Recent Articles

SOLLIMS Sampler – Women, Peace and Security Mister David A Mosinski PKSOI SOLLIMS Sampler by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Addressing gender issues while planning and conducting peace and stability operations requires the utmost attention to detail. Time spent on this endeavor, however, is absolutely essential for mission success."

The Myths of Army Expansibility Dr Conrad C Crane, Dr Michael E Lynch, Dr James D. Scudieri Historical Research Review by US Army War College, Army Heritage and Education Center "This study analyzes the US Army's experiences from the twentieth century to the present, given the demands of modem war and associated structures, including political, industrial, and military. These examples generally mirrored those from earlier wars. Broadly speaking, United States defense policy has relied upon a small regular army (RA), expandable upon the outbreak of war. That expanded army then largely demobilized upon war's end. Reliance upon state militias to augment the regular army in the American Revolution of 1775-83 and the War of 1812 to 1814 changed to volunteer troops vice militia in the Mexican War of 1846-48 and the American Civil War of 1861-65..."

Strategic Implications of the Evolving Shanghai Cooperation Organization Dr Andrew Monaghan, Mr Henry Plater-Zyberk Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The role of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in regional politics, and the significance of the organization for U.S. interests, is widely misunderstood. The organization is emphatically not a military bloc, and yet engages in joint activities which resemble military cooperation to U.S. eyes. It is, in theory, open to new members; but at present is highly unlikely to accept any. Its rhetoric firmly opposes U.S. presence and activity on the territory of member states, and yet individual member states leverage basing agreements with the United States to their advantage..."

USAID & DoD: Analysis and Recommendations to Enhance Development-Military Cooperation Mister Benjamin D Kauffeld PKSOI Paper by US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "At the beginning of 2014, U.S. government agencies involved in national security, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), maintained a laser like focus on an imploding Syria, the impending transition in Afghanistan and the arc of instability spreading across Western Africa. Not on the radar screen was the horror movie unfolding in Ukraine or the explosion of unaccompanied children fleeing instability in Central America. As General Key, European Command’s (EUCOM) planning chief, remarked at the late winter EUCOM Strategy Conference, 'Our crystal ball is not so crystal.' "

Strategic Retrenchment and Renewal in the American Experience Dr Peter Feaver Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press In recent years, debates over American grand strategy have often focused on the question of whether the United States should retrench geopolitically or seek to renew its international leadership. This collection of essays puts this pressing question in its proper historical and theoretical context. The authors examine past episodes in which American presidents were confronted with similar choices, and they probe theoretical and policy debates over retrenchment, renewal, and their consequences. The result is a volume that enriches our understanding of how American leaders have, can, and should respond to the challenges and opportunities that characterize international relations. The Strategic Studies Institute is pleased to offer this collection as a contribution to the ongoing debate on American grand strategy.

Russia and the Caspian Sea: Projecting Power or Competing for Influence? Dr Tracey German Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "This monograph examines Russia’s policy toward the Caspian Sea region as Moscow attempts to counterbalance growing American involvement within what it perceives to be its zone of privileged interest, focusing on the recent expansion of the Caspian Flotilla and the rationale behind it. Moscow has sought to counterbalance the growing involvement of other actors in the region, which has led to rising tension between Russia and its southern neighbors. The primary objectives of the research are to examine Russian perceptions of threat and security in the Caspian region and assess the implications for other actors. This monograph analyzes the drivers of the increasing competition for influence, focusing on developments within the energy sector, and assess the implications of Russia’s consolidation of its dominance for security and stability in the region. This issue is important because a clear understanding of Russian strategic thinking and threat perception in the Caspian Sea is vital in order to facilitate effective U.S. policy in the wider Caucasus and Central Asian region."

Peace & Stability Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4 Mister Robert C Browne Peace and Stability Journal by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "While the discourse of American military efforts in the 21st-century has been dominated by the nature of counterinsurgency operations and urban warfare, perhaps its most salient output has been a renewed understanding of the importance of ‘whole of government’ approaches to future Army operations. Leveraging the collective capabilities of all elements of national power towards the accomplishment of over-arching political objectives is, therefore, critical to the rapid cessation of hostilities and the subsequent winning of the peace..."

SOLLIMS Sampler – Lessons on Stability Operations from U.S. Army War College Students (July 2014) Mister David A Mosinski PKSOI SOLLIMS Sampler by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "The students’ lessons cover a wide range of operations – Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and various multinational operations across Africa, Asia, and the Balkans. Certain lessons also provide key insights from classroom case studies on current economic development challenges in Kosovo, Lebanon, Mexico, the Solomon Islands, and South Sudan."

European Missile Defense and Russia Mr Keir Giles, Dr Andrew Monaghan Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In this monograph, Mr. Keir Giles, a British academic and long-term scholar of Russia, examines the history of missile defense, and the current dialogue, from a Russian perspective in order to explain the root causes of Russian alarm. He presents specific recommendations for managing the Russia relationship in the context of missile defense. Important conclusions are also drawn for the purpose of managing the dialogue over missile defense plans not only with Russia as an opponent, but also with European North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies as partners and hosts. The latter are especially significant in the light of these partners’ heightened hard security concerns following Russian annexation of Crimea and continuing hostile moves against Ukraine."