Strategic Issues

by COL Johnny Casiano , Mrs. Jo Dempsey, Mr. Gregory Lynch, LTC Andy Pannier, and COL William Snook; Publication from the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; In “The Convergence of ‘Exciting’ Technology Between 2030 and 2040,” the Concept Squad, a small team of U.S. Army War College students, examines 17 transformative technologies poised to reshape military capabilities and national security strategies within the next two decades. Highlighting innovations such as optogenetics, neural lace, and quantum radars, the publication underscores the critical need for the U.S. military to adapt to these advancements in the face of increasing competition from near-peer adversities.

James M. Mitchell, James A. Kievit, Kirk J. Junker, Patrick J. Malone, Leslie L. Semrau; Publication by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; The U.S. Army War College student team “Indovino Nefario” analyzes the future force design approaches of China and Russia, emphasizing that both nations are likely to adopt policy-driven and competition-centric strategies rather than traditional doctrinal frameworks. The report highlights that while China focuses on integrating military and economic strategies through its Military Civil Fusion policy, Russia is expected to prioritize asymmetric capabilities and modernization of its conventional forces to maintain deterrence amid economic constraints, with both nations aiming to mitigate risks associated with armed conflict in 2035.

COL Joseph Sheridan (USA), Ms. Bernice Parkhill (USA), COL Gregory Frazier (USAR), COL Jason Seery (USA), LTC Matt Williams (USAR); Report from the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership; In this report, the authors explore how emerging technologies are poised to transform military intelligence operations. The report identifies key technologies such as quantum computing, 5G and 6G communications, machine learning, and advanced sensors that are expected to enhance the capabilities of intelligence analysts. These advancements will enable analysts to process vast amounts of data more efficiently and make informed decisions in complex environments. However, the report emphasizes the continued necessity of human oversight to navigate the areas where technology falls short, ensuring that the integration of these technologies supports rather than replaces human judgement in military intelligence operations.

Communication Campaigning: Experiential Activity Book Dr Thomas P. Galvin Activity book from the US Army War College, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, School of Strategic Landpower, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute "The purpose of this Activity Book is to provide a series of experiential exercises that allow readers to construct communication campaigns as described in the monograph Communication Campaigning: Primer for Senior Leaders. This workbook is to be considered a living document that will be continuously updated, and therefore there may be differences between the activities herein and their presentation in the companion monograph..."

Veteran Disability Compensation and the Army Profession: Good Intentions Gone Awry Dr Wong Leonard, Dr Gerras Stephen Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press "For 40 years, from 1960 to 1999, about 8 percent of the veteran population received disability compensation. In 2000 the percentage edged up to 9 percent or 2.3 million veterans. By 2018 the percentage had tripled to 24 percent or 4.7 million veterans. Although many researchers attribute this upward trend to the influx of wounded from the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, the authors show that favorable legislative action, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) policy changes, societal developments, and improved information flow enabled and encouraged many more veterans to file for disability. The rise in the number of veterans receiving disability compensation signaled a cultural transformation concerning disability compensation that would eventually spread throughout the US Army and the other services."

Responsible Command: Primer for Senior Leaders Dr Conrad C Crane, Dr Thomas P. Galvin, Paul Mikolashek Publication from the US Army War College, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, School of Strategic Landpower, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute "When I was a Captain, I was called into the Brigade Commander’s office to talk about taking over a company. I remember a few things about that meeting, but one thing he said has stuck with me ever since. As he was talking, he paused a bit and said, “this command business…it’s a tough thing.” He did not have to elaborate further. With the assumption of command comes with it a daunting responsibility. This is true today as it was then and holds true at every level and only increases the higher up you go. It is exactly the notion of responsibility vested in the commander, that at least from his perspective, makes it a 'tough thing.' "

Strategic Leader Meta-Competencies Stephen Banks, David Eckley, Colonel Silas G. Martinez, Mark Stackle, Prof Louis G Yuengert Publication from the US Army War College, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, School of Strategic Landpower, US Army War College Press, Strategic Studies Institute "As the capability gap between the United States military and its global competitors continues to shrink, the Army has countered with the launch of a transformative talent management effort to maintain its competitive edge over its rivals. Officer assessments comprise a critical component of the Army’s effort. While doctrinal requirements and existing measurement tools facilitate implementation of assessments for junior and mid-grade officers, assessment strategies for senior leaders are underdeveloped. This report informs talent management at the strategic level."

Campaign Planning Handbook AY21 Col. Keith Burkepile, COL Matthew D. Morton, COL Veronica Oswald-Hrutkay Publication from the US Army War College, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, School of Strategic Landpower "The purpose of this document is to assist United States Army War College students during the Military Strategy and Campaigning (MSC) course. It also serves to assist commanders, planners, and other staff officers in combatant commands (CCMD), joint task forces (JTF), and service component commands. It supplements joint doctrine and contains elements of emerging doctrine as practiced globally by joint force commanders (JFCs). It portrays a way to apply draft doctrine awaiting signature, published doctrine, and emerging concepts, all at the higher levels of joint command, with a primary emphasis at the combatant command level."

Theater Army Role in Multi-Domain Operations - An Integrated Research Project Gregory L. Cantwell Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The USAWC is responsible for educating the next generation of senior leaders on the application of strategic Landpower. This cannot be accomplished without providing a thorough understanding of the roles of the theater army. This integrated research project provides a foundational understanding of the challenges facing the Joint force in applying the MDO concept to the future operating environment and the science of how the Army prepares for large scale combat operations at the strategic level."