Recent Publications

Halt Phase Strategy: New Wine in Old Skins . . . with Powerpoint
July 1, 1998 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr Analyzes the Halt Phase Strategy/Doctrine currently advocated by the Air Force. As a part of his analysis, the author traces the immediate origins of Report of the Quadrennial Defense Review. Dr. Tilford contends, however, that Halt's real origins are more closely identified with intrinsic Air Force strategic bombing... MORE

World View: The 1998 Strategic Assessment from the Strategic Studies Institute
February 1, 1998 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr World View presents the annual strategic assessments of the analysts at the Strategic Studies Institute. It is fifth in a series that reflects both our individual forecasts and collective review of the key security issues facing the United States. The process that produces World View also leads to our annual Research... MORE

Traditional Military Thinking and the Defensive Strategy of China
August 29, 1997 — Authors: LTG Li Jijun, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr On July 15, 1997, the U.S. Army War College hosted a delegation from the Chinese Academy of Military Science. During the delegation's visit, Academy representatives and members of the U.S. Army War College faculty engaged in discussions ranging from professional military education to national security and... MORE

Two Perspectives on Interventions and Humanitarian Operations
July 1, 1997 — Authors: AMB Robert B Oakley, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr, Dr David Tucker A recent symposium cosponsored by the Strategic Studies Institute and the University of Kentucky's Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce examined that grey area between war and peace, between intervention in support of national interests and humanitarian... MORE

National Defense into the 21st Century: Defining the Issues
June 6, 1997 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr In March 1996, Colonel Jim Blundell of the Association of the United States Army's Institute for Land Warfare and Dr. Earl H. Tilford, Jr., of the U. S. Army War College's Strategic Studies Institute envisioned a symposium that would bring all the services together for an open and honest meeting aimed at defining the... MORE

World View: The 1997 Strategic Assessment from the Strategic Studies Institute
February 3, 1997 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr In December of each year the analysts at the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) look to the year ahead to assess the strategic equation for their particular areas of interest. This is part of an effort to focus our priorities both corporately as well as individually. As they address those issues and factors that will... MORE

World View: The 1996 Strategic Assessment from the Strategic Studies Institute
February 1, 1996 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr The analysts at the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) annually assess the strategic equation for their particular area of interest. This year they were asked to consider not only the next 12-18 months, but also to look 10 years ahead and to think about the future as it might affect both the nation and the Army. From the... MORE

U.S. Policy in the Balkans: A Hobson’s Choice
August 28, 1995 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr William T Johnsen, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr At this writing, the strategic balance may have shifted in the ongoing war in the former Yugoslavia, and the region could be on the verge of a settlement. But, the "window of opportunity" may be fleeting, and the failures and frustrations of the past four years temper any... MORE

The Revolution in Military Affairs: Prospects and Cautions
June 23, 1995 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr The current Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) is taking place against the background of a larger historical watershed involving the end of the Cold War and the advent of what Alvin and Heidi Toffler have termed "the Information Age." In this essay, Dr. Earl Tilford argues that RMAs are driven by more than... MORE

World View: The 1995 Strategic Assessment from the Strategic Studies Institute
February 1, 1995 — Author: Dr Earl H Tilford Jr Every year the analysts at the Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) prepare current assessments for their particular areas of interest. These assessments become the bedrock of the annual SSI Study Program. This year's assessments are crucial given the complexities of the post-Cold War world. Russia remains an enigma... MORE

Russia’s Invasion of Chechnya: A Preliminary Assessment
January 1, 1995 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr On December 11, 1994, Russia invaded the secessionist republic of Chechnya in the North Caucasus. The aim was to suppress the republic's government, led by General Dzhokar Dudayev, compel it to accept Moscow's authority, and to force it to renounce its bid for independence and sovereignty. This... MORE

Does Russian Democracy Have a Future?
July 1, 1994 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr Earl H Tilford Jr In 1854, on the eve of the Crimea campaign, Antoine Henri Jomini wrote, "The Russian Army is a wall which, however far it may retreat, you will always find in front of you." The political unrest and economic disarray that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the disintegration of the... MORE