Strategic Issues

Examining Military Governance as a Part of Professional Military Education Mr Brent C Bankus, Ms Lorelei E W Coplen, Prof James O Kievit Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "After the capture of Baghdad in 2003, the expectation was that an Iraqi entity would quickly step forward to begin to fill the role of government in the territory formerly ruled by Saddam Hussein. Instead, there was a power vacuum which the United States – and in particular the United States military – had to fill. Similarly, in Afghanistan, despite the relatively quick identification of Hamid Karzai as the “designated” national leader, it also became clear that the new national government lacked many of the essential capabilities required to actually implement good governance. Again, despite the clear preference of many of today’s military officers to have some other entity (whether of the U.S. government, the United Nations, or even non-government private contractors) be responsible for doing so, that responsibility initially fell largely, if not exclusively, on U.S. military commanders. Even though the U.S. military, especially the U.S. Army, has had a long history of military governance activities, many of those commanders felt unprepared and/or that it was 'not really my job.'"

Developing a Diplomatic Corps that is Second-to-None Mr Samuel R White Jr Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The 2010 National Security Strategy (NSS) marked a change in emphasis in United States foreign policy direction after more than a decade of continuous military engagement in Afghanistan and Iraq. Global operations against violent extremist groups and entrenched and pervasive terror networks moved policy emphasis toward traditional” hard power” levers – primarily military and economic coercion. Though these elements have dominated U.S. efforts since 9/11, the current NSS implements foreign policy across a wider range of engagement options, balanced between appropriate measures of hard and soft power – coined “smart power” by Joseph Nye."

In the Dark; Military Planning for a Catastrophic Critical Infrastructure Event Mr Kevin J Cogan Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The earth is situated in a strategic location just 93 million miles from its sun. Since its creation it has survived the cataclysms of temperature extremes, meteor bombardments, and solar storm events. It has survived these events so well that life, including humans, has flourished and prospered in increasing numbers and progressively higher standards of living. For all but the last 150 years, the infrastructure constructed for better human living standards has been relatively unaffected by localized geological disasters or the broader effects of solar storms. But the harnessing of electrical power, begun in the mid-nineteenth century and its distribution via an interconnected grid to which 86% of the U.S. population is now connected, has created the potential for a near certain catastrophe of unprecedented proportion if it fails..."

Collins Center Update, Volume 13, Issue 2 (Spring 2011) Colonel John Laganelli, Colonel (Ret.) Charles W. Allen, Professor Bernard F. Griffard, Dr. Kent H. Butts Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

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."

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."

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."

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."