Recent Articles

The Strategic Importance of the Global Oil Market Dr Leif Rosenberger Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This Letort Paper will explain why the confluence of four major factors: 1) rising oil supplies, 2) weak oil demand, 3) financial shifts on Wall Street, and 4) a strong U.S. dollar far outweigh the geopolitical risks in the Mideast and put downward pressure on oil prices. This Paper analyzes the concomitant factors that are now putting upward pressure on oil prices, as well as those that continue to keep oil prices relatively low."

Iraq’s Shia Warlords and Their Militias: Political and Security Challenges and Options Dr Norman Cigar Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "As America’s de facto co-belligerents who often share the same battlespace in the fight against Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the presence and activity of Iraq’s Shia warlords and their militias have an impact on U.S. interests and policies at both the strategic and operational levels. The practical objective of this monograph is to provide a better understanding of the Shia militia phenomenon and to highlight the factors with which U.S. policymakers and U.S. Army planners and commanders will have to deal with respect to operations in Iraq. "

The New Russian Engagement with Latin America: Strategic Position, Commerce, and Dreams of the Past Dr R Evan Ellis Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The present monograph by Strategic Studies Institute professor Dr. R. Evan Ellis is one of the first in-depth treatments of contemporary Russian engagement with the countries of Latin America and its significance from a national security perspective. As such, it provides important insights into both the nature of the challenge posed by Russia, as well as the evolving role and persistent importance of Latin America and the Caribbean to the national security of the United States. "

Russian Ballistic Missile Defense: Rhetoric and Reality Mr Keir Giles Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Russia has made air and space defense, including ballistic missile defense (BMD), a top priority, while at the same time protesting vehemently against the deployment of U.S. missile defense technology in Europe, which Moscow claims upsets strategic stability and increases the danger of war. Russian declaratory policy provides U.S. policymakers with significant material to develop an approach intended to mitigate Russian obstructionism over European Phased Adaptive Approach (EPAA) and U.S. plans for BMD more broadly. Put simply, Russian complaints at the dangerous irresponsibility of the United States introducing new anti-missile capabilities ring hollow, when Russia is forging ahead with its own program to do precisely the same."

From Cooperation to Competition - The Future of U.S. - Russian Relations COL Gregory K Anderson, COL Karen L Briggman, COL Joseph E Hilbert, COL Gert-Jan Kooij, Lt Col Christopher T Lay, Dr James C McNaughton War Game Report by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership, Carlisle Scholars Program, Strategic Studies Institute "Russian aggression in 2014 caught U.S. policy and strategy off guard, forcing reactive measures and reevaluation of the U.S. approach toward Russia. Moscow employed nonlinear methodologies and operated just beneath traditional thresholds of conflict to take full advantage of U.S. and NATO policy and process limitations. In light of this strategic problem, the U.S. Army War College (USAWC), conducted a wargame that revealed four key considerations for future policy and strategy."

United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Military Signals Unit Manual United Nations Peacekeeping Missions Manual by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, United Nations "This manual describes UN Military Signals Unit operations, focusing on Military Signals support to a UN Mission and its Force Headquarters. Always scalable in size, modular in function and Mission-tailored, the UN Military Signals Unit’s size and composition depend on the size, composition and requirements of the UN Mission it supports and the physical characteristics of the Mission area. These requirements are specified in the Statement of Unit Requirement, an example of which is provided at Annex A, produced by the Office of the Military Adviser, DPKO."

Special Commentary - Fighting the "Islamic State": The Case for U.S. Ground Forces Dr. David E. Johnson Special Commentary Document by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This article argues counterinsurgency wars are not analogous to the challenges presented by the Islamic State. The United States needs to accept the nature of the war it is in, and undertake a clear and comprehensive assessment of the means necessary for strategic success. Such an assessment will make apparent the need to commit US ground combat forces."

From Frozen Ties to Strategic Engagement: U.S.-Iranian Relationship in 2030 Mr Roman Muzalevsky Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Locked in a confrontational stance lasting more than 3 decades, the United States and Iran have failed repeatedly to transform their hostile relationship. The ongoing nuclear talks, however, offer better prospects of not only addressing Iran’s nuclear program challenges, but also developing a mutually beneficial strategic relationship between the United States and Iran in the long term. Why are these prospects better today? According to Mr. Roman Muzalevsky, the coming to power of new presidential administrations in both countries, the additional sanctions under the Barack Obama administration, game-changing regional trends, as well as U.S.-Iranian economic and security cooperation imperatives, have all facilitated an interim nuclear deal, prompting talks of a promising start in U.S.-Iranian ties that, if cultivated, could turn into a strategic détente by 2030."

The Gulf Moment: Arab Relations Since 2011 Dr Florence Gaub Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Within only 4 years, the “Arab Spring” has turned into a regional power play. The regional landscape has shifted not only once or twice but three times in a very short time frame. The first shock to the regional system, which occurred in 2011, removed four decade-old regimes; the second brought Islamism as a political force to the forefront in first Tunisia and later Egypt and Libya; and the third saw the return of revisionist forces following the removal of Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi from power, the power-sharing agreement in Tunisia, and the persistence of Bashar al-Assad in Syria. With every wave of change at the domestic level, the regional implications of the Arab Spring became more and more pronounced, and, by 2014, visible in military and diplomatic terms."