrument of Russian State Power
October 1, 2011 — Author: Mr Alexander Ghaleb This monograph is meant to provide an unbiased examination of: the scarcity of natural gas in the contemporary security environment; the salience of natural gas in Russia’s national security strategies; and, the natural gas pipeline politics in Eastern and Central Europe. While the tendency of most energy security... MORE

A “New” Dynamic in the Western Hemisphere Security Environment: The Mexican Zetas and Other Private Armies
September 1, 2009 — Author: Dr Max G Manwaring This monograph is intended to help political, military, policy, opinion, and academic leaders think strategically about explanations, consequences, and responses that might apply to the volatile and dangerous new dynamic that has inserted itself into the already crowded Mexican and hemispheric security arena, that is, the... MORE

Developing Strategic Leaders for the 21st Century
February 1, 2008 — Author: Dr Jeffrey D McCausland Emerging analysis of the American interagency and intergovernmental processes has underscored the nation’s inability to respond effectively and coherently to contemporary national security demands. Modifications to various organizations and the overall interagency process have been recommended. These are clearly... MORE

Development and Reform of the Iraqi Police Forces
January 1, 2008 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff Despite 4 years of millions of dollars in aid, equipment, education, and advisors, Iraqi police force development lags far behind the military. Numerous reasons are offered to account for this gap: corrupt practices left over from the previous regime, infiltration by militias, weak leadership, competition by better armed and... MORE

COIN of the Realm: U.S. Counterinsurgency Strategy
January 1, 2008 — Authors: Dr Steven Metz, Mr Ralph Wipfli Participants at the seminar developed these key insights: Regardless of whether counterinsurgency (COIN) will be the dominant form of military activity in the future or simply one of several, the United States needs an effective national strategy which explains when, why, and how the nation should undertake... MORE