Recent Publications

Debating Ends, not Just Means, in the War on Terror
March 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Stephen D Biddle Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the March 2004 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Toward an American Way of War
March 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II The author examines the principal characteristics and ideas associated with the American way of war, past and present. He argues that Americans do not have a way of war, but rather a way of battle. LTC Echevarria contends that moving from a way of battle to a way of war will require some fundamental thinking about... MORE

Toward a New U.S. Strategy in Asia
February 1, 2004 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the February 2004 newsletter.Read Now MORE

Strategic Deception in Modern Democracies: Ethical, Legal, and Policy Challenges
January 26, 2004 — Authors: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II, Dr Carolyn Pumphrey In an effort to strip away some of that baggage and get at the root of the nature, extent, and potential applications of strategic deception, the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) and the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) held a conference on October... MORE

Insurgency in Nepal
December 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Thomas A Marks Insurgencies in the 21st century are different than the Cold War era ones that generated existing doctrine and strategy, and which shaped the way that most American strategists think about insurgency. The beast has mutated and evolved. So, too, must those who confront it. To help Army and Department of Defense leaders... MORE

National Security Challenges for the 21st Century
October 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Williamson Murray Officers who participated in the Advanced Strategic Art Program (ASAP) during their year at the U.S. Army War College wrote these chapters. The ASAP is a unique program that offers selected students a rigorous course of instruction in theater strategy. Solidly based in theory, doctrine, and history, the program provides... MORE

Rethinking Asymmetric Threats
September 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank For several years U.S. policymakers, officials, and writers on defense have employed the terms "asymmetric" or "asymmetry" to characterize everything from the nature of the threats we face to the nature of war and beyond. The author challenges the utility of using those terms to characterize the threats we face, one... MORE

Strategic Leadership Competencies
September 1, 2003 — Authors: Dr Stephen J Gerras, COL William Kidd, COL Robert Pricone, COL Richard Swengros, Dr Leonard Wong The strategic leadership literature in both the academic and military contexts is replete with long lists of the knowledge, skills, and abilities. Unfortunately, long comprehensive lists are problematic. Looking across the literature on... MORE

Mapping Colombia: The Correlation between Land Data and Strategy
March 1, 2003 — Author: Dr Geoffrey Demarest The mapping of Colombian national territory, however, is fundamental to the problem of control of national territory. As a threshold matter, policy, strategy, and military asset management in contemporary conflict in virtually any unstable part of the world must deal with the problem of governance in "lawless areas."... MORE

Defeating Saddam Hussein’s Strategy
January 1, 2003 — Author: LTC Raymond A Millen Should war break out between Iraq and the United States, Saddam Hussein will likely adopt a strategy designed to undermine the prestige of the United States and turn the Arab World against the West. A war culminating in a titanic battle for Baghdad would provide Saddam Hussein with the prestige and respect he seeks from... MORE

Dragon on Terrorism: Assessing China’s Tactical Gains and Strategic Losses Post-September 11
October 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Mohan Malik The U.S. relationship with China and the global war on terrorism are the two most significant strategic challenges faced by the Bush administration. Both are vital and complex; the way the administration manages them will shape American security for many years. While there is a growing literature on both key strategic issues,... MORE

Defining and Achieving Decisive Victory
April 1, 2002 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray The author explores the concept of victory in the war in terrorism, but he does so by placing it within the larger currents of change that are sweeping the global security environment. He contends that the time-tested idea of decisive victory is still an important one, but must be designed very carefully in this dangerous... MORE