Books

Defeating Terrorism: Strategic Issue Analyses Prof John R Martin Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Within only a few days after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the U.S. Army War College initiated a series of short studies addressing strategic issues in the war on terrorism. This collection of essays analyzes a broad array of subjects of great strategic importance. Because national leaders were pressed to issue orders on the prosecution of the war on terrorism, it was necessary to produce these papers on a very short time-line. This got the ideas included in the articles into the hands of decisionmakers as quickly as possible, giving them better understanding of factors affecting their various decisions. Issue analysis was never short-changed in this process, but authors were asked to provide “think pieces” quickly and to worry less about references and footnotes and more about capturing strategic insights. The shortened time-line in some cases also meant that it was possible to provide only an understanding of the context of the decision; specific policy recommendations were considered something that could be developed later if not included in these papers."

Transforming Defense Dr Conrad C Crane Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This collection regroups papers and presentations from the conference into three categories: Historical Overviews of Transforming Defense, Transformation Plans and Barriers, and External Views of Transformation. Each section contains an introduction describing the essays that follow, as well as summarizing other relevant conference presentations and discussions bearing on the topic. If presenters did not produce a formal article for publication, their key arguments are still described in the introduction."

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...' "

Future Warfare Anthology, Revised Edition Maj Gen Robert H Scales Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "This Revised Anthology is about the future of military operations in the opening decades of the 21st Century. Its purpose is not to predict the future, but to speculate on the conduct of military operations as an instrument of national policy in a world absent massive thermonuclear and conventional superpower confrontation characteristic of the Cold War. Also absent are indirect constraints imposed by that confrontation on virtually all political-military relationships, not solely those between superpower principals."

Revising the Two MTW Force Shaping Paradigm Dr Steven Metz Strategic Alternatives Report by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since the early 1990s, U.S. military strategy has called for a force able to fight and win two nearly-simultaneous major theater wars (MTWs). An MTW was something similar to Operation DESERT STORM—a large-scale conventional war in Eurasia against an aggressive regional power involving substantial American forces from all services and, most likely, allies or coalition partners. While policymakers and planners admitted that the outbreak of two nearly simultaneous MTWs was unlikely, they felt that a military able to deal with such a challenge would also be sufficient for other likely missions and tasks."

Planning for a Peaceful Korea Mr Henry D Sokolski Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "As a new millennium dawns over the Korean peninsula, millenary hopes and expectations are very much in evidence among students of Korean affairs. Half a century after the surprise attack that launched the Korean War, almost 5 decades into the continuing high-tension military standoff that has followed the 1953 Korean War ceasefire, there is suddenly a pervasive and growing anticipation that this tormented and divided nation may now be on the threshold of a new and momentous era: an era of genuine peace, in which the “Cold War structure on the Korean peninsula” is at last dismantled, and a reconciliation between the antagonist governments based in Pyongyang (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or DPRK) and Seoul (the Republic of Korea, or ROK) commences in earnest."

The American Army in the Balkans: Strategic Alternatives and Implications Dr Steven Metz Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute "Since 1995, peace operations in the Balkans have been an important part of the Army’s contribution to U.S. national security. When these operations began, the Army institutionally focused on conventional warfighting. Since then, it has made significant changes to become more effective at peace operations, but this evolution continues. The goals that led the United States into the Balkans have not yet been fully realized. To meet them requires both sustained involvement in the region and continued refinement of the Army’s peace operations capabilities."

Asymmetry and U.S. Military Strategy: Definition, Background, and Strategic Concepts Dr Douglas V Johnson II, Dr Steven Metz Book by the US Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute: "In war, there are always differences between the opponents. At times these are insignificant, passing disparities with no bearing on the outcome. At other times, the differences between opponents are important, placing one in a position of advantage, the other at a disadvantage. This is a very simple observation, but from it flows one of the pressing issues faced by the United States today: strategic asymmetry."