Army War College - Publications News

Book Review: Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:09:00 GMT

A veteran intelligence practitioner exposes the vulnerabilities, contradictions, and hidden conflicts shaping modern Russian espionage—and what they mean for Western security.

Book Review: Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:08:00 GMT

Reflections on the Russia-Ukraine War offers a timely and multifaceted exploration of Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II. Drawing on diverse theoretical frameworks, this volume brings together 28 concise, stand-alone chapters that illuminate the war’s political, military, legal, and ethical dimensions. Ideal for scholars, students, and policymakers alike, it provides both analytical depth and practical insight into the evolving nature of modern warfare.

Book Review: How Drones Fight: How Small Drones Are Revolutionizing Warfare

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:07:00 GMT

Celander’s book discusses the new technologies at the forefront of military transformation and offers recommendations for countering them. He also argues that the introduction of drones into warfare has shifted the approach to air superiority. The reviewer critiques How Drones Fight’s lack of depth and narrow focus yet still sees it as an accessible introduction to drones and the future of warfare.

Book Review: Economic War: Ukraine and the Global Conflict Between Russia and the West

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:06:00 GMT

This book examines the economic war between Russia and the United States from 2012 to 2023 and assesses each country’s strengths and weaknesses. The conversation on economic warfare also expands to discuss other countries’ involvement, the effects of geoeconomics on the Russia-Ukraine War, and how an economic war would look between the United States and China. The reviewer sees this book as thoroughly researched and well written, despite the drawback of not including charts and maps.

Book Review: Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:05:00 GMT

Winning Without Fighting offers recommendations for the United States’ response to attacks on the rules-based international order. The four authors propose “nothing less than a new grand strategy for America.” The reviewer agrees with some of the authors’ recommendations, while he strongly disagrees with their suggestions on investments.

Book Review: The Spy and the State: The History of American Intelligence

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:04:08 GMT

From the Revolutionary War to the digital age, The Spy and the State by Jeffrey P. Rogg traces the evolution of American intelligence as a central force in shaping national security and foreign policy. With rich historical detail and sharp analysis, Rogg reveals how espionage has empowered and challenged democratic governance. This compelling narrative offers a fresh lens on the hidden machinery behind America’s global influence.

Book Review: Securing Space: A Plan for U.S. Action

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:03:00 GMT

Securing Space presents an argument for the importance of US advances in the space domain and offers recommendations for achieving them. The reviewer sees this report “as a critical waypoint in identifying the threats in space and reiterating the importance of this domain to our collective way of life.”

Book Review: The Impossible Mission: The Office of Security Cooperation and the U.S. Forces Drawdown in Iraq

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:02:00 GMT

A gripping look at the chaotic final chapter of the Iraq War, revealing how bureaucracy, urgency, and geopolitical pressure collided at the moment the US mission needed clarity most.

Book Review: The Army: A Primer to Our Profession of Arms – Field Manual 1

Pentagon News — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 19:01:00 GMT

Field Manual 1 lays the foundation for understanding the Army’s core values, mission, and enduring role in defending the nation. It offers a clear and compelling guide to what it means to be a professional soldier, emphasizing duty, discipline, and the moral commitment to service. This essential primer inspires new recruits and seasoned leaders to uphold the legacy and the future of the Army profession.

Parameters | Spring 2026

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:11:00 GMT

Welcome to the Spring 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Clausewitz and Modern Warfare, Operational Considerations, and Historical Studies), and the Strategic Competition Corner.

Book Reviews

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:10:00 GMT

Book reviews Spring 2026

Strategic Rivalries: How Are They Won?

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:09:00 GMT

This article argues strategic rivalries—distinct from general strategic competition—are best understood as contests in which states prioritize weakening a specific opponent’s capacity to compete. It departs from existing work by critiquing the Joint Concept for Competing’s narrow definition and by emphasizing rivalry termination as a central but understudied dimension. Drawing on decades of international relations scholarship and historical datasets of interstate rivalries since 1815, the article analyzes how rivalries end and identifies strategic preclusion as a proactive approach for winning them. Its insights offer policy and military practitioners guidance for shaping competitive strategies short of war.

