Recent Publications

Parameters | Autumn 2024
August 29, 2024 — Welcome to the Autumn 2024 issue of Parameters. The Autumn issue consists of a special piece from the US Army War College Commandant and Provost on their strategic vision for the college, two In Focus special commentaries, three forums (Cooperative Partnerships, Professional Development, and Historical Studies), two regular forums (A Major’s Perspective and the Civil-Military Relations Corner), and a... MORE

The State-Society/Citizen Relationship in Security Analysis: Implications for Planning and Implementation of U.S. Intervention and Peace/State-building Operations
April 10, 2015 — Author: Dr Yannis A Stivachtis View the Executive SummaryThe end of the Cold War, and especially the events of September 11, 2001, have led to the redefinition of the U.S. Army’s role. In this new environment, the purpose of the U.S. Army is not only to win a battle or a war, but also to be involved effectively in peace operations in post-conflict... MORE

Joint Strategic Planning System Insights: Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff 1990 to 2012
June 24, 2013 — Author: Dr Richard M Meinhart View the Executive SummaryMilitary leaders at many levels have used strategic planning in various ways to position their organizations to respond to the demands of the current situation while simultaneously preparing to meet future challenges. This Paper will first describe the Chairman’s statutory responsibilities and... MORE

War and Insurgency in the Western Sahara
May 13, 2013 — Author: Geoffrey Jensen View the Executive SummaryAt a crucial crossroads between Africa and Europe, the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, and the “Arab World” and the West, Morocco has long had a special place in U.S. diplomacy and strategic planning. Since September 11, 2001, Morocco’s importance to the United States has only increased, and the... MORE

Disjointed Ways, Disunified Means: Learning from America’s Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation
May 1, 2012 — Author: COL Lewis G Irwin Remarkably ambitious in its audacity and scope, NATO’s irregular warfare and nation-building mission in Afghanistan has struggled to meet its nonmilitary objectives by most tangible measures. Put directly, the Alliance and its partners have fallen short of achieving the results needed to create a stable, secure,... MORE

Cover for Disjointed Ways, Disunified Means: Learning from America's Struggle to Build an Afghan Nation

Chinese Lessons from Other Peoples’ Wars
November 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Roy Kamphausen, Dr David Lai, Dr Andrew Scobell The importance of China stems not only from its current international role and its influence on the Asia-Pacific region in particular, but also because China’s impact on global developments will likely continue to grow. One of our enduring imperatives is to accurately survey China’s... MORE

Strategic Planning by the Chairmen, Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1990 TO 2005
May 1, 2006 — Author: Dr Richard M Meinhart This article examines how the Chairmen Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1990 to 2005 used a strategic planning system to respond to their global challenges. By analyzing this planning system’s evolution, processes and products along with each leader’s use, leadership concepts are identified for future leaders in the... MORE

Strategic Planning and the Drug Threat
August 1, 1997 — Authors: COL William W Mendel, COL Murl D Munger The primary purpose of this publication is to show how the principles and techniques of strategic and operational planning can be applied to the supply reduction side of our national effort to curb the trafficking of illicit drugs. An earlier version was published in 1991 which introduced campaign... MORE

Strategic Plans, Joint Doctrine and Antipodean Insights
October 20, 1995 — Authors: Prof Douglas C Lovelace Jr, Dr Thomas-Durell Young This is the second in an analytical series on joint issues. It follows the authors' U.S. Department of Defense Strategic Planning: The Missing Nexus, in which they articulated the need for more formal joint strategic plans. This essay examines the effect such plans would have on joint... MORE

U.S. Department of Defense Strategic Planning: The Missing Nexus
September 1, 1995 — Authors: Prof Douglas C Lovelace Jr, Dr Thomas-Durell Young The authors define a formal strategic plan: one that contains specific strategic objectives, offers a clear and executable strategy for achieving objectives, illuminates force capability requirements, and is harmonized with the Future Years Defense Program. They discuss the reasons why a... MORE