Army War College - Publications News

Academic Year 2026–27 Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment

Pentagon News — Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:13:00 GMT

The United States faces a complex and ever-changing global environment. The Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment is designed to guide the collective defense community to research and write about critical national security challenges to prepare the Army for a wide range of potential conflicts and threats.

Book Review: Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare

Pentagon News — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:05:00 GMT

Economic tools are reshaping global power in ways military professionals cannot ignore. From sanctions to tech controls, modern statecraft is increasingly defined by financial and industrial leverage.

Book Review: War in the Smartphone Age: Conflict, Connectivity and the Crises at Our Fingertips

Pentagon News — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:04:00 GMT

This review of War in the Smartphone Age highlights Matthew Ford’s argument that mass smartphone use is transforming modern warfare. Using recent conflicts, the book shows how civilian-generated data and connectivity accelerate decision making and reshape the conduct of war.

Book Review: America’s Taiwan Dilemma: Allies’ Reactions and the Stakes for US Reputation

Pentagon News — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:03:00 GMT

This review of America’s Taiwan Dilemma: Allies’ Reactions and the Stakes for US Reputation highlights how Michael A. Hunzeker and Mark A. Christopher assess allied perceptions of US reliability in a Taiwan crisis. Drawing on extensive interviews with policymakers in Australia, Japan, and South Korea, the book argues these perceptions—rather than raw military power alone—will shape allied responses and the broader strategic outcome.

Book Review: The Boundaries of War: Local and Global Perspectives in Military History

Pentagon News — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:02:00 GMT

The Boundaries of War: Local and Global Perspectives in Military History, edited by Lee L. Brice and Timothy M. Roberts, challenges traditional narratives by exploring how warfare is shaped by both local conditions and global forces. Through case studies ranging from ancient Rome to the World Wars, the book asks whether military history should be understood through regional uniqueness or broader transnational patterns. This thought-provoking collection redefines how we study conflict by bridging the gap between micro-level experiences and macro-level trends.

Book Review: A Violent Peace: A Global Military History of the Interwar Peace

Pentagon News — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 18:01:00 GMT

In A Violent Peace: A Global Military History of the Interwar Peace, editors Ian Ona Johnson and Robert Clemm challenge the myth of a tranquil interlude between the world wars by revealing a landscape of persistent and widespread conflict. Spanning four continents, the book uncovers forgotten wars, ideological clashes, and military transformations that shaped the global order long before 1939. This compelling volume reframes the interwar years as a violent and formative era, essential to understanding the trajectory of twentieth-century warfare.

Book Review: Beyond Black Hawk Down: Intervention, Nation-Building, and Insurgency in Somalia, 1992-1995

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:08:00 GMT

In this groundbreaking military history, Jonathan Carroll moves beyond the infamous Battle of Mogadishu to uncover the full scope of the US and UN intervention in Somalia. Drawing on newly available sources and the Somali perspective, Carroll reveals how a promising humanitarian mission unraveled into a cautionary tale of political missteps and failed nation-building. Beyond Black Hawk Down offers vital lessons for future interventions in fragile states, making it essential reading for policymakers, historians, and military strategists alike.

Book Review: Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint: The Remarkable Year That Made Winston Churchill

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:07:00 GMT

In Blood, Mud, and Oil Paint, J. Furman Daniel III captures the transformative year that shaped Winston Churchill’s resilience, leadership, and artistry. From the trenches of World War I to the quiet refuge of his painting studio, Churchill’s journey reveals a man grappling with failure, reinvention, and the pursuit of purpose. This compelling portrait blends military history with personal introspection, offering a fresh lens on one of the 20th century’s most iconic figures.

Book Review: Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:06:00 GMT

In Total Defense: The New Deal and the Invention of National Security, Andrew Preston reveals how Franklin D. Roosevelt’s domestic reforms laid the groundwork for America’s modern national security state. Blending political history with strategic insight, the book uncovers how the New Deal reshaped the US approach to global threats long before World War II. It’s a compelling story of how internal crises forged a new vision of American power on the world stage.

Book Review: Lessons Learned and Unlearned: The Drivers of US Indirect-Fire Innovation

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:05:00 GMT

How does military innovation really happen—and what causes it to stall? In Lessons Learned and Unlearned, Brennan S. Deveraux traces the evolution of US indirect-fire systems, revealing how institutional memory, battlefield experience, and strategic priorities shape technological progress. This sharp analysis offers vital insights for defense planners, historians, and anyone interested in the mechanics of military adaptation.

