Recent Publications

Cyberterrorism after STUXNET
June 11, 2014 — Author: Dr Thomas M Chen View the Executive SummaryThe discovery of STUXNET was a recent milestone in the arena of cyber security because it was the first malware designed to cause real world damage to industrial control systems. It demonstrated that a sufficiently determined adversary might be able to cause physical damage to U.S. critical... MORE

U.S. Governmental Information Operations and Strategic Communications: A Discredited Tool or User Failure? Implications for Future Conflict
December 3, 2013 — Author: Dr Steve Tatham View the Executive SummaryThrough the prism of operations in Afghanistan, the author examines how the U.S. Government’s Strategic Communication (SC) and, in particular, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Information Operations (IO) and Military Information Support to Operations (MISO) programs, have contributed to U.S... MORE

Nigerian Unity: In the Balance
June 14, 2013 — Authors: LTC Clarence J Bouchat (USAF, Ret), Mr Gerald McLoughlin View the Executive SummaryNigeria’s future as a unified state is in jeopardy. Those who make or execute U.S. policy will find it difficult to advance U.S. interests in Africa without an understanding of the pressures that tear and bind Nigeria. Despite this, the centrifugal forces... MORE

Avoiding the Slippery Slope: Conducting Effective Interventions
June 4, 2013 — Author: Dr Thomas R Mockaitis View the Executive SummaryThis Letort Paper covers U.S. military interventions in civil conflicts since the end of the Cold War. It defines intervention as the use of military force to achieve a specific objective (i.e., deliver humanitarian aid, support revolutionaries or insurgents, protect a threatened population,... MORE

Colloquium Brief: Kingston Conference on International Security (KCIS-2012): International Security in an Age of Austerity
March 4, 2013 — Mr. Dru LauzonA Partnership Between Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, Centre for International and Defence Policy, Queen's University, Chair of Defence Management Studies, Queen's University, and Land Force Doctrine and Training System of the Canadian ForcesKey Insights. While the threat of another... MORE

Cyberspace: Malevolent Actors, Criminal Opportunities, and Strategic Competition Conference
March 4, 2013 — Dr. Robert J. BunkerThe “Cyberspace: Malevolent Actors, Criminal Opportunities, and Strategic Competition” conference was held on November 1-2, 2012, in Pittsburgh, PA. The conference was sponsored by the Matthew B. Ridgway Center for International Security Studies, University of Pittsburgh, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War... MORE

Governance, Identity, and Counterinsurgency: Evidence from Ramadi and Tal Afar
March 1, 2013 — Author: Dr Michael Fitzsimmons View the Executive SummaryThe premise of most Western thinking on counterinsurgency is that success depends on establishing a perception of legitimacy among local populations. The path to legitimacy is often seen as the improvement of governance in the form of effective and efficient administration of government and... MORE

Op-Ed: The Need For A “Half-Pivot to the Americas”
January 10, 2013 — Dr. Robert J. BunkerMuch discussion has been generated over the still relatively new U.S. strategic “Pivot to Asia” and what this will mean for our national defense policy and force structure. This pivot represents what will become a multi-year shift from the legacy of 9-11, with over a decade’s focus on ground and counterinsurgency operations in... MORE

State-Building Challenges in a Post-Revolution Libya
October 1, 2012 — Author: Dr Mohammed El-Katiri Following the overthrow of Muammar Qadhafi, Libya’s National Transitional Council inherited a difficult and volatile domestic situation. The new leadership faces serious challenges in all areas of statehood. Libya’s key geostrategic position, and role in hydrocarbon production and exportation, means that the internal... MORE

Cover for State-Building Challenges in a Post-Revolution Libya

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol 2: National Security Policy and Strategy, 5th Ed.
July 1, 2012 — Author: Dr J Boone Bartholomees Jr This edition of the U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues continues to reflect the structure and approach of the core national security strategy and policy curriculum at the U.S. Army War College. The 5th Edition is published in two volumes that correspond roughly to the Department of National... MORE

Cover for U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol 2: National Security Policy and Strategy, 5th Ed.

Colloquium Brief: Cyber Infrastructure Protection
December 19, 2011 — Dr. Tarek N. Saadawi,COL Louis H. Jordan, JrA partnership between: U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute; Center of Information Networking and Telecommunications, Grove School of Engineering; Colin Powell Center for Public Policy; and City University of New... MORE

Arms Control and Proliferation Challenges to the Reset Policy
November 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The current U.S. reset policy with Russia involves efforts to blaze a path of mutual cooperation on arms control and proliferation. In arms control, we see determined administration attempts to promote greater nuclear reductions in the direction of nuclear zero, including reductions in tactical nuclear weapons. This... MORE