Recent Publications

Senior Conference 55—The Emerging Environment in the Indo-Pacific Region: Drivers, Directions, and Decisions
March 4, 2020 — Editors: Dr Terry Babcock-Lumish, COL Tania Chacho, MAJ Tom Fox, MAJ Zachary Griffiths As the Indo-Pacific region enters a period of uncertainty, this monograph details the proceedings of West Point’s 2019 Senior Conference 55. Scholars and practitioners convened to discuss and debate strategic changes, and experts shared thoughts during keynote... MORE

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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

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Parameters VOL. 48 NO. 4 Winter 2018-19
May 6, 2019 — Editor: Dr Antulio J Echevarria II FEATURES: Special Commentary "Civil-Military Relations and Today’s Policy Environment" by Thomas N. Garner.Coercion: New Means & Methods"Social Media Warriors: Leveraging a New Battlespace" by Buddhika B. Jayamaha and Jahara Matisek."Multidimensionality: Rethinking Power Projection for the 21st Century" by David... MORE

Command Decision: Ethical Leadership in the Information Environment
April 30, 2019 — Author: Mr Keir GilesView the Executive Summary Big data amplifies a classical problem of military leadership, namely, making critical decisions based on limited and often unreliable information. This monograph considers three leadership models that provide an alternative to an overreliance on technological solutions to address new challenges... MORE

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The Army Role in Achieving Deterrence in Cyberspace
March 18, 2019 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L CatonView the Executive Summary In 2015, the Department of Defense (DoD) released the DoD Cyber Strategy which explicitly calls for a comprehensive strategy to provide credible deterrence in cyberspace against threats from key state and nonstate actors. To be effective, such activities must be coordinated with ongoing... MORE

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The Army War College Review Vol. 4. No. 1 & 2
August 27, 2018 — Editor: Dr Larry D MillerThe Army War College Review, a refereed publication of student work, is produced under the purview of the Strategic Studies Institute and the United States Army War College. An electronic quarterly, The AWC Review connects student intellectual work with professionals invested in U.S. national security, Landpower, strategic... MORE

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Robotics and Military Operations
May 22, 2018 — Editor: Prof William G Braun III, Kim Richard Nossal, Stéfanie von HlatkyView the Executive SummaryIn the wake of two extended wars, Western militaries find themselves looking to the future while confronting amorphous nonstate threats and shrinking defense budgets. The 2015 Kingston Conference on International Security (KCIS) examined how robotics... MORE

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Strategic Insights: Revolutionary Change Is Coming to Strategic Leadership
December 19, 2017 — Dr. Steven MetzClausewitz famously observed that war has an enduring nature and a changing character that evolves over time as technology, society, economics, and politics shift. This observation also applies to strategic leadership: it too has an enduring nature and a changing character.The enduring nature manifests itself as characteristics that... MORE

2017-18 Key Strategic Issues List
November 15, 2017 — Editor: COL Todd E. Key For over a decade, the USAWC has published the annual Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL) to inform students, faculty, and external research associates of strategic topics requiring research and analysis. Part I of the Academic Year (AY) 2018 KSIL, referred to as the Chief of Staff of the Army Special Interest Topics, consists... MORE

Armed Robotic Systems Emergence: Weapons Systems Life Cycles Analysis and New Strategic Realities
November 14, 2017 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary Armed robotic systems—drones and droids—now emerging on the battlefield portend new strategic realities not only for U.S. forces but also for our allies and future potential belligerents. Numerous questions of immediate warfighting importance come to mind with the fielding of these drones and... MORE

Closer Than You Think: The Implications of the Third Offset Strategy for the U.S. Army
October 26, 2017 — Editor: Mr Samuel R White JrView the Executive Summary The Defense Innovation Initiative (DII), begun in November 2014 by former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel, is intended to ensure U.S. military superiority throughout the 21st century. The DII seeks broad-based innovation across the spectrum of concepts, research and development, capabilities,... MORE

A Typology of Arguments about Drone Ethics
October 10, 2017 — Author: Dr Mary ManjikianView the Executive Summary Many different actors oppose the use of unmanned autonomous weapons (UAV’s) from adversary states, to international governmental organizations to policymakers and academics. However, the basis for their opposition varies, as do the assumptions behind their arguments. This Letort Paper lays out... MORE