Book Review: Occupation: Russian Rule in South-Eastern Ukraine

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:04:00 GMT

In this timely and penetrating study, David Lewis examines the mechanisms and consequences of Russian governance in occupied southeastern Ukraine. Through on-the-ground analysis and geopolitical insight, the book reveals how local institutions, identity, and resistance are reshaped under foreign rule. It’s an essential read for understanding the evolving dynamics of power, control, and legitimacy in one of Europe’s most contested regions.

Book Review: Obama and the Bomb: New START, Russia and the Politics of Post-Cold War Arms Control

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:03:00 GMT

A close examination of how nuclear arms control shaped military planning, diplomacy, and domestic politics during a pivotal moment in post–Cold War relations. This review explores how treaty negotiations became a test of trust, strategy, and civil-military engagement at the highest levels of US national security decision making.

Book Review: The New Calculus of Escalation: Avoiding Armageddon in Great Power Conflict

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:02:00 GMT

In The New Calculus of Escalation, Martin C. Libicki redefines how we understand the thresholds between peace, conventional war, and nuclear conflict in an era shaped by cyber warfare and emerging technologies. Drawing lessons from the Russia-Ukraine war and Cold War doctrines, he offers a fresh framework for managing escalation to prevent catastrophic outcomes. This timely and thought-provoking book is essential reading for strategists, policymakers, and anyone concerned with the future of great power conflict.

Review Essay: World War II Generals

Pentagon News — Mon, 01 Jun 2026 14:01:00 GMT

Two revealing studies shed light on overlooked World War II commanders whose leadership shaped key moments from Normandy to the early Cold War. These dual studies uncover the complexities of senior Army leadership—showing how personal relationships, hard‑won experience, and strategic insight shaped victory in Europe.

Parameters | Summer 2026

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:12:00 GMT

Welcome to the Summer 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of two In Focus special commentaries, three forums (Indo-Pacific, Strategy, and Historical Studies) and the Strategic Competition Corner.

Book Reviews

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:11:00 GMT

Parameters book reviews summer 2026

Closing the Gap Between Threat and Rival

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:10:00 GMT

This essay explores the advantages and risks associated with leveraging interstate rivalry frameworks for strategy development and planning. Advantages include reducing strategic uncertainty and gaining efficiencies in some aspects of force planning. Risks include trusting the data and accepting the methodical pace of research. While US security documents typically describe adversaries as threats or competitors, they rarely acknowledge that the behavior patterns among America’s three current interstate rivals—China, Russia, and Iran—differ fundamentally from those of mere threats or competitors. This analysis will benefit defense professionals responsible for developing regional or global strategies and for directing war-gaming efforts.

Turning Tactical Victories into Strategic Success: Counterinsurgency in the Irish Civil War, 1922–23

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:09:00 GMT

The fundamentals the Irish National Army used in the Irish Civil War (1922–23) are a model for the successful application of a classic counterinsurgency which, if understood earlier, could have made a difference in the United States’ most recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Irish Civil War has not been examined in-depth through the lens of modern counterinsurgency doctrine. This article draws on military history and recent counterinsurgency doctrines to provide US policymakers and military practitioners practical guidance for how counterinsurgent forces can foster trust and use appropriate tactics that lead to strategic success.

A New Security Framework for NATO’s Eastern Flank

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:08:00 GMT

This article argues for a NATO-EU–led security strategy to achieve long-term deterrence in Ukraine after the end of the Russia-Ukraine War. Unlike existing analyses, this article straddles the strategic level of deterrence, outlining an operational road map. Its historical example of the Iraq War shows that long-term security requires the development of plans before a conflict ends, long-term commitments, and multilateral—not unilateral—security efforts. The proposed solution provides strategic planners and policymakers with a low-risk, high-reward approach that leverages burden sharing through a multinational framework.

How Is Going to War Like Buying a Car?: The Bargaining Model of War

Pentagon News — Thu, 14 May 2026 12:07:00 GMT

The bargaining model of war, a popular, yet complex international relations theory, emphasizes how nations communicate signals regarding military strength, resolve to fight, and foreign policy goals. Since the military plays a major role in communicating these signals, its leaders should understand this theory, despite its complexities. This article explains the model and its components through the used car sale bargaining process and supplements the analogy with real-world examples of international events. This article will help military and foreign policy professionals easily grasp the concepts of the model.