Recent Publications

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

The Serpent in Our Garden: Al-Qa’ida and the Long War
January 1, 2009 — Author: COL Brian M Drinkwine The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 (9/11) caused Americans to realize that our sense of invincibility had been shattered. This paper will identify al-Qa’ida and Salafi-Jihadists as our enemy and will recommend new approaches to fighting terrorism. Colonel Brian Drinkwine will explore al-Qa’ida’s organization,... MORE

The Military Strategy of Global Jihad
October 1, 2007 — Author: LTC Sarah E Zabel America entered the Global War on Terrorism with little understanding of the enemy it faced. Al-Qaeda is a splinter faction of militant Islamism intent on establishing its vision of strict Islamic rule in the Muslim world through armed action. Global jihadis have spent more than 40 years refining their philosophy, gaining... MORE

The U.S.-India Relationship: Strategic Partnership or Complementary Interests?
February 1, 2005 — Author: Dr Amit Gupta This monograph examines the U.S.-India security relationship and argues that significant differences in their worldviews precludes the development of a strong strategic relationship at present. However, India's continued economic and military growth, as well as its ongoing commitment towards secularism and democracy, makes it... MORE

Fighting in the Gray Zone: A Strategy to Close the Preemption Gap
September 1, 2004 — Authors: CMDR Joanne M Fish, LTC Samuel F McCraw, COL Christopher J Reddish The 2002 National Security Strategy (NSS) identified the proliferation, privatization, and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by terrorist groups and rogue states as the critical nontraditional threat of the 21st century. We argue preemption is ill-suited for... MORE

Learning from the Stones: A Go Approach to Mastering China’s Strategic Concept, Shi
May 1, 2004 — Author: Dr David Lai To help with the process of identifying those new and untested strategic concepts that merit further examination, the Strategic Studies Institute is publishing a special series called "Advancing Strategic Thought." This provides a venue--a safe haven--for creative, innovative, and experimental thinking about national security... MORE

Asymmetry and U.S. Military Strategy: Definition, Background, and Strategic Concepts
January 1, 2001 — Authors: Dr Douglas V Johnson II, Dr Steven Metz This report gives a simple and comprehensive definition of strategic asymmetry reflecting the need for military doctrine which transcends today's specific issues. The authors assess the strategic situation of the United States in terms of positive and negative asymmetry and offer five strategic... MORE

Transnational Threats: Blending Law Enforcement and Military Strategies
November 1, 2000 — Editor: Dr Carolyn Pumphrey On February 2-3, 2000, the U.S. Army War College, the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, and the Duke University Center for Law, Ethics, and National Security co-sponsored a conference in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The conference examined transnational threats, including terrorism involving weapons of mass... MORE

The CINCs’ Strategies: The Combatant Command Process
December 1, 1997 — Authors: COL William W Mendel, Dr Graham H Turbiville Jr The authors report their observations of the different ways combatant commanders-in-chief (CINCs) produce a strategy document, and suggest that new joint doctrine is needed to bring a degree of regularity and orderliness to the CINCs' strategic planning process. The CINCs' Strategies: The... MORE

Time’s Cycle and National Military Strategy: The Case for Continuity in a Time of Change
June 1, 1995 — Author: Dr David Jablonsky Every April the Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute hosts its Annual Strategy Conference. This year's theme, "Strategy During the Lean Years: Learning from the Past and the Present," brought together scholars, serving and retired officers, and civilian defense officials from the United States, Canada, and the... MORE

The Army and Multinational Peace Operations: Problems and Solutions
November 1, 1993 — Author: COL William J Doll Effectiveness in multinational peace operations has become an important issue for the Army. In addition to traditional peacekeeping to monitor cease-fires and truces, the Army is now involved in activities such as peace enforcement and the reconstruction of failed states. While the Army has well-established procedures for... MORE