Recent Articles

Strategic Insights: Proxy War Norms Dr C. A. Pfaff Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

Futures Seminar 2017 - The United States Army in 2035 and Beyond Samuel R. White, Jr. Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "In 2035-2050 the battlespace will be elongated and deepened - and hyper-connected. Engagements will occur at home station military bases through ports of debarkation to tactical assembly areas all the way to the adversary's motor pool. From space to the ocean floor; from military to non-military; from governmental to non-governmental; from state to non-state; from physical to virtual. The operational area will be wherever effects are generated - and the array of stimuli that will generate effects is staggering. The interconnected and global nature of everything will produce physical and virtual effects that have tremendous range, saturation and immediacy - along with daunting complexity and stealth."

Armed Robotic Systems Emergence: Weapons Systems Life Cycles Analysis and New Strategic Realities Dr Robert J Bunker Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This important monograph focuses on the emergence of armed robotic systems on the early 21stcentury battlefield and the new strategic realities that their fielding may entail. It utilizes a little known—yet decades old—weapons systems life cycle analytical approach, to place these warfighting technologies in a larger strategic context. This is provided by means of case studies focusing on the developmental progression of the knight from the 9th through the 16th century, the battleship from the 19th through the 20th century, and the tank from the 20th into the 21st century."

Evaluation of the 2015 DoD Cyber Strategy: Mild Progress in a Complex and Dynamic Military Domain Mr Jeffrey L Caton Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In 2011, the Department of Defense (DoD) released its Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, which officially recognized cyberspace as an operational domain akin to the traditional military domains of land, sea, air, and space. This monograph examines the 2015 DoD Cyber Strategy to evaluate how well its five strategic goals and associated implementation objectives define an actionable strategy to achieve three primary missions in cyberspace: defend the DoD network, defend the United States and its interests, and develop cyber capabilities to support military operations."

Terrorist Sanctuary in the Sahara: A Case Study LTC Joseph C. Guido Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Sanctuary is a concept not encompassed in military doctrine or government policy, yet denying sanctuary has become the cornerstone of American counterterrorism efforts abroad and a pillar of U.S. defense strategy. Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Guido’s probing inquiry, exhaustive research, and innovative analysis on terrorist sanctuary in the Saharan Desert provides critical insights into this understudied idea underpinning so much contemporary defense policy."

Closer Than You Think: The Implications of the Third Offset Strategy for the U.S. Army Mr Samuel R White Jr Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is moving forward with a broad set of innovation initiatives designed to effectively posture the U.S. military for the coming decades. One sub-set of initiatives, the Third Offset, is focused on leap-ahead technologies and capabilities that may offset competitor parity in critical domains."

A Typology of Arguments about Drone Ethics Dr Mary Manjikian Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In recent years, international nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have described U.S.-led drone strikes in Pakistan, Syria, Afghanistan, and elsewhere as atrocities and even war crimes. Both the International Committee of the Red Cross and Human Rights Watch have asked whether the United States is violating the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC), with Human Rights Watch suggesting that the United States should be prosecuted for its actions. At the same time, the International Committee for Robot Arms Control (ICRAC) has called for greater regulation of what they term 'killer robots.' "

Closer Than you Think - The Implications of the Third Offset Strategy for the US Army Samuel R. White, Jr. Report by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In support of the Army’s examination of the Third Offset, the U.S. Army War College conducted a 6-month project employing faculty and student researchers to study the potential impact of the DoD’s Third Offset Strategy on the Army. The study team examined the Third Offset Strategy from a strategic perspective. Ultimately, the study is designed to help the Army understand the influence of the Third Offset capabilities on the character of warfare and the implications of these capabilities for the Army and Landpower. This understanding may then help inform decisions in research and development, as well as leader development, training, and organizations."

Toward a NATO of the Gulf? The Challenges of Collective Defense Within the GCC Dr Jean-Loup Samaan Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The stability of the Gulf remains a priority of U.S. national security interests. Because of its importance both politically and economically, the region is and should likely remain a critical area for U.S. Armed Forces in the near future. But if for a long time, the Gulf Arab kingdoms seemed to be passive actors of their own region―leaving either Iran, Iraq, or Western powers to shape the power plays―they now reached an unprecedented level of strategic ambition. As evidenced by their active diplomatic agendas in the Middle East and their increased military involvement in regional crises, the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) are now players that matter."