Europe & Russia

The European Campaign: Its Origins and Conduct Dr Clayton K S Chun, Dr Samuel J Newland Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since the end of World War II, there has been a stream of publications about the War in Europe, but despite the volume of literature, interest in the topic remains high. Given the significance of this conflict and the interest in this campaign, the Strategic Studies Institute offers a fresh look at the campaign in Europe. This publication begins with an examination of prewar planning for various contingencies, then moves to the origins of “Germany first” in American war planning. The authors then focus on the concept, favored by both George C. Marshall and Dwight D. Eisenhower, that the United States and its Allies had to conduct a cross-channel attack and undertake an offensive aimed at the heartland of Germany. Following the background provided in these initial chapters, the remainder of the book provides a comprehensive discussion outlining how the European Campaign was carried out."

Central Asian Security Trends: Views from Europe and Russia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The papers collected in this volume pertain to Central Asia. Indeed, they offer us two foreign views of the strategic situation evolving there—a Russian and a French analysis. For obvious reasons: the war in Afghanistan, proximity to major global actors, large energy holdings, and for less obvious reason, i.e., the possibility that domestic instability in one or more of these states could spread to other Muslim states as we now see in the Arab revolutions of 2011, Central Asia is an increasingly important and interesting strategic region. As such, it merits sustained critical attention and analysis of the sort we are presenting here and that we have presented in the past."

Promoting Joint Staff and Interagency Cooperation in the Armed Forces of Montenegro Prof Bernard F Griffard, Dr R Craig Nation Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Montenegro has existed as a sovereign principality since the Middle Ages. It successfully maintained independence from the Ottoman Empire, first as a theocracy ruled by bishop princes and later as a secular principality. National independence was interrupted at the close of World War I, when it was absorbed into the confederation that, in 1929, became the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. At the close of World War II, Montenegro became a constituent republic of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). It regained sovereignty in June 2006 on the basis of a national referendum which dissolved association with the rump Yugoslavia confederation of Serbia and Montenegro."

Russian Military Politics and Russia's 2010 Defense Doctrine Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph on Russia’s defense or military doctrine represents the third of the five monographs that we will be publishing. It consists of three deeply probing essays into the genesis of the doctrine, the political struggle behind it, and the actual content of the doctrine. They reveal a highly politicized minefield of struggle comprising leading actors in the Russian military, government, and security policy circles as a whole. They duly illuminate the ongoing struggles between and among these sets of military and civilian elites and therefore cast a shining light on critical aspects of Russian policy that all too often are left in the darkness. "

Creating the Future: Visioning, Alignment and Change in the Serbian Armed Forces Prof Bernard F Griffard, Prof James W Shufelt Jr Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "In 1939, when he became the U.S. Army’s 15th Chief of Staff, General George C. Marshall realized that he was operating on a different level as he prepared the Army for possible entry into World War II. He was now a strategic leader and strategic leadership was different. In guiding the evolution of the poorly equipped 174,000 man Army of 1939 to the 8.3 million man well-led, modern Army of 1945; General Marshall demonstrated the three critical skills of a strategic leader: the ability to create the future by providing the vision for long-term focus; managing the intricate processes necessary for change; and, building the teams and consensus required to accomplish the desired endstate."

Civil-Military Relations in Medvedev's Russia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The panel presented here was devoted to civil-military relations in Russia. This is, as the papers included here show, a critical topic in understanding the domestic and foreign policy trajectories of the Russian state. The papers provided here do not deny that civilian control exists. But they both show how highly undemocratic, and even dangerous, is the absence of those democratic controls over the military and the police forces in Russia which, taken together, comprise multiple militaries. These papers present differing U.S. and European assessments of the problems connected with civilian and democratic controls over the possessors of force in the Russian state and should stimulate further reflection upon these issues and those related to them."

Lessons Learned from U.S. Government Law Enforcement in International Operations Scott Brady, Ben Fitzgerald, Dilshika Jayamaha, Jason Fritz PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, Strategic Studies Institute "Law enforcement (LE) personnel, agencies, techniques, equipment and priorities have been an increasingly prominent feature within U.S. Government (USG) commitments to international operations. This is a reflection of the increased human and societal complexity of the operational environments in which the USG has intervened and the multifaceted nature of the objectives often sought by the USG in these international operations."

Russia's Prospects in Asia Dr Stephen J Blank Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Northeast Asia (NEA) is a place where economic interdependence among the NEA “troika”—China, Japan and South Korea—is growing. Moreover, intense interaction within that troika will determine the extent of further economic (and political) integration in the much wider region—Pacific Asia (which stretches from areas of Pacific Russia in the north to New Zealand in the south). This is a very important fact for Russia, though an understanding of its significance for the country has come only very recently. The long-standing issue for Russia is the future of the Russian Far East (Pacific Russia or RFE), its social and economic development, and its security. Pacific Russia’s future depends to a great extent on its involvement in the NEA regional economy... "

Transitions: Issues, Challenges and Solutions in International Assistance Doctor Harry R Yarger Reports and Misc. Publications by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "In this text, papers prepared for the Transitions: Issues, Challenges and Solutions Conference,” conducted at Carlisle Barracks in November 2010, examine transitions from theoretical and practical perspectives. In sharing their research and experience, the authors collectively cultivate in the reader a necessary strategic perspective; one that is holistic and systemic in outlook. However, each essay focuses on some specific aspect of transitions and develops it in some detail. Readers will find each essay and its argument stands on its own merit, offering an independent assessment and making a valuable and enduring contribution to the body of knowledge on transitions and state-building."