Recent Articles

Central Asian Security Trends: Views from Europe and Russia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The papers collected in this volume pertain to Central Asia. Indeed, they offer us two foreign views of the strategic situation evolving there—a Russian and a French analysis. For obvious reasons: the war in Afghanistan, proximity to major global actors, large energy holdings, and for less obvious reason, i.e., the possibility that domestic instability in one or more of these states could spread to other Muslim states as we now see in the Arab revolutions of 2011, Central Asia is an increasingly important and interesting strategic region. As such, it merits sustained critical attention and analysis of the sort we are presenting here and that we have presented in the past."

Implementing a New Vision: Unity of Effort in Preparing for and Responding to Catastrophic Events Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "From 17-18 November 2010, the Consortium for Homeland Defense and Security in America – consisting of the United States Army War College’s Center for Strategic Leadership, George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Heritage Foundation – held its annual symposium to examine pressing issues of shared concern regarding the domestic security of the United States and its allies. Conducted at Carlisle Barracks, the event was constructed around four panels, each devoted to a topic of interest specifically selected by the consortium partners. The first of these panels addressed the challenges of achieving Unity of Effort in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events."

Climate Change, Adaptation and Security in Central America and the Caribbean Dr Kent H Butts, Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Secretary of State Clinton began her term as the United States Secretary of State by calling for a U.S. foreign policy led by Diplomacy, Development and Defense. Success in applying this concept has been quickly realized at the regional level where cooperation between the Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Combatant Commands has been ongoing, particularly in the area of environmental security. United Nations data showing the link between resources and environmental issues and conflict are well known to regional economic and security organizations; but so too, is the potential for resource scarcity and environmental change to create opportunities for confidence building measures and multilateral cooperation that builds host nation capacities. Today, with its impact on water and food security and governmental legitimacy, climate change adaptation has emerged as a leading regional security issue and major concern to regional governments and their populations."

Relationship Between Military Engineers and Environmental Issues Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "According to the National Science Foundation, Environmental Engineering relates to understanding the impacts of human activities on the public health, natural environmental quality, natural resources and with developing the scientific basis for identifying, analyzing, solving, mitigating, or managing environmental problems caused by human activities. There is an innate requirement to fully leverage information technology, training and education to provide integrated engineering and environmental management, execution, and technical services in support of the populace."

Civil-Military Collaboration to Address Adaptation to Climate Change in South America Dr Kent H Butts, Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The economic vitality of the South American region is threatened by the effects of climate change. Successful adaptation measures may require multilateral cooperation to preempt these destabilizing effects before they impact on government legitimacy and threaten regional security. While civilian agencies will normally be the lead for proactively addressing climate change adaptation, they may be insufficient, or absent in distant frontier and border areas where only the military is present. Creating climate change resilience will require interagency cooperation. Thus, climate change adaptation roles and missions reinforce the concept of military support to civilian authority and promote multilateral cooperation. What can regional militaries do to help their countries deal with climate change effects that threaten their security?"

Promoting Joint Staff and Interagency Cooperation in the Armed Forces of Montenegro Prof Bernard F Griffard, Dr R Craig Nation Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Montenegro has existed as a sovereign principality since the Middle Ages. It successfully maintained independence from the Ottoman Empire, first as a theocracy ruled by bishop princes and later as a secular principality. National independence was interrupted at the close of World War I, when it was absorbed into the confederation that, in 1929, became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. At the close of World War II, Montenegro became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). It regained sovereignty in June 2006 on the basis of a national referendum which dissolved association with the rump Yugoslavia confederation of Serbia and Montenegro."

Finding the Balance: U.S. Military and Future Operations Professor William J Flavin PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "This monograph examines the U.S. Military’s struggle to find the correct balance between conventional and counterinsurgency/stability approaches. The author uses history to remind us that at the end of wars, Armies often “throw the baby out with the bathwater” and revert to a default position for organization and doctrine instead of inculcating those lessons learned in the recent wars. History shows us that we do not maintain capabilities and capacity to conduct operations in complex environments."

Should ROTC Return to the Ivy League? LTC Ernest A Szabo Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) has opened the possibility of Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) programs returning to Ivy League and other elite (highly selective) universities and colleges. These institutions have not supported initiatives to maintain ROTC programs on their campuses due to the discriminatory nature of DADT, or perhaps they used the DADT policy as a rationale to keep programs, which had been closed during the Vietnam era, from returning."

Reforming Military Command Arrangements: The Case of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force Mr Henrik Bliddal Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "After the Shah of Iran was deposed and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979, the United States began to craft a new Persian Gulf Security Framework (PGSF). Consisting of military, diplomatic, economic, and covert steps, it signified a historic strategic reorientation towards the Persian Gulf. This paper examines an integral part of the PGSF: the creation of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force (RDJTF). As the first real tool for U.S. power projection in the area, and the immediate precursor to today’s Central Command (CENTCOM), the RDJTF has indeed left an important mark on the U.S. approach to the Persian Gulf. This paper is the fullest account of its creation thus far."