Strategy & Policy

Future War/Future Battlespace: The Strategic Role of American Landpower Dr Steven Metz, LTC Raymond A Millen Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The great difficulty in forecasting the future strategic environment and the force structure needed in response is the plethora of variables that change the calculus. Only hindsight reveals the failure of a Maginot Line or the brilliant success of a mechanized Blitzkrieg doctrine. In the final analysis, the reader must judge the line of reasoning. In this monograph, Dr. Steven Metz and Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Millen examine the trends in the strategic environment in their development of the Future War/Future Battlespace. One fact is clear. Traditional warfighting has changed in the post 9-11 era. The U.S. military must adapt or fail. There is no other recourse."

Strategic Effects of Conflict with Iraq: Latin America Dr Max G Manwaring Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "War with Iraq signals the beginning of a new era in American national security policy and alters strategic balances and relationships around the world. The specific effects of the war, though, will vary from region to region. In some, America’s position will be strengthened. In others, it may degrade without serious and sustained efforts."

Waging Ancient War: Limits on Preemptive Force Dr D Robert Worley Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this study, conducted under the U.S. Army War College’s External Research Associates Program, Dr. D. Robert Worley addresses the ways that the age of terrorism is affecting American grand strategy. He contends that terrorism has made many of the basic concepts of international relations and national security obsolete. Declaring war on a tactic—terrorism—erodes the clarity necessary for coherent strategy. Dr. Worley then develops what he calls a “guerra strategy” more appropriate for dealing with terrorism and other nonstate threats."

Shortening The Defense Acquisition Cycle: A Transformation Imperative Prof Bernard F Griffard Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Today’s compelling need for all Services to respond rapidly and decisively across the full spectrum of military operations requires revolutionary, not evolutionary acquisition strategies. Initiatives must be taken to bring defense cycle times closer to those of the commercial sector."

Afghanistan and the Future of Warfare: Implications for Army and Defense Policy Dr Stephen D Biddle Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The defense debate tends to treat Afghanistan as either a revolution or a fluke: either the “Afghan Model” of special operations forces (SOF) plus precision munitions plus an indigenous ally is a widely applicable template for American defense planning, or it is a nonreplicable product of local idiosyncrasies. In fact, it is neither. The Afghan campaign of last fall and winter was actually much closer to a typical 20th century mid-intensity conflict, albeit one with unusually heavy fire support for one side. And this view has very different implications than either proponents or skeptics of the Afghan Model now claim."

Facing the Hydra: Maintaining Strategic Balance while Pursuing a Global War against Terrorism Dr Conrad C Crane Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Dr. Conrad Crane analyzes the impact of the war on terrorism and the requirements of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review on the many essential missions conducted by the U.S. Armed Forces. Focusing primarily on the Army, he highlights the requirements associated with combat operations against terrorists, accelerating transformation and the new emphasis on homeland security and force protection. At the same time, he points out that the Army and the other Services must remain involved worldwide in day-to-day assurance, dissuasion, and deterrence activities; execution of peace operations and other smaller-scale contingencies; and remaining ready for other major combat operations."

Defining and Achieving Decisive Victory Dr Colin S Gray Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Dr. Colin Gray, one of the world’s leading strategic thinkers, explores the concept of victory in the war in terrorism, but he does so by placing it within the larger currents of change that are sweeping the global security environment. He contends that the time-tested idea of decisive victory is still an important one, but must be designed very carefully in this dangerous new world. To do so correctly can provide the foundation for an effective strategy. To fail to do so could be the first step toward strategic defeat."

U.S. Military Presence in the Persian Gulf: Challenges and Prospects Dr Sami G Hajjar Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The author of this monograph, Dr. Sami Hajjar, considers the critical questions of U.S. military presence in the Gulf, the challenges it faces, and the prospects that lay ahead. He relies, in his presentation and analysis, on a variety of regional sources including newspaper reports and personal interviews conducted in the United States and the Gulf region, as well as on government and academic sources. The result is a comprehensive study, including policy recommendations for U.S. military and civilian decisionmakers, that makes intelligible the complex subject of U.S.-Gulf relations."

The Intervention Debate: Towards a Posture of Principled Judgment Dr John Garofano Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Deciding when and how to use force is one of the central elements of strategy. Throughout American history, debate has raged over whether force is appropriate only in defense of the homeland and vital national interests or whether it should also be used to promote more expansive objectives like regional security and stopping humanitarian disasters in regions with few tangible U.S. interests."