Recent Publications

SSI Live 125 – Europe’s Role in a Taiwan Crisis
June 12, 2026 — In this episode of SSI Live, Major Brennan Deveraux interviews Dr. John Deni on his ongoing research concerning Europe’s potential involvement in a war in the Pacific. The conversation explores the challenges of coalition management and the unique contributions the United States could request from its European allies... MORE

SSI Live podcast: Europe’s Role in a Taiwan Crisis, Brennan Deveraux and Dr. John Deni

“A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants”
June 12, 2026 — In this episode, Henry Sokolski discusses how proportionality can serve as a concrete tool for winning wars and maintaining alliances and defines the roles the Lieber Code, the Geneva Conventions, precision weapons, and public narratives play in warfare... MORE

Decisive Point podcast: “A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants” by Henry Sokolski

In Dire Straits: Iran, Hormuz, and the Risks to the Global Order
June 9, 2026 — Jacob Stoil and Daphné Richemond-Barak... MORE

SRAD Quick Take: In Dire Straits: Iran, Hormuz, and the Risks to the Global Order by Jacob Stoil and Daphné Richemond-Barak

“Will to Peace or Will to Victory?”: A Heated Debate in Russia’s Leading Foreign Policy Forum
June 5, 2026 — Timothy K. Blauvelt... MORE

SRAD Quick Take: “Will to Peace or Will to Victory?”: A Heated Debate in Russia’s Leading Foreign Policy Forum by Timothy K. Blauvelt

The Z-21’s External Fuel Tanks Expand the PLAA’s Planning Options for Helicopter Missions
June 5, 2026 — Joaquin Camarena... MORE

CLSC Quick Takes: The Z-21’s External Fuel Tanks Expand the PLAA’s Planning Options for Helicopter Missions by Joaquin Camarena

Ukraine’s War Effort in Mid-2026: International Opportunities and Domestic Challenges
June 4, 2026 — The circumstances of the Russia-Ukraine War—and even the nature of modern warfare itself—appear to transform with each passing year. In 2023–24, the war was one of grinding attrition reminiscent of World War I. By 2025, advances in drone technology and battlefield awareness systems had transformed the conflict, creating “kill zones” along the line of contact that rapidly rendered conventional military hardware largely ineffective. Ukraine’s position, however, remained tenuous as the Russian military continued to make slow but incremental gains in territory... MORE

Slide for the Strategic Insights article, Ukraine’s War Effort in Mid-2026: International Opportunities and Domestic Challenges by Timothy K. Blauvelt

Between Beijing and the Budget: The Domestic Realities of Taiwan’s Defense Spending Drama
June 2, 2026 — Taiwan's legislature spent six months blocking a major defense budget, then passed a scaled-down version days before the Trump-Xi summit. Jessica C. Liao and Kyle Marcrum argue why the story the US media tells is flawed... MORE

Slide for Between Beijing and the Budget: The Domestic Realities of Taiwan’s Defense Spending Drama, by Jessica C. Liao and Kyle Marcrum

Book Review: Beyond Black Hawk Down: Intervention, Nation-Building, and Insurgency in Somalia, 1992-1995
June 1, 2026 — In this groundbreaking military history, Jonathan Carroll moves beyond the infamous Battle of Mogadishu to uncover the full scope of the US and UN intervention in Somalia. Drawing on newly available sources and the Somali perspective, Carroll reveals how a promising humanitarian mission unraveled into a cautionary tale of political missteps and failed nation-building. Beyond Black Hawk Down offers vital lessons for future interventions in fragile states, making it essential reading for policymakers, historians, and military strategists alike... MORE

Cover of Beyond Black Hawk Down: Intervention, Nation-Building, and Insurgency in Somalia, 1992–1995 by Jonathan Carroll

Book Review: Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint: The Remarkable Year That Made Winston Churchill
June 1, 2026 — In Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint, J. Furman Daniel III captures the transformative year that shaped Winston Churchill’s resilience, leadership, and artistry. From the trenches of World War I to the quiet refuge of his painting studio, Churchill’s journey reveals a man grappling with failure, reinvention, and the pursuit of purpose. This compelling portrait blends military history with personal introspection, offering a fresh lens on one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures... MORE

Cover of Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint: The Remarkable Year That Made Winston Churchill by J. Furman Daniel III

Book Review: Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security
June 1, 2026 — In Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security, Andrew Preston reveals how Franklin D. Roosevelt’s domestic reforms laid the groundwork for America’s modern national security state. Blending political history with strategic insight, the book uncovers how the New Deal reshaped the US approach to global threats long before World War II. It’s a compelling story of how internal crises forged a new vision of American power on the world stage... MORE

Cover of Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security by Andrew Preston

Book Review: Lessons Learned and Unlearned: The Drivers of US Indirect-Fire Innovation
June 1, 2026 — How does military innovation really happen—and what causes it to stall? In Lessons Learned and Unlearned, Brennan S. Deveraux traces the evolution of US indirect-fire systems, revealing how institutional memory, battlefield experience, and strategic priorities shape technological progress. This sharp analysis offers vital insights for defense planners, historians, and anyone interested in the mechanics of military adaptation... MORE

Cover of Lessons Learned and Unlearned: The Drivers of US Indirect-Fire Innovation by Brennan S. Deveraux

Book Review: Occupation: Russian Rule in South-Eastern Ukraine
June 1, 2026 — In this timely and penetrating study, David Lewis examines the mechanisms and consequences of Russian governance in occupied southeastern Ukraine. Through on-the-ground analysis and geopolitical insight, the book reveals how local institutions, identity, and resistance are reshaped under foreign rule. It’s an essential read for understanding the evolving dynamics of power, control, and legitimacy in one of Europe’s most contested regions... MORE

Cover of Occupation: Russian Rule in South-Eastern Ukraine by David Lewis