Books

Senior Officer Talent Management: Fostering Institutional Adaptability LTC Michael J Colarusso, COL David S Lyle Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press Officer talent management is a critical research area, as maximizing the unique contributions of each officer is vital to the Army’s success in today’s austere fiscal and manpower environment. More specifically, the Secretary of the Army, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and the Army Chief of Staff are all focused upon creating an adaptable institutional Army, one that can rapidly respond to operational demands. To that end, this monograph analyzes current senior officer management policies and recommends ways to make that cohort more adaptable. A central finding is that all-ranks officer talent management is critical to creating adaptable senior leaders. While this monograph focuses upon officer personnel policy, follow-on research will tackle compensation policy and organizational redesign, also within a talent management framework.

Africa's Booming Oil and Natural Gas Exploration and Production: National Security Implications for the United States and China Mr David E Brown Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press This monograph on Africa’s energy future describes how the frenetic search for hydrocarbons in Africa has become so intense and wide ranging that there is planned or ongoing oil and gas exploration in at least 51 of the continent’s 54 countries. Knowledge about Africa’s geology is improving rapidly, generating great optimism about Africa’s future growth and strategic position in the global economy. Because of a domestic boom in shale oil and gas in the United States, however, our nation’s energy imports from Africa have been falling rapidly in recent years, raising the key strategic issue of whether Africa matters as much to U.S. energy security as it once did.

Conflict Management and Peacebuilding: Pillars of a New American Grand Strategy Dr Robert H Dorff, Dr Volker C Franke Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press The symposium discussions ranged from the conceptual to the practical, with a focus on the challenges and desirability of interagency cooperation in international interventions. Invited panelists shared their experiences and expertise on the need for and future of an American grand strategy in an era characterized by increasingly complex security challenges and shrinking budgets. Panelists agreed that taking the status quo for granted was a major obstacle to developing a successful grand strategy and that government, the military, international and nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector are all called on to contribute their best talents and efforts to joint global peace and security efforts. The panelists engaged the audience in a discussion that included viewpoints from academia, the military, government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and industry. Despite the broad range of viewpoints, a number of overarching themes and tentative agreements emerged. The reader will find them in the chapters of this edited volume.

Forging an American Grand Strategy: Securing a Path Through a Complex Future. Selected Presentations from a Symposium at the National Defense University Dr Sheila R Ronis Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press On November 8-9, 2011, the National Defense University held a symposium entitled “Forging an American Grand Strategy: Securing a Path Through a Complex Future,” at Fort Lesley J. McNair in Washington, DC. This book represents a compilation of several papers delivered at that conference. The topics discussed are relevant to the audiences of the Strategic Studies Institute, and the U.S. Army in general, students, faculty, developers of strategy, and policymakers. Joint professional military education requires the teaching of grand strategy and the assistance such a strategy makes to the development and articulation of the National Security Strategy. This is the focus of much of the curriculum at all the war colleges within the Pentagon. The conference began a conversation that needs to continue because the Nation is struggling with where we are going and how we need to get there. What is the country’s grand strategy? Do we need one? If one does not exist, then in a world of complexity and globalization, what is the context that we will use to make decisions in the absence of a grand strategy that guides? How can the Nation plan in a proactive sense to be ready for the future, let alone shape one, without such a framework? The papers presented at this conference represent a sampling of the diversity of opinions on this topic. We hope that it will give the reader some issues to consider.

Nuclear Weapons Security Crises: What Does History Teach? Mr Henry D Sokolski, Dr Bruno Tertrais Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press In addition to detailing the nuclear security crises that took place during the French Algerian coup of 1961, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and Pakistan’s persistent political instability since the 1980s, this volume showcases an analysis of this history by a series of distinguished nuclear experts and practitioners. The hope is that history and its lessons will help in support of preparations for the next Nuclear Security Summit, planned for the Netherlands in 2014.

Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations Mr. Elbridge A Colby, Mr. Michael S Gerson Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, US Army War College Press

The Energy and Security Nexus: A Strategic Dilemma Dr Carolyn Pumphrey Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute It is hard to overstate the importance of energy. Energy literally drives the global economy. Societies rely on it for everything from advanced medical equipment to heating, cooling, and irrigation. Whether it derives from advanced nuclear reactors in developed nations or simple woodstoves in the developing world, energy is recognized as vital to human welfare. It influences our economic, political, and social policies. Possessing or not possessing sufficient energy is a key determinant of a state’s political and economic power. Competition for energy has been, is, and will be a source of conflict. And the choices we make when it comes to energy will have a profound bearing on a wide range of security concerns, from nuclear proliferation to climate change.

Learning by Doing: The PLA Trains at Home and Abroad Mr. Roy Kamphausen, Dr David Lai, Mr. Travis Tanner Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute, National Bureau of Asian Research, and United States Pacific Command The judgments in this volume provide unique and valuable insights on how the PLA is adapting its training to its perception of the security environment. This does not just include how it is resourcing, organizing, and training its forces, but also how the PLA thinks about warfare and the threats they currently face. Through participation in international military exercises, as well as peacekeeping operations (PKO) and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) missions abroad, the PLA is gaining greater experience in carrying out a broader spectrum of missions.

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol 2: National Security Policy and Strategy, 5th Ed. Dr J Boone Bartholomees Jr Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute