Strategic Issues

Combating Terrorism and Enhancing Regional Stability and Security through Disaster Preparedness Prof Bernard F Griffard, RADM Robert T Moeller, RADM John F Sigler Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Uninterrupted access to and use of critical infrastructure in the Arabian Gulf region are key to the successful prosecution of the Global War on Terror (GWOT). To maintain access and use the U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) and its Gulf Region partners must deny outside organizations the ability to influence these requirements through terrorism. Essential to this will be information sharing and shared capabilities. Regional cooperation is important because terrorist threats vary, both regionally and nationally. To facilitate this endstate, theater security cooperation initiatives that promote regional collaboration are underway to improve national disaster preparedness capabilities and effective disaster preparedness training with partner nations.."

Responding to the Unthinkable; the Role(s) of the Military LTC Jeffery A Mcnary Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "This workshop series, initiated to explore issues regarding the Army’s Reserve Components and their role in National Security as portrayed in Army wargames and exercises, focused on responding to a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, or High-yield Explosive (CBRNE) attack on the Homeland. Previous workshops framed general issues of strategic concern for the Army National Guard and the Army Reserve while also examining how well those issues had or had not been represented in key Army simulation exercises. This year’s workshop represented a narrowing of focus to cover a specific area of significant concern – the possibility of “the unthinkable” happening within the next few years, but at the same time it also widened the scope by focusing on an issue that involves the Reserve Components but is not Reserve Component centric."

Unlearning Counterinsurgency Dr Steven Metz Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Once again insurgency and counterinsurgency have become issues of great importance to the U.S. military, particularly the Army. This is not a new phenomenon, but the latest manifestation of an old cycle. Several times in the past the Army has mastered counterinsurgency, only to see attention wane when the strategic significance of insurgency subsided, thus forcing it to re-learn the skill when a new threat emerged. Now we must do this again."

The Reserve Components' Role in Recovering from a Biological Incident LTC John C Traylor, Prof Bert B Tussing Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "With the potential proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) capabilities throughout the world an already challenging security environment grows even more daunting every day. Whether occurring naturally, released unintentionally, or dispersed with a deliberately diabolic intent, the effects of a release of these mechanisms can transcend even the immediate devastation they may portend. Beyond massive death and injury, these agents could attack the very core of the Nation’s security, economic strength, and physical and mental well-being. As such, the military component of this Nation’s defense must begin pondering the “unthinkable,” postulating the role it may have to play in mitigating, responding to, and recovering from this kind of catastrophe."

A Nuclear Weapon Detonation in the Homeland Prof James O Kievit, LTC Jeffery A Mcnary Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Every day an already challenging security environment grows even more daunting with the continued proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) capabilities throughout the world. Each can create clandestine devices for delivery by state-sponsored or non state terrorists. Thus, in the future, perhaps the not so distant future, American political and military leadership actually may have to respond to “the unthinkable”: a successful weapon of mass destruction (WMD) attack by terrorists within the borders of the nation. With that possibility in mind, the United States Army War College (USAWC) recently conducted a focused workshop bringing together over 100 participants from local, regional, state and federal entities at the Center for Strategic Leadership on Carlisle Barracks to review contemporary plans, policies and procedures and discuss developing programs to incorporate military, and especially reserve component (RC) forces into the responses to a hypothetical CBRNE attack within the borders of the United States. Three different attack scenarios were presented – one biological, one radiological, and one nuclear. This paper addresses the workshop’s findings related to response to a nuclear weapon attack. "

Maritime Threats Workshop Dr Kent H Butts, LTC Curtis W Turner, Cmdr Robert L Wohlschlegel Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The United States-Republic of the Philippines strengthened their strategic partnership when representatives of the two countries co-hosted the Maritime Threats Workshop held in Cebu, Republic of the Philippines on 26-30 July 2004, focused on promoting multilateral interoperability and cooperation on maritime and environmental issues that foster terrorism; identifying maritime and transnational threats; discussing solutions to these issues; developing maritime protection capabilities; encouraging military support to civil authority; facilitating international and interagency cooperation (to include NGO/IOs); and strengthening the bonds between the military and civilian organizations. The multilateral workshop is the fourth of a series of U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC) Defense Environmental Cooperation Conference."

A Radiological Detonation Device Explodes in the Homeland Prof Michael J Pasquarett, COL John A Tanzi Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The leadership of the United States has emphatically stated “it’s not a matter of if, but rather when another terrorist attack will occur.” Therefore, in the future, maybe distant or not so distant, the United States’ political and military leadership may have to face actually responding to “the unthinkable”: a successful radiological attack by terrorists within the borders of the Nation. A terror event of this magnitude makes the already challenging security environment even more daunting. This new style of attack is indeed different from past threats characterized by force-on-force conflict across borders with enemies and friends that were known and open warfare that now seems so straightforward and in comparison simple. The new security challenge is different and very complex and grows from the proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosive (CBRNE) capabilities throughout the world."

Confronting an Irregular and Catastrophic Future Mr Nathan P Freier Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Next year's Quadrennial Defense Review (or QDR) will be the most important since the end of the Cold War. A frank appraisal of the nation’s strategic future in light of September 11, 2001 (9/11), experience in the war on terrorism, and on-going conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan indicates a need for substantial adjustment to the strategy reflected in QDR ‘01. Such adjustments in defense strategy and policy, however, require that the future trajectory of the nation’s primary challenges be thoroughly reassessed."

Env Sec Arabian Gulf 9-04 -- Appendix C -- Acronyms Doctor Kent H Butts, Prof Bernard F Griffard, LTC Curtis W Turner, John B Wheatley Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership List of Acronyms used during the conference.