Spezialpropaganda: The East German Military’s Covert Information-Warfare Program

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:08:00 GMT

This article details the East German military’s extensive, innovative covert-propaganda program, which was designed to influence West German attitudes for almost two decades during the Cold War. Unlike existing scholarship that primarily addresses intelligence-led disinformation, this study uniquely analyzes military-led information warfare. The article uses previously classified East German military records to examine capabilities and tactics ranging from fake conscription notices to radio broadcasts. The findings offer contemporary US military planners and practitioners insight into the complexities of integrating information-warfare capabilities, measuring the effectiveness of propaganda, and understanding adversarial influence campaigns, with direct implications for current Joint Force planning and doctrine.

Risk Decision Making and Intertemporal Choice: Lessons from the Taiwan Strait

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:07:00 GMT

This article argues that domestic and political factors may incentivize US presidents to use risky military options to resolve crises quickly, though high costs or threats to long-term vital interests can overcome leaders’ natural tendencies to focus on the present. Recently declassified documents from President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s administration allow a detailed examination of how US leaders balanced risks over time during the First and Second Taiwan Strait Crises. The findings inform policy recommendations to enhance military planning and enable military advisers to communicate long-term risks more effectively to political leaders.

Imitating US Doctrine Cost Europe Its Heavy Combat Power

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:06:00 GMT

This article argues that Europe’s loss of heavy combat power is primarily the result of doctrinal shifts influenced by the United States, rather than underfunding alone. Unlike existing research that focuses on defense budgets or burden-sharing, this study isolates the opportunity costs of adopting US-based expeditionary and counterinsurgency doctrines. Using force structure data for Canada, Germany, and the United Kingdom (1990–2022), it conducts a counterfactual analysis of lost tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and heavy artillery pieces. The article shows that Europe’s shortfalls are doctrinal as much as fiscal and highlights the relevance of maintaining balance in future doctrinal choices.

Successful Large-Scale Combat Operations Require Artificially Intelligent Breaching Munitions

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:05:00 GMT

The US Army must invest in artificial intelligence–enabled breaching munitions to succeed in large-scale combat operations. This article combines existing technologies to propose a new capability the Army does not currently possess. It lays out the current state of breaching materiel, identifies additional technology available, and proposes combining multiple pieces of existing technology to create improved breaching munitions for the Army’s use. This new capability will require practitioners and policymakers to enable the creation of artificial intelligence systems through acquisition and tactical experimentation.

Strategic Theory and Clausewitz’s Trinitarian Test

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:04:00 GMT

Carl von Clausewitz’s trinity represents a qualitative test for strategy in both theory and practice. With the trinity, Clausewitz transforms competing influences into a mark of mark of theoretical quality. Synthesizing several translations of Clausewitz’s On War and interpretations by experts such as Hew Strachan, Antulio J. Echevarria II, and Frank G. Hoffman, this article suggests that Clausewitz believed that good theory encompasses and accounts for all fundamental forces of war, whereas bad theory emphasizes the extremes of one force. The trinity compels mandatory considerations for students of theory, war planners, and practitioners.

Approaching the Military as a Profession Through the Clausewitzian Trinity

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:03:00 GMT

The Clausewitzian trinity (people, government, and military—or passion, reason, and chance) can enhance existing scholarship and discussions about military professionalism by emphasizing the fundamental purpose of military forces. Specifically, managing chance incorporates elements of reducing uncertainty and applying creativity as individuals develop coup d’oeil. Junior personnel manage chance by reducing cognitive load while enhancing cognitive skills needed to quickly assess battlefield conditions as they progress to becoming senior leaders. This article contrasts these ideas against the various roles assigned to civil-military forces in the Clausewitzian trinity to emphasize professionalism in developing military leaders.

Legacies Worth Considering: (Re)examining the Assumptions behind Denial Strategies

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:02:00 GMT

Contemporary analyses of denial strategies risk conceptual confusion because they neglect the legacies of two distinct traditions: coercion versus control. This article explores the two traditions’ legacies from a broader perspective. It shows how neglecting those legacies contributes to conceptual confusion concerning operational conduct and strategic affairs in the South China Sea. The article facilitates smoother communication between and among civilians and military members involved in operational planning, which is essential if the United States and its allies want to combine military and nonmilitary instruments in future operations.

From the Editor in Chief

Pentagon News — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 17:01:00 GMT