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Category: Monographs

Coercing Fluently: The Grammar of Coercion in the Twenty-first Century
August 1, 2022 — Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff — Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press — To illustrate the logic and grammar of coercion, this analysis relies on decision-theory methods, such as game theory, that examine the strategic decision-making process in interactions with adversaries and partners. The intent here is not to offer predictive models of rational-actor behavior. Rather, the intent is to use game-theory and similar approaches to understand how coercion works better. This analysis considers competitive interactions between actors that have discrete and qualifiable, if not quantifiable, preferences and who behave rationally, though this analysis acknowledges the behavior that is considered rational is frequently informed by nonrational social, cultural, and psychological factors. Considering these competitive interactions allows one to identify “rules of thumb” that can orient and guide actors as they compete... MORE

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The Grand Strategy of Gertrude Bell: From the Arab Bureau to the Creation of Iraq
July 13, 2022 — Heather S. Gregg — Monograph by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — The remarkable life of early-twentieth-century British adventurer Gertrude Bell has been well documented through her biographies and numerous travel books. Bell’s role as a grand strategist for the British government in the Middle East during World War I and the postwar period, however, is surprisingly understudied. Investigating Gertrude Bell as both a military strategist and a grand strategist offers important insights into how Great Britain devised its military strategy in the Middle East during World War I—particularly, Britain’s efforts to work through saboteurs and secret societies to undermine the Ottoman Empire during the war and the country’s attempts to stabilize the region after the war through the creation of the modern state of Iraq. As importantly, studying the life and work of Bell offers a glimpse into how this unique woman was able to become one of the principal architects of British strategy at this time and the extraordinary set of skills and perspectives she brought to these efforts—particularly, her ability to make and maintain relationships with key individuals. Bell’s life and work offer insights into the roles women have played and continue to play as influencers of grand strategy... MORE

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Framing the Future of the US Military Profession
January 13, 2022 — Richard A. Lacquement Jr., Thomas P. Galvin — Monograph by the US Army War College, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute — "The military profession needs to be redefined by examination of its expertise and jurisdictions of practice, whereas previously the focus was on securing its professional identity. Twenty years ago, the original Future of the Army Profession research project responded to growing concerns among officers that the Army was no longer a profession in light of the post–Cold War drawdown and the onset of global operations including Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, the profession faces recurrent challenges raised by the changing character of war, the renewal of great-power competition, crises surrounding issues of sexual harassment and assault, the effects of a major global pandemic and associated social and political unrest, and the growing societal distrust toward professions in general..."... MORE

Cover for the monograph "Framing the Future of the US Military Profession"

Veteran Disability Compensation and the Army Profession: Good Intentions Gone Awry
January 29, 2021 — Veteran Disability Compensation and the Army Profession: Good Intentions Gone Awry — Dr Wong Leonard, Dr Gerras Stephen — Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press — "For 40 years, from 1960 to 1999, about 8 percent of the veteran population received disability compensation. In 2000 the percentage edged up to 9 percent or 2.3 million veterans. By 2018 the percentage had tripled to 24 percent or 4.7 million veterans. Although many researchers attribute this upward trend to the influx of wounded from the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, the authors show that favorable legislative action, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy changes, societal developments, and improved information flow enabled and encouraged many more veterans to file for disability. The rise in the number of veterans receiving disability compensation signaled a cultural transformation concerning disability compensation that would eventually spread throughout the US Army and the other services."... MORE

Cover for monograph by US Army War College: Veteran Disability Compensation and the Army Profession: Good Intentions Gone Awry