Archive

Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration Mr Jared E Bennett, Dr Joseph R Cerami, Dr Robert H Dorff Colloquium Brief by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, Bush School of Government and Public Service "The initiatives for the extensive national security reform that is required to meet current threats will have to come from outside of the executive branch bureaucracy. This is true even though former senior members of the Project on National Security Reform are holding key executive branch positions."

Enter the Era of Persistent Competition for Talent COL Carolyn F Kleiner Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The era of persistent conflict is forcing the U.S. Army to become more nimble and adaptable, driving changes in equipment and doctrine. Yet the systems required to manage its most critical asset—people—continue to operate in a Cold War paradigm with Industrial Era processes. The Army must take action to implement modern and creative human resource management systems if it hopes to maintain a high-quality force capable of fighting the wars of the future. As we live in an era of persistent conflict, we are also entering an era of persistent competition for talent."

Wanted: A Strategy for the Black Sea Dr Stephen J Blank Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "There exists an extensive literature on the strategic importance of the Black Sea zone. Yet it is difficult to discern whether U.S. policymakers are pursuing a coherent strategy for this crucial region. Although Kyrgyzstan is in Central Asia, an adjoining region, events there are symptomatic of this strategic challenge. Not only did our embassy in Kyrgyzstan repeat the mistake the United States made in Iran by being excessively attached to the reigning government and insufficiently attuned to other opposing sociopolitical groups, its actions during the April 2009 upheaval were inadequate, even though it had forewarning of that event."

Endgame for the West in Afghanistan? Explaining the Decline in Support for the War in Afghanistan in the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, France and Germany Mr Charles A Miller Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Domestic support for the war is often mentioned as one of the key battlegrounds of the Afghan conflict. A variety of explanations have been put forward in the media and in the political realm to explain why this war, which once commanded overwhelming popular support in almost all participating countries, is now opposed by a majority, even in the United States itself. Casualties, lack of equitable multilateral burden sharing, confused and shifting rationales on the part of the political leadership for the war and a “contagion” effect from the unpopularity of the Iraq war have all been cited at one time or another."

The Goose and the Gander Dr Cori E Dauber Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "On November 10, 2008, David Rohde, a New York Times reporter, was kidnapped by the Taliban. At the request of the Times, the press “embargoed” that information—they did not report on it in any fashion—for 7 months, until Rohde escaped. To justify their request, the Times made the case to their colleagues that any publicity would put their reporter’s life in danger..."

Shades of CORDS in the Kush: The False Hope of "Unity of Effort" in American Counterinsurgency Mr Henry Nuzum Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "The past 2 years have been the most violent of the Afghan insurgency thus far. Taliban and affiliates seek to undermine the state and sap the will of the occupying force. In response, the United States and the coalition pursue a counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign that coordinates military, political, and economic assistance to the Afghan government so that it may provide security and services to its people. If the effort succeeds, the government will win the confidence of the citizens, who will increasingly reject the insurgents."

Foreign Policy Continuity: War Finds Us Mr Lawrence Kaplan Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "In recent months, a chorus has emerged to blame (or credit) President Barack Obama for sustaining many of the signature national security policies of his predecessor, President George W. Bush. Yet anyone puzzled by the similarities between the foreign and defense polices of Presidents Bush and Obama would do well to cast a glance backward, for this is hardly the first time we have heard such complaints."

Lashkar-I-Taiba: The Fallacy of Subservient Proxies and the Future of Islamist Terrorism in India Dr Ryan Clarke Letort Paper by US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This work provides a discussion of the foundation of Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT) and the development of its modus operandi, and it engages in an investigation of LeT activities in India, Pakistan, and the Kashmir region. Further, LeT fundraising methods are touched upon and LeT relationships with regional state and nonstate actors such as Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company are analyzed. Also, the impact that these developments have on domestic Islamist terrorism in India are addressed."

Something Brewing in Venezuela COL Phillip R Cuccia Op-Ed by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Addressing a regional diplomatic-military problem is made all the more complicated when the region is not at the forefront of U.S. global strategic interests. Such a region simply does not get the attention that it deserves. I fear that may be what is happening now with South America in general and Venezuela in particular."