Issue Papers

Implementing a New Vision: Unity of Effort in Preparing for and Responding to Catastrophic Events Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "From 17-18 November 2010, the Consortium for Homeland Defense and Security in America – consisting of the United States Army War College’s Center for Strategic Leadership, George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Heritage Foundation – held its annual symposium to examine pressing issues of shared concern regarding the domestic security of the United States and its allies. Conducted at Carlisle Barracks, the event was constructed around four panels, each devoted to a topic of interest specifically selected by the consortium partners. The first of these panels addressed the challenges of achieving Unity of Effort in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events."

Climate Change, Adaptation and Security in Central America and the Caribbean Dr Kent H Butts, Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Secretary of State Clinton began her term as the United States Secretary of State by calling for a U.S. foreign policy led by Diplomacy, Development and Defense. Success in applying this concept has been quickly realized at the regional level where cooperation between the Department of State (DOS), the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Combatant Commands has been ongoing, particularly in the area of environmental security. United Nations data showing the link between resources and environmental issues and conflict are well known to regional economic and security organizations; but so too, is the potential for resource scarcity and environmental change to create opportunities for confidence building measures and multilateral cooperation that builds host nation capacities. Today, with its impact on water and food security and governmental legitimacy, climate change adaptation has emerged as a leading regional security issue and major concern to regional governments and their populations."

Relationship Between Military Engineers and Environmental Issues Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "According to the National Science Foundation, Environmental Engineering relates to understanding the impacts of human activities on the public health, natural environmental quality, natural resources and with developing the scientific basis for identifying, analyzing, solving, mitigating, or managing environmental problems caused by human activities. There is an innate requirement to fully leverage information technology, training and education to provide integrated engineering and environmental management, execution, and technical services in support of the populace."

Civil-Military Collaboration to Address Adaptation to Climate Change in South America Dr Kent H Butts, Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The economic vitality of the South American region is threatened by the effects of climate change. Successful adaptation measures may require multilateral cooperation to preempt these destabilizing effects before they impact on government legitimacy and threaten regional security. While civilian agencies will normally be the lead for proactively addressing climate change adaptation, they may be insufficient, or absent in distant frontier and border areas where only the military is present. Creating climate change resilience will require interagency cooperation. Thus, climate change adaptation roles and missions reinforce the concept of military support to civilian authority and promote multilateral cooperation. What can regional militaries do to help their countries deal with climate change effects that threaten their security?"

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."

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."

The Republic of Moldova Military Institute's Lecture Series: Leadership and Ethics Dr Craig Bullis, LTC Vince Lindenmeyer Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "As part of the Republic of Moldova’s defense transformation efforts, the Moldovan Military Institute (MMI) is in its second year of a three year action plan to completely revise its professional military education (PME) curriculum. In September 2011, the MMI will begin its new curriculum for its incoming cadets where they will complete the four-year program finishing with a bachelor’s degree in public administration. To prepare the faculty members in developing the curriculum, the MMI is hosting a series of subject matter expert lectures through Mar 2011 when their curriculum is due to the Moldova Ministry of Education."

Crisis and Contingency Response Planning in the Serbian Armed Forces COL Michael S Chesney, Prof Bernard F Griffard, Lt Col Gregory D Hillebrand Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "By the very nature of their missions, the world’s militaries spend much of their time developing plans that address identified risks, only to find themselves reacting to security threats from an unanticipated sector, or to manmade and natural disasters. The ability to “turn on a dime” is based in a creditable crisis action planning (CAP) process designed to support the military commander’s efforts to develop, analyze, select and implement a course of action (COA) within a constrained timeframe. Although most militaries have a CAP capability, the United States has institutionalized the process, and demonstrated its capabilities to address issues from the strategic to the local."

Environmental Change, Natural Disasters and Stability in Central America and the Caribbean Ms Marcela Ramirez Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Threats to state and human security result from a variety of areas and issues such as criminal gangs, political and military sources, as well as from social, economic and environmental issues. A wide array of factors contribute to making people feel insecure, from the proliferation of small arms and drug trafficking, to transnational threats like water pollution, natural disasters, the spread of diseases and climate change."