Recent Articles

The Collins Center Update Volume 6, Issue 3: April - June 2004 Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Planning Considerations for International Involvement in an Israeli Withdrawal from Palestinian Territory Amjad Atallah, Jarat Chorpa, Yaser Dajani, Orit Gal, PROF Joel Peters, Mark R Walsh Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "On 6-7 May 2004—in the wake of Likud’s rejection of Sharon’s disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank—a group of Israelis, Palestinians and international officials and experts convened to address operational aspects of third party involvement in a withdrawal process. Chaired by Jarat Chopra and Mark Walsh, the meeting was hosted in Noordwijk aan Zee by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, sponsored by the Programme for Security in International Society at the University of Cambridge Centre of International Studies and organized with Strategic Assessments Initiative. The aim of the discussions was to consider what can and cannot work from a functional perspective, within the context of social and political realities"

Building Capability from the Technical Revolution that Has Happened Dr John Deutch, Dr John White Colloquium Report by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and the Eisenhower National Security Series "The fundamental idea of transformation is that changes in the geopolitical environment and in technology require the United States to change dramatically its defense enterprise to meet the range of new national security threats. This transformation requirement affects both the Department of Defense (DoD) and all other agencies involved in national security."

Collins Center Senior Symposium: Examining Critical Infrastructure Protection Strategies Dr Kent H Butts, LTC John C Traylor, Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Among the leading concerns surrounding Homeland Security in the United States is Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP). Identifying, prioritizing, and providing for the protection of infrastructure so vital to the United States that its incapacity or destruction “would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters” is one of the most compelling issues facing the Department of Homeland Security, its interagency partners, state and local governments, and the private sector."

The 'Global ' Homeland: International Perspectives on Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Given the immediacy in both time and space of the terrorist threat, it is easy to become overly focused on the issue as regards only the United States and the U.S. homeland. Yet, we are not in this alone. Other nations, international organizations such as NATO and the European Union, and transnational law enforcement agencies such as Europol and Interpol are deeply committed to the counterterror effort. Seeing the Global War on Terror from their perspective provides both greater insight and greater opportunities for crushing the enemies of civilized peoples throughout the world."

Nuclear Asia Mr Joseph Ferguson, Rep Gael Tarleton Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, d National Bureau of Asian Research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Nuclear Threat Initiative, and the Ploughshares Fund "This event was an opportunity for policymakers, security analysts, nuclear scientists and engineers, regional experts, and military planners to share perspectives and identify those issues requiring new solutions as the international community prepares for the 2005 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Review. "

Fighting Insurgents--No Shortcuts to Success Dr James S Corum Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "For the last 3 decades, the Army, the Defense Department, and the CIA have emphasized the high tech aspects of intelligence, sophisticated electronic collection equipment, and multibillion dollar space surveillance programs. Even at the tactical level, Army intelligence personnel are trained primarily to employ a variety of high tech collection means including UAVs, sensors and ground radars. This approach to intelligence collection was appropriate when the intelligence priorities were geared to counting Soviet missile systems or defending the Fulda Gap against a massive Soviet tank attack."

The Exigencies of Global, Integrated Warfare: The Evolving Role of the CJCS and his Dedicated Staff LTC Michael S Bell Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Professional military advice from the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (the Chairman or CJCS), informed and supported by an independent Joint Staff, is more important than ever in the conduct of global, integrated operations after 9/11. For more than 60 years, the Chairman has played a vital role by providing military advice to the President, the National Security Council (NSC), the Secretary of Defense, and the Congress within the context of civilian control of the U.S. armed forces. The advice of the Chairman consists of much more than his personal views and opinions; it represents the synthesis of the broad operational experience, military judgment, and technical expertise found in a Joint Staff dedicated to the Chairman."

Iraq and Vietnam: Differences, Similarities, and Insights Dr Jeffrey Record, Dr W Andrew Terrill Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "U.S. political and military difficulties in Iraq have prompted comparisons to the American war in Vietnam. How, in fact, do the two wars compare? What are the differences and similarities, and what insights can be gained from examining them? Does the Vietnam War have instructive lessons for those dealing with today’s challenges in Iraq, or is that war simply irrelevant? In the pages that follow, two highly qualified analysts address these questions. Dr. Jeffrey Record, formerly a civilian pacification advisor in Vietnam and author of books on both the Vietnam and Iraq wars, and W. Andrew Terrill, author and co-author of several SSI studies on Iraq, conclude that the military dimensions of the two conflicts bear little comparison..."