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Book Review: Spetsnaz: A History of the Soviet and Russian Special Forces
September 22, 2025 — Tor Bukkvoll delivers an in-depth and compelling history of Soviet and Russian Spetsnaz, tracing its evolution from strategic reconnaissance units to key players in hybrid and irregular warfare. The reviewer recommends the book for scholars, military professionals, and anyone interested in Russian special operations forces... MORE

Cover of Spetsnaz: A History of the Soviet and Russian Special Forces

Book Review: China’s Quest for Military Supremacy
September 22, 2025 — Joel Wuthnow's and Phillip Saunders’s China’s Quest for Military Supremacy is a sharp, deeply researched examination of the People’s Liberation Army’s transformation into a modern force with regional ambitions and global implications. The book reveals how China’s military advances are tempered by internal structural weaknesses, political constraints, and a deliberate focus on deterring US intervention—especially over Taiwan. Balanced and insightful, it’s essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the shifting dynamics of power in Asia... MORE

Cover of China’s Quest for Military Supremacy

Book Review: Upstart: How China Became a Great Power
September 22, 2025 — Upstart: How China Became a Great Power, by Oriana Skylar Mastro, tracks China’s transition from a minor regional influence in the 1990s to a global power. The author developed and used the Upstart Strategy, which examines emulation, exploitation, and entrepreneurship, to offer predictive modeling that political and military leaders can use to anticipate China’s future trajectory. Reviewer Kelly Ihme applauds the specific and actionable recommendations for America and its allies... MORE

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For the Common Defense: 2025 Homeland Defense Symposium Compendium
September 19, 2025 — The United States Army War College’s 2025 Homeland Defense Symposium presented a unique opportunity for a whole-of-nation discussion and for information sharing on extant and emerging threats to the United States homeland. The research, presentations, key points, and discussions are consolidated in a compendium in this inaugural issue of For the Common Defense. Approximately 125 security professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds including the Joint Force, all levels of government, and civilian academia, attended in-person or virtually for three days. They participated in the symposium because they recognize that our homeland is once again in danger. Our potential adversaries are already making preparations to conduct operations in the continental U.S. in the event of a future large- scale combat operation. They will strive to disrupt infrastructure and supply chains, generate civil unrest, and create multiple dilemmas for elected leaders with the goal of keeping our military forces out of the warfight overseas... MORE

Cover of For the Common Defense: 2025 Homeland Defense Symposium Compendium

Parameters | Autumn 2025
September 16, 2025 — Welcome to the Autumn 2025 issue of Parameters. We open with two In Focus commentaries. The first, “A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants” by Henry Sokolski, offers practical ways in which military planners can disable civilian targets, such as nuclear infrastructure, without undermining operational goals, alliance cohesion, or long-term political objectives. Our second commentary, “The Consequences of Declining Patriotism in the United States” by Neil N. Snyder, presents findings from a national survey showing a decline in patriotism, especially among Generation Z nonveterans. His article highlights a growing civil-military values gap with implications for recruitment and national cohesion... MORE

Book Reviews
September 16, 2025 — Book Reviews autumn 2025... MORE

War Fighting: The Case of Ulysses S. Grant
September 16, 2025 — This article argues that American military professionals must focus on war fighting in publishing about military history to bring their unique military perspectives to the study of war. Most writing on military publishing offers general encouragement without providing focus to military writers. This article uses the historical example of American professional military writing and teaching from the American Civil War to World War II about General Ulysses S. Grant to demonstrate the value of analyses focusing on war fighting, especially relative to popular and academic histories of Grant’s military leadership. This study’s conclusions will assist future US military writers and publishers as they invigorate professional military writing... MORE

Who Is in Charge of Cyber Incidence Response in the Homeland?
September 16, 2025 — This article argues that the fragmented US cybersecurity framework—marked by the absence of a lead agency, insufficient whole-of-government coordination, and inconsistent private-sector compliance—undermines national resilience to cyber threats. Unlike existing literature that often focuses on technical vulnerabilities, this piece highlights systemic governance failures through detailed case studies of the SolarWinds, Colonial Pipeline, and Change Healthcare cyberattacks. The article identifies critical gaps in cyber incident response by drawing on incident reports, policy analysis, and expert commentary and offers actionable recommendations to strengthen national cybersecurity, making it especially relevant for policymakers and military practitioners concerned with protecting critical infrastructure... MORE

Bangladesh in Transition: Testing Democratization in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific
September 16, 2025 — This article argues that Bangladesh’s post-crisis transition following Sheikh Hasina’s 2024 exit as prime minister marks a pivotal moment for democratization with implications for South Asia’s stability and the Indo-Pacific strategic framework. Using Stanley J. Wiechnik’s democratization framework, the study examines the phases of liberalization, transition, and consolidation in Bangladesh’s polarized and factionalized society. Drawing on news reports and policy documents, it examines domestic instability and pressures of geopolitical competition between China and India. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers and military practitioners, emphasizing the need for strategic engagement to support democratic consolidation and manage regional security interests... MORE

Disinformation as Ground-Shifting in Great-Power Competition
September 16, 2025 — Disinformation, distinct from misinformation, replaces accepted principles of objectivity and verifiability with novelty, framing, authority, self-reference, and conformity to create a new “truth paradigm.” This article introduces a novel definition and framework for understanding disinformation as a strategic tool in great-power competition. It includes a review of case studies, such as Russian disinformation campaigns during the Russia-Ukraine War, and analyzes cognitive biases and social behaviors that facilitate the spread of disinformation. Policy and military practitioners will find actionable insights into countering disinformation, including its sociopsychological mechanisms and proposed targeted counterstrategies to protect the integrity of information flows in defense and security contexts... MORE