Recent Articles

Space-Based Solar Power: A Technical, Economic, and Operational Assessment Mr Jeffrey L Caton Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The concept of generating electrical power from solar energy using satellites and then transmitting that power to Earth is decades old and generally considered to be technically feasible. If successful, such systems could provide constant access to almost unlimited power and thus play a significant role in U.S. national and international energy security strategies. However, the practical application of this method of power generation requires economical and operational feasibility as well. This monograph examines the current progress of space-based power in these three areas: technology, economy, and operations. The scope of discussion is at the survey level of detail to provide senior policymakers, decisionmakers, military leaders, and their respective staffs an overall appreciation for the challenges, opportunities, and risks associated with space-based solar power systems."

Thucydides Was Right: Defining the Future Threat Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This monograph examines the challenge in future threat definition. In order to do so, it is necessary to understand where identification of threat originates, and how and why such identification is made in the context of international political relations. This analysis makes fairly heavy use of the ideas in Thucydides’ great History of the Peloponnesian War. Effort is expended here to explain why a work written in Greece, in the late-5th century B.C., has high value for us today as a vital aid to understanding of our own current, and indeed future, security context."

Strengthening Statehood Capabilities for Successful Transitions in the Middle East / North Africa Region Dr Mohammed El-Katiri Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In this monograph, Dr. El-Katiri focuses on the variety of challenges that face reform attempts in the post revolution Arab countries. He examines underlying factors that have prevented new political elites and post-revolution institutions from successfully implementing essential reforms, and how these failures have affected the building of their political legitimacy. He concludes with a series of specific policy recommendations, with the aim of preventing further deterioration to the detriment of U.S. interests."

Maturing Defense Support of Civil Authorities and the Dual Status Commander Arrangement through the Lens of Process Improvement Dr Ryan Burke, Dr Sue McNeil Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The role of the military during homeland defense and civil support operations has significant strategic implications for U.S. national security efforts. Considerations for the future employment of Active Component forces during missions in the homeland have evolved into a major topic of conversation among policymakers and military strategists alike. In this context, there is a philosophical conflict between federalism and state sovereignty that continues to present itself as an impediment to success. Balancing the institutionally divergent approaches to achieve a unified, efficient, and effective response continues to prove problematic. The dual status commander (DSC) initiative offers a coordination mechanism intended to address the challenges of unity of effort between state and federal military response activities. However, there are numerous gaps in the available DSC guidance, which leads to increased complexity and confusion during domestic disaster response."

The State-Society/Citizen Relationship in Security Analysis: Implications for Planning and Implementation of U.S. Intervention and Peace/State-building Operations Dr Yannis A Stivachtis Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In this monograph, Dr. Yannis A. Stivachtis, an international security analyst who currently serves as Associate Professor of International and Strategic Studies at Virginia Tech, argues that due to the presence of several “weak” states in the international system, the United States needs to devise and employ strategies aimed at preventing and managing the outbreak of domestic conflicts that have the potential of undermining regional and international peace and stability. He notes that states differ from one another in many ways and therefore their national security question is context dependent. As a result, U.S. strategists should be fully aware of what constitutes a security issue for social groups and individuals in third countries. Thus, U.S. strategic planning and actions should be based on the adoption of the broaden definition of security as well as the idea of human security. Since international stability is based on the stability of states, the United States needs to assist the creation and maintenance of “strong” states. "

Evolving Army Needs for Space-Based Support Mr Jeffrey L Caton Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "To support warfighters in the 21st century, Army and joint space operations must adapt to a congested, contested, and competitive international space environment. This monograph examines how the Army is postured to meet current and future space-based support needs to conduct unified land operations. It also provides recommendations regarding how to facilitate the best evolutionary path for future Army space activities to meet the changing environment for unified land operations as well as the diverse challenges of ongoing global operations, technological advances by potential adversaries, increased international competition, and domestic resource constraints."

Toward a Unified Military Response: Hurricane Sandy and the Dual Status Commander Dr Ryan Burke, Dr Sue McNeil Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "U.S. military forces have played a role in supporting civil authorities in varying locations and capacities from the Whiskey Rebellion to Hurricane Sandy. In a large-scale incident response scenario requiring combined support from the National Guard and federal military, effective management and coordination continues to challenge all involved. There are issues of constitutionality, legality, policy, financial considerations, and even politics, all uniquely situated between individual states’ interests and those of the Federal Government. In this context, there is a philosophical conflict between federalism and state sovereignty during military civil support missions that continues to present itself as an impediment to success..."

Strategic Insights: From Ideology to Geopolitics: Russian Interests in Latin America José de Arimatéia da Cruz Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The implosion of the Soviet Union on the eve of December 25, 1991, has been heralded by pundits and Sovietologists as an unprecedented event in world history. No one expected the powerful Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) to come to an end as uneventfully as it did. The implosion of the Soviet Union sent shockwaves throughout the world. Not only did the Soviet Union cease to exist on that Christmas night, but it also lost half of its territory and half of its population. Furthermore, the Soviets came to find out the morning after that most of its weapons of mass destruction were now in the hands of the newly independent states—former members of the USSR..."

Collins Center Update - Volume 17, Issue 1 (Fall 2014) Professor James W. Shufelt, Jr, Professor Bert B. Tussing, Dr. Allen S. Miller, Professor Bernard F. Griffard, Professor Bill Waddell, Major Joseph Chretien, Colonel John Valledor, Lieutenant Colonel Ned Ritzmann Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership