Rapid Decisive Operations: An Assumptions-Based Critique Dr Antulio J Echevarria II Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Technological innovation plays a paradoxical role in military transformation. With each problem it solves, technological innovation tends to introduce new challenges or complications. Operational concepts can partly reconcile these tensions by finding the optimal balance between technological strengths and weaknesses. In so doing, they perform two vital functions (integrating and stimulating) for military transformation."

The Costs of Conflict: The Impact on China of a Future War Dr Andrew Scobell Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "A widely held belief is that China will not use force against Taiwan. Frequently, one of two major assumptions is made to justify this assertion: first, Chinese leaders realize that the economic cost of such an operation would be unacceptable; second, China’s leaders recognize that, for at least the next decade or so, any attempt to seize Taiwan would be doomed to failure. Both these assumptions are questionable and indeed downright dangerous."

Soldiers in Cities: Military Operations on Urban Terrain Dr Michael Desch Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Despite ambivalence about military operations on urban terrain (MOUT) among some senior military officers and high-level civilian policymakers, there is a growing recognition that urban operations will be an important mission for the U.S. military in the future. One retired Army officer reminded his colleagues that 'one way or another, we will go...' "

AC/RC Integration: Today's Success and Transformation's Challenge Dr Dallas D Owens Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In the following monograph, Lieutenant Colonel Dallas Owens analyzes current integration programs and initiatives and evaluates them for their potential to resist transformation’s possible threat to AC/RC integration. His two-part analysis first addresses the continuity, logic, and effectiveness of the Army’s integration efforts and then turns to an examination of how historical experience with integration should direct future efforts."

Budget Policy and Fiscal Risk: Implications for Defense Dr Dennis S Ippolito Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The fate of defense budgets is closely tied to the size, composition, and balance of the federal budget. Over the past decade, efforts to reduce the relative level of federal spending and to eliminate deficits yielded disproportionate cuts in defense. Now that the federal budget is in surplus, and expected to remain so for the next decade, the prospects for more adequate defense funding appear more positive."

Toward a Strategy of Positive Ends Dr Antulio J Echevarria II, BG Huba Wass de Czege Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Defense planners and strategists have recently proposed a variety of alternatives for America’s role in what many see as a dramatically different international situation. Most of those proposals, though, continue with a Cold War paradigm of trying to foresee what the next threat might be and how the United States might best prepare itself to respond to it. Consequently, the possibility of taking advantage of the intrinsic dynamism of the new security environment in order to create conditions that might promote positive ends—long-term peace, stability, and prosperity—has remained largely overlooked."

Preparing for Asymmetry: As Seen Through the Lens of Joint Vision 2020 Ms Melissa Applegate Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since the mid-1990s, the concept of strategic asymmetry has begun to receive serious attention from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). The 1997 Quadrennial Defense Review, for instance, stated, “U.S. dominance in the conventional military arena may encourage adversaries to use . . . asymmetric means to attack our forces and interests overseas and Americans at home.” But while American strategists and defense leaders sense the importance of strategy asymmetry, much analytical work remains to be done before it is fully understood."

The Hart-Rudman Commission and the Homeland Defense Dr Ian Roxborough Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The U.S. Commission on National Security/21st Century, popularly known as the Hart-Rudman Commission after its chairs, has recently produced a series of reports. The commission believes that recent changes in the security environment mean the rise of new threats, in particular the likelihood of an attack on American soil resulting in thousands of casualties. As a consequence, the commission calls for major changes in the organization of national security institutions in order to respond adequately to these new challenges."

Funding Defense: Challenges of Buying Military Capability in Sub-Saharan Africa COL Daniel W Henk, Dr Martin Revayi Rupiya Monograph by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In this monograph, Martin Rupiya, Director of the University of Zimbabwe’s Centre for Defence Studies, and Daniel Henk of the Air War College provide one of the first comprehensive studies of defense budgeting practices in Africa. They assess both the problems with these practices, and fruitful avenues of reform. By doing so, they provide a solid roadmap both for African leaders and for Americans concerned with the development of greater security in the region."