Issue Papers

Albania - Observations on a Changing Nation COL William R Applegate, COL Patrick O Carpenter, Prof Bernard F Griffard Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Today’s nation of Albania is the result of a long tortuous journey through history, during which it was mostly not treated well. Thought to be descended from the Illyrian Albanoi tribe, Albanians have been subjugated by Philip of Macedonia, Tiberius of Rome, the Ottoman Turks, and Mussolini’s Italian Army. Geographically, Albania has encompassed much of the area we know as the Balkans; it has also been partitioned and disappeared as an entity from the maps of Europe. To German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck at the 1878 Congress of Berlin Albania was no more than a “geographical expression.” It was not until 1913, with the end of the Second Balkan War and the conclusion of the Treaty of Bucharest, that the boundaries of today’s Albania took form."

New Media and the Warfighter: Workshop Initial Impressions Dennis M Murphy Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Managing media and “information effects” is a hallmark of the current geo-strategic environment in which the U.S. military fights. The global information revolution and rapid spread of the Internet and other digital media have leveled the playing field between nation-states, non-state actors, multinational corporations and individuals. Anyone armed with mobile technologies such as a camera cell phone and access to the Internet is capable of affecting strategic outcomes at very low cost, using a minimal information infrastructure. The U.S. military has increasingly leveraged advances in information technology to gain advantages in the modern battlefield and to tell their story on a macro level, but has just recently begun to exploit the exploding technology realm at the micro level by co-opting the use of YouTube and blogs to help achieve objectives. Clearly, managing the “message” while controlling the necessary technological “means” represent critical challenges in today’s military operating environment."

Intelligence Scotomas in Central and South America, The Proteus Monograph Series, Volume 1, Issue 4 John B Alexander Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership, Proteus Monograph Series Fellows Program " 'Why should I care?' This response from a U.S. Army staff officer may seem like a strange introduction to a monograph on national security issues, but it actually strikes at the crux of the problem. The comment was made by a lieutenant colonel assigned to the Department of the Army’s G-3 office when told that there were significant problems emerging in South America. He is far from alone in his reflexive analysis, or lack thereof. It is indicative of the understaffed, overworked, and terminally focused attitude that permeates everything in the Pentagon. Combat pilots call this target fixation, and for the Department of Defense, the current target is Iraq and the Middle East."

The Trouble With Strategic Communication(s) Dennis M Murphy Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Recently the U.S. Southern Command’s Admiral James Stavridis paraphrased World War II’s great naval commander and strategist Ernest King: 'I don’t know what the hell this [strategic communication] is that Marshall is always talking about, but I want some of it.' This past summer over 200 strategic communication practitioners and academics met at the National War College for the first annual Worldwide Strategic Communication Seminar. Senior government officials urged attendees to get on with the business of strategic communication, noting that 'we will be flying the plane while we’re building it'..."

Using Sustainability to Build Stability in Africa: Strategic Policy Issues for the Army Arthur L Bradshaw, Dr Kent H Butts, Mr Brian D Smith Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Sustainability means meeting the demands placed on the system today without compromising the needs of future generations. Thus, the over consumption, abuse, or pollution of a country’s natural resource base today will cause the country to fail when it cannot meet the demands placed upon the political system by future generations. The workshop series aims at to examine how the Army can leverage sustainability as an approach to engaging African nations. Working within the context of U.S. Africa Command’s (USAFRICOM) strategic vision, sustainability provides an approach to engagement that will support the capacity of African militaries so that they may help civilian governments address sustainability issues and maintain the legitimacy necessary to prevent state failure and instability. "

The 2nd Annual Proteus Academic Workshop and the Way Ahead Mister William O Waddell, COL William L Wimbish III Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The Proteus Management Group (PMG) hosted the second annual Proteus Futures Academic Workshop 14-16 August 07 at the Center for Strategic Leadership, United States Army War College (USAWC) at Carlisle Barracks, PA. This year’s workshop provided international scholars from various organizations and institutions across government, academia and the private sector the opportunity to present papers on topics that explore complex issues within the future global security environment, as well as to examine Proteus related new and innovative concepts, strategies and processes to meet 21st century security challenges. Over 70 workshop participants from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds participated in this year’s event. "

Military Education Workshop Arthur L Bradshaw, Dr Kent H Butts Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Army equities in the new Department of Defense (DoD) Directive3000.05, Military Support to Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) Operations, took center stage at the recent Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars (WWC) Teaching Environment, Population, and Security Workshop, 22-23 May 2007, sponsored by the Environmental Change and Security Program. The purpose of the Professional Military Education oriented workshop was to determine how WWC could help provide educational resources and support to military educators and researchers. The objectives were to identify the role of the military element of power in responding to environmental security challenges, determining policy implications of this involvement, and identifying roles and missions for further research."

Sixth Annual Reserve Component Symposium Workshop #1 Prof Bernard F Griffard Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Among the many challenges revealed during the military’s response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the summer of 2005 were significant issues surrounding Command and Control (C2). Given the frequently strained interaction between the active component and the National Guard, it became clear that our traditional notions of C2 required a cultural migration away from “command and control” toward a broader concept of “command, control, and collaboration.” For all their devastation, however, many experts are labeling Katrina and Rita as representative of the “lower end” of potentially catastrophic events which could occur."

Sixth Annual Reserve Component Symposium Workshop #2 Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Among the many challenges encountered in the military’s response to hurricane’s Katrina and Rita in the summer of 2005 were difficulties surrounding Command and Control (C2). Given the frequently strained interaction between the active component and the National Guard, it became clear that our traditional notions of C2 required a cultural migration away from “command and control” toward a broader concept of “command, control, cooperation and coordination.” At the same time, in spite of their devastation, many experts are labeling Katrina and Rita as representative of the “lower end” of potentially catastrophic events which could occur..."