Strategy & Policy

Strategic Insights: Should China Be Given the Benefit of the Doubt? David Lai Article by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "The South China Sea territorial dispute is a protracted and complicated problem. Recently, it has become an even more contentious issue between the United States and China. At the center of this disagreement is China's massive territorial claims and its persistent approach to dealing with the disputes in bilateral and diplomatic ways."

Strategic Insights: America's Strategic Debate – And Why It Matters To The Army Dr Steven Metz Article by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "Since becoming a global superpower, the United States often adjusted its national strategy. Over time, the effectiveness of any given strategy erodes. This sparks debate about America’s appropriate role in the world, and about where, when, and why national power should be used. From the debate, a revised approach takes shape and lasts until its effectiveness fades. Then the cycle starts again."

The Myths of Army Expansibility Dr Conrad C Crane, Dr Michael E Lynch, Dr James D. Scudieri Historical Research Review by US Army War College, Army Heritage and Education Center "This study analyzes the US Army's experiences from the twentieth century to the present, given the demands of modem war and associated structures, including political, industrial, and military. These examples generally mirrored those from earlier wars. Broadly speaking, United States defense policy has relied upon a small regular army (RA), expandable upon the outbreak of war. That expanded army then largely demobilized upon war's end. Reliance upon state militias to augment the regular army in the American Revolution of 1775-83 and the War of 1812 to 1814 changed to volunteer troops vice militia in the Mexican War of 1846-48 and the American Civil War of 1861-65..."

USAID & DoD: Analysis and Recommendations to Enhance Development-Military Cooperation Mister Benjamin D Kauffeld PKSOI Paper by US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute "At the beginning of 2014, U.S. government agencies involved in national security, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), maintained a laser like focus on an imploding Syria, the impending transition in Afghanistan and the arc of instability spreading across Western Africa. Not on the radar screen was the horror movie unfolding in Ukraine or the explosion of unaccompanied children fleeing instability in Central America. As General Key, European Command’s (EUCOM) planning chief, remarked at the late winter EUCOM Strategy Conference, 'Our crystal ball is not so crystal.' "

Memorandum for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff: Secure Balance and Flexibility In Future Joint Forces; Insights from the 25th Annual Strategy Conference “Balancing the Joint Force to Meet Future Security Challenges” April 8-10, 2014 Mr Nathan P Freier Document by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The Army War College recently hosted its twenty-fifth annual strategy conference in partnership with your J7’s Future Joint Force Development Directorate. The event’s theme was balancing U.S. and allied military capabilities to meet the most important future demands. A number of key insights emerged from this event. However, one dominated virtually every substantive conference discussion: given the breadth of American interests worldwide and trends in the international security environment, U.S. forces must prepare to confront challenges emerging from two very different origins."

Changing the Game: Human Security as a Grand Strategy Lieutenant Colonel John C Anderson PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press "Dire forecasts of “game-changing” political, social and environmental upheaval over the next thirty years only add to the pessimism generated by constraining fiscal environments and tangible signs, the world over, of a rising China. These same pressures lend urgency to initiatives that seek greater organizational efficiency in the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State (DOS)."

Avoiding Praetorian Societies: Focusing U.S. Strategy on Political Development Lieutenant Colonel Bruce K Ferrell PKSOI Paper by the US Army War College, Peacekeeping and Stability Operations Institute, US Army War College Press "It is clear that fragile nation-states will continue to be a major contributor to instability in the international strategic environment. The United States, its allies and partners have attempted to mitigate the negative effects of fragile states through a variety of approaches, including military stability and reconstruction (S&R) operations such as those undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan. America’s success rate at conducting S&R operations, however, is mixed. Despite immense efforts undertaken in Iraq and Afghanistan, the creation of politically stable states in both countries eludes the U.S., partner states, and international allies."

Post-2014 Afghanistan Wargame Analysis Dr Richard L Winslow War Game Report by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The Afghanistan Futures Wargame conducted 14-15 January 2014 brought together specialists with expertise on Afghanistan, China, India, Iran and Pakistan, international relations and national security affairs from academia, government and private think-tanks to consider U.S. policy options for Afghanistan beyond 2014."

An Assessment of the DoD Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace Dr Thomas M Chen Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "In some ways, the cyber domain is quite different from the traditional operational domains of air, land, sea, and space. Cyber threats are stealthy and difficult to attribute; critical infrastructures are difficult to defend against unseen and unpredictable adversaries. The 2011 Department of Defense (DoD) Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace was a significant policy statement for publicly embracing cyberspace as an operational domain and declaring a number of strategic initiatives to maintain U.S. security in the face of emerging cyber threats. In this monograph, Dr. Thomas Chen explains the strategies as they have evolved from previous national strategies and examines each strategy critically for clarity, comprehensiveness, and novelty. "