Strategic Issues

The Annual Collins Center Senior Symposium: Aligning the Interagency Process for the War on Terrorism Dr Kent H Butts, Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Charges have been levied, from both inside and out of the United States government, that the War on Terrorism is currently encumbered by an interagency process ill-suited for the task. That process, developed for the challenges of the Cold War, is characterized by “stove pipe” operations and resourcing initiatives in an era that demands an efficient integration of efforts for results. Endeavors to address failed/failing states, reconstruction and stabilization, and other diverse efforts focused on the underlying conditions that foster terrorism appear to be disjointed, with no central authority (save the President himself) to direct them..."

Democratization Vs. Liberalization in the Arab World: Dilemmas and Challenges for U.S. Foreign Policy Dr Daniel Brumberg Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This monograph looks at the political origins and dynamics of “liberalized autocracy” in the Arab world. Liberalized autocracy is a system of rule that allows for a measure of political openness and competition in the electoral, party, and press arenas, while ultimately ensuring that power rests in the hands of ruling regimes. This mix of control and openness has not only benefitted ruling elites, but oppositions as well. It gives them room to “let off steam,” to criticize regimes, and occasionally to affect public policy. Moreover, given the absence of consensus in many Arab states over national identity, liberalized autocracy has provided an umbrella by which competing groups―Islamists, secularists, Kurds, and Berbers―can achieve a measure of peaceful coexistence precisely because no group actually wields power. The United States largely has supported such hybrid systems, a fact of political life that has not changed dramatically under the Bush administration despite its rhetorical commitment to democracy. Whether the gap between words and deeds should or can be closed or narrowed is a complex question, since a sudden move from state managed liberalization to democracy could open the door to Islamist power."

U.S. Defense Strategy After Saddam Dr Michael E O'Hanlon Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this defense strategy and budget monograph, Michael O’Hanlon argues that America’s large defense budget cannot be pared realistically in the years ahead. But given the extreme demands of the Iraq mission, particularly on the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, he suggests how reductions in various weapons modernization programs and other economies might free up enough funds to add at least 40,000 more ground troops to today’s military. O’Hanlon also addresses the important question of how the United States might encourage and help other countries to share more of the global military burden. Finally, he sketches other cost cutting measures such as privatization. These cost saving ideas all require serious consideration because of the enormous strain being placed on the size and cost of the U.S. ground forces."

The Collins Center Update Volume 7, Issue 3: April-June 2005 Professor Doug Campbel, Professor Bert Tussing, Dr. Kent Hughes Butts, Colonel Eugene Thompson, Professor James Kievit, Colonel Ken Smith, Mr. Bill Waddell, Professor Bert Tussing Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Budget Policy, Deficits, and Defense: A Fiscal Framework for Defense Planning Dr Dennis S Ippolito Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The transformation of the U.S. military is entering a critical stage. The Department of Defense is initiating the most far-reaching changes in its worldwide bases and deployments since the 1950s. Parallel efforts to consolidate domestic bases and defense facilities are likely as well, now that the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission has begun its work. And the Quadrennial Defense Review currently underway could have a profound impact on the size and shape of future forces."

Transformation and Strategic Surprise Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Dr. Colin Gray takes a broad view of strategic surprise, and relates it to the current military transformation. He argues that the kind of strategic surprise to which the United States is most at risk and which is most damaging to our national security is the deep and pervasive connection between war and politics. Although America is usually superior at making war, it is far less superior in making peace out of war. Dr. Gray concludes that the current military transformation shows no plausible promise of helping to correct the long-standing U.S. weakness in the proper use of forces as an instrument of policy."

The New RC: Will it Please Anyone? Dr Dallas D Owens Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "To their credit, the Army National Guard (ARNG) and the Army Reserve (USAR) have proposed sweeping changes to make their components capable of meeting future Army requirements. Predictions for those future requirements come from a variety of Department of Defense (DoD) offices and envision a near- to mid-term strategic environment requiring constant mobilization at levels less than, but near, those currently experienced. In turn, the ARNG and USAR know they cannot meet that need unless significant changes are made to their force structure, training, and mobilization process. Central to their proposed changes is the notion of a rotational force."

The Collins Center Update Volume 7, Issue 2: January-March 2005 Professor John F. Troxell, LTC Thomas P. Kratman, Professor Dennis M. Murphy, Professor James Kievit, Mr. Jeffrey C. Reynolds, Colonel Scott Forster, COL Eugene Thompson, Professor Michael Pasquarett, Mr. Ritchie Dion, Professor B.F. Griffard Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

U.S. Southern Command Environmental Security Training Workshop Dr Kent H Butts, COL Jeffrey C Reynolds, Mr Alex Sonski Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The United States Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) Theater Security Cooperation Program for Central America reached a new level of success with the completion of the Environmental Security Training Workshop in Alajuela, Costa Rica. The seven-day conference graduated 30 military, police, and civilian agency professionals from seven Central American countries in a ceremony attended by regional defense and environmental ministers. This “train the trainer” workshop is the culmination of a nearly decade-long SOUTHCOM, Department of Defense (DOD), and U.S. Army War College Center for Strategic Leadership (CSL) Environmental Security Program."