Recent Publications

It’s (Still) More Expensive to Rotate Military Forces Overseas than Base Them There
December 19, 2024 — In mid-2020, then-President Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to withdraw roughly one-third of US forces from Germany, reportedly because of policy differences with Berlin. Given how long it would take to implement such a significant change in overseas posture, the clock ran out on his term before the Department of Defense could complete it. With... MORE

It’s (still) more expensive to rotate military forces overseas than base them there | By John R. Deni

US-Russia Foreign Policy: Confronting Russia’s Geographic Anxieties
October 16, 2023 — The United States must place Russia’s focus on geographic concerns at the center of future strategy development to build a constructive relationship with Russia and achieve US regional goals. This article analyzes Russia’s geography and historical impact on Russian foreign policy, outlines Moscow’s current foreign policy goals, and highlights underlying concerns for US policymakers and military practitioners... MORE

Urban Warfare
September 22, 2022 — 21st Century Warfare, Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF), Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, collapse, Doha Accord, Grand Strategy, international relations, Military Change and Transformation, Military Strategy and Policy, Pakistan, Security force assistance, Statecraft, strategy, Strategy and Policy, Taliban, Ukraine, War and... MORE

“The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell: From the Arab Bureau to the Creation of Iraq”
September 19, 2022 — The remarkable life of early-twentieth-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell has been well documented through her numerous travel books and biographies. Bell’s role as a grand strategist for the British government in the Middle East during World War I and the postwar period, however, is surprisingly understudied... MORE

“JDN 2-19- Hitting the Target but Missing the Mark”
June 22, 2021 — Predoctrinal deliberations about the employment of the US armed forces, captured in Joint Doctrine Notes, remain critically understudied. Using comparative text analysis, this article identifies changes in recent Joint Doctrine Note depictions of military strategy. These changes risk distorting the logic of military strategy, sacrificing means-ends... MORE

Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare
May 7, 2019 — Author: Mr. Tim HwangView the Executive Summary How should the defense community best organize to combat modern campaigns of propaganda and disinformation? Without a broader strategic concept of the nature of the challenge posed by these techniques, current efforts and investments run the risk of simply chasing the latest tactics without... MORE

Cover for Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare

2015-16 Key Strategic Issues List
August 28, 2015 — Author: Prof John F Troxell The recently published National Military Strategy emphasizes the unpredictability of the global security environment. According to General Dempsey, “global disorder has significantly increased while some of our comparative military advantage has begun to erode. We now face multiple, simultaneous security challenges…”... MORE

Strategy Education Across the Professional Military Education Enterprise
May 18, 2015 — Colonel John C. Valledor We can find plenty to read and study on the subject of leadership; in fact, there is a veritable mountain of studies, essays, and books explaining how to build leaders. Not so if one wants to build (or become) a strategist.General John Galvin1Emerging Realities and the Education of Strategists. Since the horrific... MORE

Africa’s Booming Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production: National Security Implications for the United States and China
December 30, 2013 — Author: Mr David E BrownView the Executive Summary Two key long-term energy trends are shifting the strategic balance between the United States and China, the world’s superpower rivals in the 21st century: first, a domestic boom in U.S. shale oil and gas is dramatically boosting America’s energy security; second, the frenetic and successful search... MORE

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

A Colloquium on U.S. National Security Policy, Military Strategy: Understanding the Environment for Contemporary Warfare
April 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Dave Lewis, Dr Steve Maxner, Dr Dennis Patterson Key Insights from this colloquium are:• Establishing and continuing a collaborative dialogue between traditional academic institutions and disciplines and the nation’s next generation of senior officers is not just beneficial, it is essential to U.S. national security.• Scholars in... MORE

2010 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)
July 1, 2010 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Unlike other lists that generally reflect issues which are operational or tactical in nature, the focus of the Key Strategic Issues List is strategic. The spotlight is, in other words, on those items that senior Army and Department of Defense leaders should consider in providing military advice and formulating... MORE