Recent Articles

A Soldier’s Morality, Religion, and Our Professional Ethic: Does the Army’s Culture Facilitate Integration, Character Development, and Trust in the Profession? COL Alexander P Shine, Dr Don M Snider Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The context for this monograph lies in the trust relationships that American military professions must retain with the society they serve if they are to remain professions. Of course, the alternative without such trust is for the Services simply to revert to the character and behavior of a government occupation, a big bureaucracy like the Internal Revenue Service or the Department of Agriculture. But to remain professions, one of the constant challenges the Stewards of the Professions must address is “how different and how separate” they are to be from the society they serve. Stated differently, as the values and mores of American society change, the ethics of its military professions must also evolve, but never so much that such evolution diminishes their military effectiveness—their raison d’être and the source of the trust relationship in the first place."

Avoiding Praetorian Societies: Focusing U.S. Strategy on Political Development Lieutenant Colonel Bruce K Ferrell PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press "It is clear that fragile nation-states will continue to be a major contributor to instability in the international strategic environment. The United States, its allies and partners have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of fragile states through a variety of approaches, including military stability and reconstruction (S&R) operations such as those undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan. America’s success rate at conducting S&R operations, however, is mixed. Despite immense efforts undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan, the creation of politically stable states in both countries eludes the U.S., partner states, and international allies."

Legality in Cyberspace: An Adversary View Mr Keir Giles, Dr Andrew Monaghan Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The United States and its allies are in general agreement on the legal status of conflict in cyberspace. Although key principles remain unresolved, such as what precisely constitutes an armed attack or use of force in cyberspace, overall there is a broad legal consensus among Euro-Atlantic nations that existing international law and international commitments are sufficient to regulate cyber conflict. "

Russia's Counterinsurgency in North Caucasus: Performance and Consequences Dr Ariel Cohen Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This monograph examines the underlying issues behind the continuing low-level Islamist insurgency movement in the Russian North Caucasus. It begins by analyzing the history of relations between the Russian and the North Caucasus nations, focusing specifically on the process of subjugating the region by the Russian Empire. Since the 18th century, Russia has used brutal force to expand territorially to the Caucasus. The mistreatment of the North Caucasus continued after World War I and especially during and after World War II, when entire North Caucasus nations faced persecution and forcible deportations to remote parts of the Soviet Union—in which up to 30 percent of the exiles perished. Thus, the Russians planted the seeds of resentment and hatred toward them that persist to the present time."

Turkey-Kurdish Regional Government Relations After the U.S. Withdrawal From Iraq: Putting the Kurds on the Map? Mr Bill Park Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq at the end of 2011 left behind a set of unresolved problems in the relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and the Federal Government in Baghdad—notably relating to the disputed boundaries of the KRG, and the extent of its autonomy. Tensions have since been compounded by the discovery of significant quantities of oil and gas in the KRG area, and Erbil’s pursuit of an energy policy independent of and in opposition to Baghdad. Turkey, uneasy with the increasingly sectarian and authoritarian flavor of the Shia-dominated government in Baghdad, has since moved closer to the KRG, not least with respect to energy issues. This has deepened Turkish-Iraqi tensions still further. "

The Chinese People's Liberation Army and Information Warfare Dr Larry M Wortzel Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "On November 23, 2013, China’s Ministry of National Defense spokesman announced that a new air defense intercept zone (ADIZ) will be established by the government to include the Diaoyu, or Senkaku Islands. Sovereignty over these islands is disputed by Japan, China, and Taiwan. Pundits and policy analysts quickly engaged in a broad debate about whether China’s expanded ADIZ is designed to create tension in Asia, or is part of a broader plan to impose a new definition of China’s territorial space in the Asia-Pacific region. Meanwhile, to deal with cyber penetrations attributed to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the U.S. Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State are devising new means to protect intellectual property and secrets from the PLA’s computer network operations."

Defense Planning for National Security: Navigation Aids for the Mystery Tour Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The purpose of this monograph is to explore and examine the challenge to America’s defense planners of needing to make purposeful and prudent choices in military preparation for the future. The problem for defense planning that is beyond resolution is the scientifically certain fact that we have no data from the future about the future. Moreover, this will always be a fact. No matter the scholarly discipline and tradition to which a defense planner owes or feels most allegiance, he or she needs to recognize and attempt to understand fully a personal and institutional condition of awesome ignorance of detail about the future."

Senior Officer Talent Management: Fostering Institutional Adaptability LTC Michael J Colarusso, COL David S Lyle Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press Officer talent management is a critical research area, as maximizing the unique contributions of each officer is vital to the Army’s success in today’s austere fiscal and manpower environment. More specifically, the Secretary of the Army, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Army Chief of Staff are all focused upon creating an adaptable institutional Army, one that can rapidly respond to operational demands. To that end, this monograph analyzes current senior officer management policies and recommends ways to make that cohort more adaptable. A central finding is that all-ranks officer talent management is critical to creating adaptable senior leaders. While this monograph focuses upon officer personnel policy, follow-on research will tackle compensation policy and organizational redesign, also within a talent management framework.

JP 3-29 Foreign Humanitarian Assistance Joint and Army Stability Operations Doctrine by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Department of the Navy "This publication has been prepared under the direction of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS). It sets forth joint doctrine to govern the activities and performance of the Armed Forces of the United States in joint operations and provides the doctrinal basis for interagency coordination and for US military involvement in multinational operations. It provides military guidance for the exercise of authority by combatant commanders and other joint force commanders (JFCs) and prescribes joint doctrine for operations, education, and training. It provides military guidance for use by the Armed Forces in preparing their appropriate plans. It is not the intent of this publication to restrict the authority of the JFC from organizing the force and executing the mission in a manner the JFC deems most appropriate to ensure unity of effort in the accomplishment of the overall objective."