Recent Articles

Collins Center Update, Volume 11, Issue 3 (Summer 2009) Professor James Kievit, Mr. John Auger, Dennis M. Murphy, Professor Bernard F. Griffard, Major (P) John A. Mowchan, Mr. William O. Waddell, Mr. Kevin J. Cogan. Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

United States and Mongolia Conduct Exercise Gobi Wolf Arthur L Bradshaw Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Cooperation between the United States and Mongolia has developed dynamically since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1987. Today Mongolia and the United States share a growing and strong cooperative partnership based on shared values, a commitment to democracy and free-market economy, and the global war against terrorism. To that end the two nations are partnering in several areas to expand expertise and training to Mongolia as it reconfigures its government from a Soviet-style bureaucracy to a more western, interagency-based structure."

The Militarization of the Collective Security Treaty Organization COL John A Mowchan Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Russia has reenergized its efforts to evolve the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) from a largely symbolic political organization to a more cohesive militarized security alliance. At the forefront of these efforts is a Russian-led plan to create a new CSTO Rapid Reaction Force (RRF) and a larger Central Asian Military Group. While both initiatives are still in the initial phase of development, the militarization of the CSTO alliance and its transformation into a credible security organization could bolster the Kremlin’s ability to limit U.S. and Western influence in Eurasia. It could also allow Russia an enhanced ability to increase its control over former Soviet-controlled states and re-create an alliance similar to the Warsaw Pact."

Strategic Vision Workshop: Land Power in the 21st Century LTC Artur M Loureiro Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership, with Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA), National Security Faculty and Researchers at Texas A&M University, Bush School of Government, Scowcroft Institute "This iteration of the Strategic Vision Workshop was a continuation of previous workshops conducted in the greater Boston area that involved the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The results of these previous workshops were reported in a May 2008 CSL Issue Paper, Volume 5-08. This issue paper provided an overview of the discussions that took place in each of the academic institutions listed previously. The chief architect of the “Strategic Choices” Brief was Major General David Fastabend, now recently retired, who at the time was the G-3/5/7"

The New Chemistry of C2 Mr Kevin J Cogan, Mister William O Waddell Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "A necessary change in the military transition to the next generation of warfare is the maturing of “command and control” processes and semantics for leading and configuring the organization to meet emerging threats. In the book Understanding Command and Control, Drs. Alberts and Hayes state that the purpose of C2 “has remained unchanged since the earliest military forces engaged.” In a journal article, Dr. Alberts writes that agility, focus, and convergence might be the semantics that replace the linguistics of the term Command and Control. He suggests that Command and Control are terms that no longer fit the transformation in warfare paradigm for the 21st century. He calls for new approaches to thinking about C2 by removing the “restrictive legacy of language and connotation” and by so doing he proposes replacing C2 with the terms Focus & Convergence, where “agility is the critical capability that organizations need to meet the challenges of complexity and uncertainty.” This is particularly true when it is likely that future conflicts will necessitate coalitions which do not necessarily conform to a common semantic meaning of C2 terminology. "

Pakistan - The Most Dangerous Place in the World Dr Larry P Goodson Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Pakistan is the most dangerous foreign policy problem facing the United States for five major reasons. First, Pakistan is a nuclear country, with at least 60 nuclear warheads (according to both journalistic and unclassified U.S. Government sources), a regular supply of fissile material with which to make more, multiple delivery systems, and a history as a known proliferator. Pakistan developed nuclear weapons because of its long and bloody history with its bigger next-door neighbor, India, to which it has lost four major military conflicts since 1947. They have not squared off again since the Kargil Conflict of 1999, and the world holds its breath over their next spat."

Criminals, Militias, and Insurgents: Organized Crime in Iraq Dr Phil Williams Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Although organized crime has been the neglected dimension of the conflict in Iraq, both criminal enterprises and criminal activities have had a profoundly debilitating impact. Organized crime inhibited reconstruction and development and became a major obstacle to state-building; the insurgency was strengthened and sustained by criminal activities; sectarian conflict was funded by criminal activities and motivated by the desire to control criminal markets; and more traditional criminal enterprises created pervasive insecurity through kidnapping and extortion. Organized crime also acted as an economic and political spoiler in an oil industry expected to be the dynamo for growth and reconstruction in post Ba’athist Iraq."

Guide to Rebuilding Governance in Stability Operations: A Role for the Military? Professor Susan Merrill Guides and Handbooks by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Strategic Studies Institute "This guide focuses on the military’s role in rebuilding and establishing a functional, effective, and legitimate nation-state; one that can assure security and stability for its citizens, defend its borders, deliver services effectively for its populace, and is responsible and accountable to its citizens. Neither a handbook nor a checklist, the document provides a comprehensive approach to planning and implementing a program to rebuild governance by U.S. peacekeeping forces during stability operations. Recognizing that the extent of U.S. Government and military involvement is determined by the mandate, the mission, the level of resources and most importantly, the host country context, this guide provides options and trade-offs for U.S. forces in executing these operations."

China's Maritime Quest Dr David Lai Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) turned 60 on April 23, 2009. China held an unprecedented celebration on this occasion. For the first time in its history, China invited foreign navies to the PLAN’s birthday event. Chinese President Hu Jintao and all the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) senior leaders reviewed a parade of China’s major warships from a Chinese destroyer."