Recent Articles

Stability Operations and State Building: Continuities and Contingencies COL Greg Kaufmann Colloquium Report by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Austin Peay State University "Basic to the concept of the colloquium was the idea that just as there are acknowledged principles of war that enhance the possibility of victory on the battlefield, there should be principles that, if applied during the state-building process, will enhance the chances of “winning the peace.” The idea that principles should comprise the foundation of state-building and that supporting policies and procedures then flow from those principles was fundamental to the colloquium’s process."

Leadership and National Security Reform: The Next President's Agenda Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff, Ms Lisa Moorman Colloquium Report by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, with The Bush School of Government and Public Service and the European Union Center of Excellence of Texas A&M University, LBJ School of the University of Texas at Austin "This colloquium examined the contemporary international environment and American national security policy for the next presidential administration. Participants examined how threats, policies, and strategies have changed since 2001 and how the U.S., European, and other international security systems have responded to changing requirements."

State Emergency Management Staff Training and Evaluation LTC Anthony Abbott Student Academic Research Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in its recently released National Preparedness Guidelines, serious gaps exist between ‘all hazards’ risks and the resources and capabilities available for responding to those risks. Key factors such as time constraints, staff size and organization, money, and the range of possible hazards leaves state emergency management agencies with tough resource allocation decisions. State agencies must decide what hazards to plan for, how to best allocate limited financial resources, prioritize training tasks, schedule and manage time available, and identify and quantify acceptable risks to all hazards. An efficient method of prioritizing these resources along with metrics for quantifying results is needed."

The View from There Dr Sherifa D Zuhur Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "A new U.S. President faces huge challenges in the Middle East. Unfortunately, he will not begin with a clean slate. Instead, some uncomfortable fabric has already been cut to fit various policy situations, and a deft tailor is needed to reconsider, redesign, and refit this ghastly, bulky, and multilayered garment we call a Middle East “policy” with an ear to objections from within the region. Granted, U.S. policy goals differ from those of Middle Eastern nation-states and national entities, like the Palestinians, who have not yet achieved their own states."

The 2006 Lebanon Campaign and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy Dr Stephen D Biddle, Mr Jeffrey A Friedman Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The future of nonstate military actors is a central issue for U.S. strategy and defense planning. It is widely believed that such combatants will be increasingly common opponents for the U.S. military, and many now advocate sweeping change in U.S. military posture to prepare for this—the debate over the associated agenda for “low-tech” or irregular warfare transformation is quickly becoming one of the central issues for U.S. defense policy and strategy. As a prominent recent example of a nonstate actor fighting a Westernized state, Hezbollah’s 2006 campaign thus offers a window into a kind of warfare that is increasingly central to the defense debate in the United States. And the case’s implications for U.S. policy have already become highly controversial. "

U.S. Counterterrorism in Sub-Saharan Africa: Understanding Costs, Cultures, and Conflicts Dr Donovan C Chau Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this Letort Paper, Dr. Donovan C. Chau examines U.S. counterterrorism policy in SSA. He begins by analyzing the policy debate in Washington, DC, especially the fundamental divergence of approaches between development and defense. From there, the paper shifts to a discussion of the attitudes and views of terrorism and counterterrorism in SSA. Vast and diverse, SSA is divided subregionally into East, West, and Southern Africa so as to highlight the different geographies, histories, threats, and perceptions."

The American Military Advisor: Dealing with Senior Foreign Officials in the Islamic World Michael J Metrinko PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Strategic Studies Institute "The American Military Advisor: Dealing with Senior Foreign Officials in the Islamic World is a comprehensive guide for American military officers assigned as advisors to regional officials in places very different from the United States. Starting with a definition of terms and a brief description of the advisory role, it brings the reader into today’s Islamic political and social context, pointing out the complexities inherent in the advisory position, as well as the tools an advisor must use in order to perform successfully..."

Real Change or Retrenchment? Dr Douglas V Johnson II Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "It is frequently asserted in our 0930 daily kaffe klatsch that as soon as the insurgency phenomenon in Iraq and Afghanistan is suppressed, the Army reflexively will return to its fixation on the kinetic approach to major combat. It is also popular to hold up the post-Vietnam era as a demonstration of that phenomenon with occasional references to similar reactions following the suppression of the Philippine Insurrection. These facile analyses are adduced to support the American Army’s distaste for counterinsurgency work."

The "People" in the PLA: Recruitment, Training, and Education in China's Military Mr. Roy Kamphausen, Dr Andrew Scobell, Mr. Travis Tanner Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute