Recent Articles

Towards a New Russia Policy Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "It is obvious that U.S.-Russian relations and East-West relations more broadly have recently deteriorated. Yet analyses of why this is the case have often been confined to American policy. The author of this monograph, Dr. Stephen Blank, seeks to analyze some of the key strategic issues at stake in this relationship and trace that decline to Russian factors which have been overlooked or neglected. At the same time, he has devoted considerable time to recording some of the shortcomings of U.S. policy and recommending a way out of the growing impasse confronting both sides."

Dissent and Strategic Leadership of the Military Professions Dr Don M Snider Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Vice Admiral James Stockdale, Vietnam prisoner of war and Medal of Honor recipient, once said, 'Even in the most detached duty, we warriors must keep foremost in our minds that there are boundaries to the prerogatives of leadership, moral boundaries.' In this monograph, the author delineates a segment of these boundaries as they are understood from the study of military professions and as derived from the roles and responsibilities of those seniors privileged to be the profession’s temporary stewards—the colonels/captains and Flag Officers who comprise the strategic leadership. Such boundaries mean that the decision to dissent can never be a purely personal matter. Rather it will reverberate outward impinging at a minimum the three critical trust relationships of the military profession—those with the American people, those with civilian and military leaders at the highest levels of decisionmaking, and those with the junior corps of officers and noncommissioned officers of our armed forces."

Building Governance Capacity through the Commander's Emergency Response Program LTC Peter Andrysiak, COL Scott A Spellmon Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Field Manual (FM) 3-24 Counterinsurgency offers ten paradoxes of counterinsurgency (COIN) operations that illustrate the unique demands, difficulties, and complexities in this form of warfare. The paradoxes range from “sometimes the more force is used, the less effective it is” to 'tactical success guarantees nothing.' While each of these notions can be counterintuitive to a conventional view of tactics and operations, they serve to stimulate our thought toward a significantly different mindset required for the successful conduct of COIN operations."

Elections in Afghanistan: Looking to the Future Michael J Metrinko Issue Paper by the US Army War College, US Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "Modern Afghan political history has witnessed a series of violent power struggles, bloody coups, assassinations and unstable transfers of authority. The various forms of government over the past 50 years have included a monarchy, varieties of socialism, a communist state, and a theocracy. Although many officials of these previous regimes still play a role in Afghan politics, a very large number – including several heads of state – died violently in the various upheavals. The Afghan government has now been restructured as an Islamic republic consisting of three branches of power – executive, legislative and judiciary – with powers and responsibilities clearly delineated in a new Constitution. Elected in 2004, Hamid Karzai is now the President of Afghanistan, and a Parliament and Provincial Councils were elected by popular vote in 2005."

The Trouble With Strategic Communication(s) Dennis M Murphy Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Recently the U.S. Southern Command’s Admiral James Stavridis paraphrased World War II’s great naval commander and strategist Ernest King: 'I don’t know what the hell this [strategic communication] is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.' This past summer over 200 strategic communication practitioners and academics met at the National War College for the first annual Worldwide Strategic Communication Seminar. Senior government officials urged attendees to get on with the business of strategic communication, noting that 'we will be flying the plane while we’re building it'..."

Using Sustainability to Build Stability in Africa: Strategic Policy Issues for the Army Arthur L Bradshaw, Dr Kent H Butts, Mr Brian D Smith Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Sustainability means meeting the demands placed on the system today without compromising the needs of future generations. Thus, the over consumption, abuse, or pollution of a country’s natural resource base today will cause the country to fail when it cannot meet the demands placed upon the political system by future generations. The workshop series aims at to examine how the Army can leverage sustainability as an approach to engaging African nations. Working within the context of U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) strategic vision, sustainability provides an approach to engagement that will support the capacity of African militaries so that they may help civilian governments address sustainability issues and maintain the legitimacy necessary to prevent state failure and instability. "

Intrepidity . . . And Character Development within the Army Profession Dr Don M Snider Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "How many Army soldiers, particularly Leaders, who just read the title of this opinion piece, knew the meaning of the first word; how many brought to their reading an accurate understanding of the term? More importantly, how many Army Leaders could place a true meaning of the word into the context of the Army as a unique profession producing, for the security of the American people, fighting forces for effective land combat? Where does intrepidity fit in what the Army produces and how does the profession develop such a thing?"

Pakistan's Nuclear Future: Worries Beyond War Mr Henry D Sokolski Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This volume was completed just before Pakistani President Musharraf imposed a state of emergency in November 2007. The political turmoil that followed raised concerns that Pakistan’s nuclear assets might be vulnerable to diversion or misuse. This book, which consists of research that the Nonproliferation Policy Education Center (NPEC) commissioned and vetted in 2006 and 2007, details precisely what these worries might be."

Development and Reform of the Iraqi Police Forces COL Tony Pfaff Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This paper will seek to show how social, political, cultural, and environmental factors have combined to impede Iraqi police development in ways that are predictable, understandable, and, with external help, resolvable. The corruption and abuse found in the Iraqi police services cannot simply be explained by poor leadership, the actions of a few corrupt individuals, or even the competing agendas of the various militias that are fighting for influence in post-Saddam Iraq. Rather, one must explain why such practices occur despite the fact they are unacceptable according to Iraqi cultural norms."