Strategic Issues

Collins Center Update, Volume 14, Issue 3 (Summer 2012) Professor Bert B. Tussing, LTC Vince Lindemeyer, Professor Jeffrey Caton, Mr. Ben Leitzel, Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

AFRICOM's Role in Water Security Christopher M Best Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Few substances on Earth are as important to human survival as water. Access to clean fresh water facilitates the growth of industry, agriculture, and human population centers. Providing developing countries the resources and knowledge to access quality water sources can serve as a powerful tool for enhancing regional stability and fostering the credibility of the United States around the world. How issues within and between nations regarding how future demands for water are addressed will require the coordinated effort of various United States Government (USG) agencies moving towards common goals. This paper will focus on AFRICOM’s role in preserving U.S. interests in Africa by fostering water security. It will start with a discussion of major water challenges facing Africa in the near future, discuss the relationship between water security and U.S. national security interests, and conclude with AFRICOM’s role in water security."

Information as Power, Volume 6 Jeffrey L. Groh, Benjamin C. Leitzel, Dennis M. Murphy, and Mark A. Van Dyke Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The U.S. Army War College (USAWC) is pleased to present this anthology of selected student work from Academic Year 2011 representing examples of well-written and in-depth analyses on the vital subject of Information as Power. This is the sixth volume of an effort that began in 2006. The anthology is an important component of an effort to coordinate and recommend the design, development and integration of content and courses related to the information element of power into the curriculum to prepare our students for senior leadership positions."

Collins Center Update, Volume 14, Issue 2 (Spring 2012) Colonel Rick Schwartz, Professor B.F. Griffard, Profs Alan G. Bourque, Eugene L. Thompson, Professor John (Jef) Troxell Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

In Support of the Common Defense Journal - Volume 1 Bert B. Tussing, Kurt Crytzer, Steve Carney Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "An unspoken standard of the Armed Forces has always been, “When the nation is least ready, we must be most ready.” While that rings clear as far as warfare is concerned, it is not nearly so when it comes to the realm of domestic security. In spite of strategies that continue to espouse homeland security and homeland defense as “job one,” woefully few in the Department of Defense have studied the issues, the intricacies, and the nuances that necessarily surround the use of the military in the domestic environment. "

Collins Center Update, Volume 14, Issue 1 (Winter 2012) Colonel Barry Di Ruzza, Dr. Mark A. Van Dyke, Professor William Waddell, Colonel Sam White, Professor Bert Tussing, Colonel Steve Carney Collins Center Update by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership

Sustainability and National Security Mister James Hartman Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "The U.S. Army organizationally embraced the paradigm of sustainability over six years ago as the seeds of sustainability were sown by pioneer installations such as Fort Bragg and Fort Lewis at the onset of the new century. Today, the Army continues to apply sustainable practices and principles while driving innovative technologies to enhance mission capabilities. This paper examines the evolution of the Army sustainability program, and how sustainability is contributing to national security strategic objectives. Global demographic and natural resource trends are not only disturbing but now pose a threat to U.S. national security, prosperity, and the American way of life..."

Mexico and the Triple Threat Sharon L Cardash, Frank J Cilluffo, Prof Bert B Tussing Study by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) "Trying to decipher the news coming out of Mexico these days is enough to give an observer whiplash. The signals are conflicting to say the least. On the one hand, there are horrific accounts of the most brutal violence, including beheadings and disembowelments. On the other hand, there are encouraging reports that the country is making economic and other headway, so much so that levels of illegal immigration to the United States are declining. In point of fact, both depictions are true. But consolidating the latter gains, so they take further root and help improve the lot of an ever-wider circle of Mexico’s people, will require stability. And that is an element in short supply today, thanks to the hybrid of crime, terrorist tactics, and insurgency, particularly in the five Mexican states where violence is the most highly concentrated."

The Strategic Importance of Shale Gas Nathaniel Freeland Issue Paper by the US Army War College, Center for Strategic Leadership "Fuel powers the industrial production that strengthens the economy and provides the means to project national power. Reliable sources of energy are imperative to the security of the United States. Aside from coal, conventional natural gas deposits have been the most practical and easiest to recover. Approximately 24% of the United States energy is supplied by natural gas. Broken down by sector, it is a major fuel source for a wide range of industries to include paper, metals, chemicals and food processing. In addition to its industrial uses, natural gas is used to heat, cool, and cook in the residential and commercial sectors of the United States. Due to its cleaner-burning properties, economic availability, and equivalent power to quantity ratio, it has become a favored alternative. In terms of energy output natural gas provides one and one-third times as much energy as gasoline, which is very important in considering alternative fuel sources. However, natural gas supply has been overtaken by the demand of the U.S. economy. "