News

From the Editor in Chief
March 20, 2025 — Welcome to the Spring 2025 issue of Parameters. The issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Russia, Ukraine, and NATO; Strategic Competition and Managing National Security; and Joint Sustainment Strategies), and the regular Civil-Military Relations Corner... MORE

Assessing the Zeitenwende: Implications for Germany, the United States, and Transatlantic Security
February 27, 2025 — This volume examines Germany’s Zeitenwende, a policy shift sparked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Key themes include national security, defense spending, energy diversification, and evolving ties with Russia, China, NATO, and the EU. Despite progress, challenges in strategy, defense, and sustainability raise concerns for Washington and transatlantic cooperation... MORE

Cover for Assessing the Zeitenwende: Implications for Germany, the United States, and Transatlantic Security

Toward a More Effective DoD Contribution to Strategic Competition in the Western Hemisphere
February 21, 2025 — Innovative new thinking is needed on the security challenges the People’s Republic of China poses in Latin America and the Department of Defense’s role in the US response, including (1) enhanced security cooperation that helps key democratic partners succeed and provides the United States leverage and situational awareness, and (2) anticipating how the People’s Republic of China may exploit its commercial and other activities in the region in times of war... MORE

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Book Review: Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America’s First Black Generals
January 31, 2025 — Author Doug Melville’s multigenerational biography presents the little-known story of his family and two of its military veterans who always believed in the American dream—Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first Black US Army general, and his son, General Benjamin O. Davis Jr., the first Black US Air Force brigadier general. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson reviewed the book because he was so impressed when he heard then–Brigadier General Benjamin O. Davis Jr. speak in chapel at his evangelical college... MORE

Cover for Invisible Generals: Rediscovering Family Legacy, and a Quest to Honor America’s First Black Generals

Book Review: Airpower Pioneers: From Billy Mitchell to Dave Deptula
January 31, 2025 — In this review, Robert E. Underwood III bills Airpower Pioneers as a refreshing read that highlights the tension between bureaucracy and innovation against a backdrop of the lives of 12 aviation pioneers. The importance of relationships and their relevance adds a layer of depth to the book... MORE

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Book Review: Great Power Clashes Along the Maritime Silk Road: Lessons from History to Shape Current Strategy
December 12, 2024 — Dr. Patrick C. Bratton, US Army War College director of South Asian Studies, reviews Grant F. Rhode’s “valuable contribution to [the] literature” that “[brings] attention to many of Eurasia’s often-forgotten maritime powers and conflicts.” Bratton highlights the particular value of Rhode’s “excellent” case studies “that deserve attention” and explains the book’s utility for policymakers while also providing a thoughtful critique of the book’s framing devices... MORE

Book cover: Great Power Clashes Along the Maritime Silk Road: Lessons from History to Shape Current Strategy

Book Review: Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia
December 12, 2024 — Lieutenant Colonel Peter M. Erickson, PhD, provides a valuable overview of Gary J. Bass’s explanation of why the post–World War II Tokyo trials “were a relative failure.” He highlights how a lack of impartiality, the “legacy of empire,” and the judges’ backgrounds and motivations affected the trials. Erickson calls the book “a must-read for Defense community leaders who often wrestle with the strict legality of America’s tactical actions and the broader and deeper moral impacts of its strategic endeavors.”... MORE

Book cover: Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia

Book Review: British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony
December 12, 2024 — Dr. Frank L. Jones, a distinguished fellow of the US Army War College, provides a useful and comprehensive review of author William D. James’s first book, “an excellent study for members of the defense community who want to understand British grand strategy historically or aspire to policy-making or strategy-making positions and need a sound introduction.” Jones outlines James’s main arguments and the value of the case studies presented, including the “East of Suez” case study, a “vivid example of strategic adjustment where timing, domestic politics, other foreign policy priorities, economic power, and the concerns of allies shape decision making.”... MORE

Book cover: British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony

Book Review: We Had to Get Out of That Place: A Memoir of Redemption and Betrayal in Vietnam
December 12, 2024 — Dr. Wylie W. Johnson reviews Vietnam War veteran Steven Grzesik’s memoir that, as Johnson explains, shows the effects of “the Army’s institutional policies” and how “[u]nit cohesiveness begins with senior leadership.” Grzesik’s personal experiences and the “isolation, abuse, and sacrifice of individual replacements” (which Johnson identifies as important themes in the book) provide a valuable perspective on “the imperative of caring for soldiers.” ... MORE

Book cover: We Had to Get Out of That Place: A Memoir of Redemption and Betrayal in Vietnam

Book Review: Witness to Neptune’s Inferno: The Pacific War Diary of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, USS Atlanta (CL 51)
December 12, 2024 — Colonel Jonathan Klug (PhD), the US Army War College’s Admiral William F. Halsey Chair of Naval Studies, identifies David F. Winkler’s contribution to the field with this book. Klug writes, “Winkler adds tremendous value to [Lloyd M.] Mustin’s comments by placing them into their proper historical context and providing insight into the development of a mid-career naval officer into a strategic leader.” Klug also notes that “this book would be especially useful to support the exploration of the opening phases of a transpacific war, a topic that joint professional military education should emphasize.”... MORE

Book cover: Witness to Neptune’s Inferno: The Pacific War Diary of Lieutenant Commander Lloyd M. Mustin, USS Atlanta (CL 51)