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The Winter issue is out! In this edition: “Was the Russian Invasion of Ukraine a Failure of Western Deterrence?” by Bettina Renz and “Ukraine’s Lessons for Future Combat: Unmanned Aerial Systems and Deep Strike,” by Harry Halem; CLSC DIRECTOR’S CORNER “Introduction to the China Landpower Studies Center”; From deterring major powers, to achieving strategic influence, and beyond.
From the Editor in Chief
Antulio J. Echevarria II
Welcome to the Winter 2023–24 issue of Parameters. This issue opens with two In Focus commentaries offering observations from the Russia-Ukraine War, two forums addressing deterrence and strategic influence, and the inaugural Director’s Corner for the China Landpower Studies Center (CLSC).
In Focus
Was the Russian Invasion of Ukraine a Failure of Western Deterrence?
Bettina Renz
Did the West fail to deter Russia? Join author Bettina Renz’s exploration of Western deterrence strategy in the run-up to the February 2022 invasion.
Ukraine’s Lessons for Future Combat: Unmanned Aerial Systems and Deep Strike
Harry Halem
What lessons can the US Army and American policymakers learn about the nature and role of reconnaissance-strike complexes in modern combat from the Russia-Ukraine War?
Deterring Major Powers
Deterring Russian Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons: A Revised Approach
Cliff R. Parsons
Traditional threat based deterrence may not deter nuclear escalation by Russia. Find out how deterrence via dissuasion and addressing the high probability of misperception by both sides might provide a solution.
Ambivalent Offshore Balancer: America in the Middle East and Beyond
John M. Schuessler
Has the stopping power of water rendered the United States an ambivalent balancer?
Integrating Army Capabilities into Deterrence: The Early Cold War
Robert F. Williams
How did the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations adoption of national defense strategies based in deterrence force the Army to adapt as an organization? Find out in “Integrating Army Capabilities into Deterrence: The Early Cold War.”
Achieving Strategic Influenece
Competing for Global Influence: How Best to Assess Potential Strategic Partners
Brian G. Forester
What factors impact a nation’s decision to partner with the US military for multinational exercises and what role has globalization played over the last 30 years?
Reflexive Control: Influencing Strategic Behavior
Maria W. R. de Goeij
This comprehensive literature review and analysis of reflexive control demystifies and oft misunderstood concept within international relations and security studies.
From the Archives: Civil-Military Relations
Are Retired Flag Officers Overparticipating in the Political Process?
Zachary E. Griffiths
Another big election year is on the horizon, so it is time to revisit Zachary E. Griffith’s entry in the ongoing debate about what role, if any, retired flag officers should play in the political process.
CLSC Director’s Corner
Introduction to the China Landpower Studies Center
Richard D. Butler
Get to know the purpose, organization, capabilities, initial research agenda, and products of the Strategic Studies Institute’s forthcoming China Landpower Studies Center in the first installment of the “CLSC Director’s Corner.”
Keywords: deterrence; Ukraine; Russia; Putin; NATO; unmanned aerial systems; deep strike; reconnaissance-strike complex; electronic warfare; Russia-Ukraine War; nuclear; misperception; Russia; multidomain operations; freedom to roam; grand strategy; offshore balancing; offensive realism; regional hegemony; stopping power of water; Middle East; integrated deterrence; strategy; Cold War; flexible response; New Look; economic interests; globalization; strategic competition; multinational exercises; bilateral exercises; reflexive control; strategic behavior; strategic analysis; nonlinearity; complex adaptive system; civil-military relations; general officers; promotions; flag officers; political participation; People’s Liberation Army; Chinese Communist Party; Belt and Road Initiative; China; Landpower; security assistance; Iran; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Operation Enduring Freedom; Bill Clinton; George W. Bush; Barack Obama; Civil War; Army of Tennessee; John B. Hood; William Tecumseh Sherman; Battle of Atlanta; Close Combat Lethality Task Force; Secretary of Defense General James N. Mattis; Iraq; Vicksburg Campaign; Ulysses S. Grant; William T. Sherman; Chickasaw Bayou; World War I; World War II; W. E. B. Du Bois; Talented Tenth; 1920s; citizen-soldier; National Guard; modern Army; Harry S. Truman; atomic bomb; Japan; nuclear war; North Korea; George W. Bush; Kim Il-Sung; Kim Jong-Un; China; Xi Jinping; Chinese Dream; authoritarianism; diplomacy; Samuel P. Huntington; Carl von Clausewitz; Dwight D. Eisenhower; George S. Patton; Kenneth Payne; Jan Smuts; South Africa; World War I in Africa; German South West Africa; German East Africa