Letort Papers

What Next for Russia’s Front-Line States? Mr Keir Giles Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) considers that this Letort Paper provides a useful assessment of the continuities and changes in the foreign policy posture of Russia’s front-line states following Russia’s intervention in Ukraine in 2014. As a British scholar on Russia, Keir Giles explains that Moscow already voiced its opposition when the Baltic States accessed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2004, and the color revolutions presented a democratization model on Russia’s doorstep. However, at that time, Russia did not possess the confidence or the capability to counter what it perceived as Western expansionism by using direct military action."

Creating Great Expectations: Strategic Communications and American Airpower Dr Conrad C Crane Letort Paper by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Of all the American military services, the two most active and adept in strategic communications in the last century have been the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force (USAF). As the smallest service, the Marines have pursued a very successful public relations campaign to trumpet their accomplishments and ensure their survival. It is a standing joke that a Marine rifle squad consists of eight riflemen and two cameramen.,,"

A Typology of Arguments about Drone Ethics Dr Mary Manjikian Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In recent years, international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described U.S.-led drone strikes in Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere as atrocities and even war crimes. Both the International Committee of the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch have asked whether the United States is violating the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), with Human Rights Watch suggesting that the United States should be prosecuted for its actions. At the same time, the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC) has called for greater regulation of what they term 'killer robots.' "

Ends, Means, Ideology, and Pride: Why the Axis Lost and What We Can Learn from Its Defeat Dr Jeffrey Record Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Why did the Axis Powers lose World War II, and what can we learn from its defeat? The Axis seemed on top of the world until 1941, when it added to its list of enemies the United States and the Soviet Union. The entry of Russia and America into the war decisively tipped the balance against Germany, Italy, and Japan. Resource-rich Russia and the United States were prepared for protracted conflict, whereas the Axis was not. From Pearl Harbor onward, it is difficult to imagine how the Axis could have avoided the fate that befell it, short of Stalin’s defection from the Allied side."

Corruption, Legitimacy, and Stability: Implications for the U.S. Army Dr Shima D Keene Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Corruption increases the level of instability and the risk of conflict by undermining the legitimacy and credibility of state institutions as well as of peacekeeping and state-building interventions by the international community, to include the U.S. Army. Post-conflict states, or states emerging from conflict, are particularly vulnerable to corruption, due to the lack of good governance infrastructures, which makes it difficult to detect, disrupt, or bring about successful prosecutions against those who are involved in activities such as bribery, extortion, false accounting, and embezzlement."

21st-Century Challenges of Command: A View from the Field Dr Anna Simons Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Among lessons said to have been learned over the past decade and a half is that the United States should never again use force absent a coherent strategy. Yet, no matter how necessary a coherent strategy is, it will prove insufficient unless the problem of too many competing hierarchies is likewise addressed. A second complicating challenge for those in 21st-century command is churn: churn of personnel, of units, and of responsibility. Without there being a commanding general, a supreme commander, or some “one” individual placed in charge for the duration, decisive results will remain elusive."

The Turning Point for Russian Foreign Policy Mr Keir Giles Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This Letort Paper examines the background to Russia’s use of military force in Ukraine in 2014 and Syria in 2015, and investigates the roots of Russia’s new assertiveness and willingness to resort to direct military action to resolve foreign policy challenges. This Letort Paper identifies two long-standing trends that led to this increased willingness: first, a greater and more urgent perception of threat, whether real or imagined, to Russia’s own security; and second, a recognition that Russia itself had regained sufficient strength, military and otherwise, to assert itself and counter this threat."

Social Media—The Vital Ground: Can We Hold It? Dr Steve Tatham, Mr. Ian Tunnicliffe Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In this timely and realistic examination of social media, two world-class British experts examine exactly, in the defense context, what social media is and what it should and should not be used for in the future..."

Antiquities Destruction and Illicit Sales as Sources of ISIS Funding and Propaganda Dr W Andrew Terrill Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The United States is currently a leading player in the military coalition waging war against the Islamic State Organization (often called by its older name of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham or ISIS) in Iraq and Syria. The purpose of this coalition was initially to rollback and degrade ISIS capabilities and then ultimately to destroy the organization. This effort has been made in coordination with the Iraqi government, regional allies, allies from outside of the region, and local anti-ISIS groups including various Kurdish organizations."