Recent Publications

Colloquium Brief: U.S. Army War College 25th Annual Strategy Conference Carlisle, Pennsylvania, April 8-10, 2014 — Balancing the Joint Force to Meet Future Security Challenges
November 15, 2016 — Dr. Richard Weitz Key Insights: The international security environment will remain cluttered, confusing, and uncertain; many of these problems are unavoidable; at best, we can mitigate them. More than a decade of continuous military operations, fewer materiel resources, changing threat perceptions, and novel technologies are affecting how the U.S... MORE

Cyberspace: Malevolent Actors, Criminal Opportunities, and Strategic Competition
August 11, 2016 — Editor: Dr Dighton Fiddner, Dr Phil WilliamsView the Executive SummaryThis volume has three parts: the first focuses on cyberspace itself; the second on some of the major forms of malevolence or threats that have become one of its defining characteristics; and the third on possible responses to these threats. One of the most significant features of... MORE

Cover for Cyberspace: Malevolent Actors, Criminal Opportunities, and Strategic Competition

2016-17 Key Strategic Issues List
July 1, 2016 — Editor: Prof John F TroxellThe United States faces security challenges within a global context of rapid technological change, significant demographic shifts, an uncertain economy, and geostrategic power dynamics of historic proportions. These conditions intensify the level of uncertainty and the pace of change, and raise the potential for... MORE

Cover for 2016-17 Key Strategic Issues List

Reforming U.S. Export Controls Reforms: Advancing U.S. Army Interests
December 23, 2015 — Author: Dr Richard WeitzView the Executive Summary The U.S. defense export system needs further major reforms to reduce inefficiencies and weaknesses. Although the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) do help prevent potential foreign adversaries from using U.S. arms against the United States and its allies, the Regulations, as... MORE

Lethal and Legal? The Ethics of Drone Strikes
December 15, 2015 — Author: Dr Shima D KeeneView the Executive Summary While supporters claim that drone warfare is not only legal but ethical and wise, others have suggested that drones are prohibited weapons under International Humanitarian Law (IHL) because they cause, or have the effect of causing, indiscriminate killings of civilians, such as those in the... MORE

Training Humans for the Human Domain
November 2, 2015 — Authors: Mr Keir Giles, Dr Steve TathamView the Executive Summary Experience from Afghanistan and Iraq has demonstrated the vital nature of understanding human terrain, with conclusions relevant far beyond counterinsurgency operations in the Islamic world. Any situation where adversary actions are described as “irrational” demonstrates a... MORE

The Rise of iWar: Identity, Information, and the Individualization of Modern Warfare
October 16, 2015 — Author: COL Glenn J VoelzView the Executive Summary During a decade of global counterterrorism operations and two extended counterinsurgency campaigns, the United States was confronted with a new kind of adversary. Without uniforms, flags, and formations, the task of identifying and targeting these combatants represented an unprecedented... MORE

The Ethics of Drone Strikes: Does Reducing the Cost of Conflict Encourage War?
September 29, 2015 — Authors: Dr Marcus Schulzke, Dr James Igoe WalshView the Executive Summary Armed unmanned aerial vehicles—combat drones—have fundamentally altered the ways the United States conducts military operations aimed at countering insurgent and terrorist organizations. Drone technology is on track to become an increasingly important part of the country’s... MORE

Terrorist and Insurgent Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Use, Potentials, and Military Implications
August 27, 2015 — Author: Dr Robert J BunkerView the Executive Summary This manuscript focuses on the present threat posed by terrorist and insurgent use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as well as associated future threat potentials. This work presents a counterintuitive analysis in the sense that armed drones are typically viewed as a component of America’s... MORE

Colloquium Brief: Robotics and Military Operations - Kingston Conference on International Security
August 14, 2015 — Dr. Robert J. Bunker Key Insights: A number of definitions for autonomous systems exist. One of the working definitions used at the colloquium was that in which their key feature is viewed as the ability of a given system to perform certain functions independently. Autonomous systems can support military operations by contributing to force... MORE

Space-Based Solar Power: A Technical, Economic, and Operational Assessment
April 8, 2015 — Author: Mr Jeffrey L Caton View the Executive SummaryWith growing international awareness of energy security challenges, the promise of space-based solar power for clean and unlimited energy for all humankind is certainly appealing. While significant progress continues in the enabling technologies of such systems, is there compelling evidence that... MORE

Confidence Building in Cyberspace: A Comparison of Territorial and Weapons-Based Regimes
April 1, 2015 — Author: Dr Mary Manjikian View the Executive SummaryAn analysis of weapons-based confidence-building measures shows how academics can work together to self-police their research for national security implications, socialize new members of the academic community into the importance of considering security issues, and develop and disseminate norms... MORE