Recent Articles

U.S. Military Forces and Police Assistance in Stability Operations: The Least-Worst Option to Fill the U.S. Capacity Gap Mister Dennis E Keller PKSOI paper by US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Establishing an effective local police force is one of the most critical elements of successful counterinsurgency (COIN) and stability operations, but it is a task for which the U.S. Government is the least prepared and capable. The establishment of an effective police force is critical to security sector reform, justice sector reform, and the successful transition to the host nation’s security forces. But the United States lacks the institutional capacity to provide an immediate and coordinated civilian police training and advisory effort, particularly in a failed or fragile state."

America's Flawed Afghanistan Strategy Dr Steven Metz Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Despite the lavish time and attention that the Obama administration devoted to reviewing its Afghanistan strategy, the result was more continuity than change. The administration adjusted U.S. troops levels and shifted some operational methods but accepted the most basic—and questionable—assumptions of the Bush strategy. Unfortunately, these do not hold up under close scrutiny. The new strategy, like the old one, totters on a dangerously flawed foundation."

David Galula: His Life and Intellectual Context Ms Ann Marlowe Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph attempts to place David Galula’s intellectual achievement in relation to both his life experiences and his time. It is not an assessment of the worth of his ideas, though it may be useful for those who wish to make such an evaluation."

Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration Mr Jared E Bennett, Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Bush School of Government and Public Service "The initiatives for the extensive national security reform that is required to meet current threats will have to come from outside of the executive branch bureaucracy. This is true even though former senior members of the Project on National Security Reform are holding key executive branch positions."

Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy Dr Hal Brands Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph analyzes Brazilian grand strategy under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During Lula’s nearly 8 years in office, he has pursued a multipronged grand strategy aimed at hastening the transition from unipolarity and Western economic hegemony to a multipolar order in which international rules, norms, and institutions are more favorable to Brazilian interests. Lula has done so by emphasizing three diplomatic strategies: soft balancing against the United States, building coalitions to magnify Brazilian negotiating power, and seeking to position Brazil as the leader of a more united South America."

Collins Center Update, Volume 12, Issue 3 (Summer 2010) Professor Bernard F. Griffard, LTC Vincent R. Lindenmeyer, Mr. Bill Waddell, Mr. Ken Chrosniak, Professor Dennis M. Murphy, Major Steven Toth Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Enter the Era of Persistent Competition for Talent COL Carolyn F Kleiner Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The era of persistent conflict is forcing the U.S. Army to become more nimble and adaptable, driving changes in equipment and doctrine. Yet the systems required to manage its most critical asset—people—continue to operate in a Cold War paradigm with Industrial Era processes. The Army must take action to implement modern and creative human resource management systems if it hopes to maintain a high-quality force capable of fighting the wars of the future. As we live in an era of persistent conflict, we are also entering an era of persistent competition for talent."

The Russian Military Today and Tomorrow: Essays in Memory of Mary Fitzgerald Dr Stephen J Blank, Dr Richard Weitz Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute

Project on National Security Reform: Vision Working Group Report and Scenarios Dr Sheila R Ronis Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "On November 26, 2008, the Project on National Security Reform submitted its 2-year study of the national security system, Forging a New Shield, to the President, President-elect, and Congress. The study found that the national security system was at risk of failure and needed serious reform. Before the Project finalized the report’s recommendations, its Vision Working Group tested the findings against a diverse set of scenarios to determine if the recommendations were robust and effective. This testing revealed that each of the five major findings improved the performance of the current national security system. This volume documents the scenario-testing process used by the Vision Working Group. It includes the actual pre-reform and post-reform scenarios and details many other scenario techniques used in the overall study."