In his 2006 State of the Union address, President George W. Bush proclaimed that “America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.” He announced it was time for the United States to “move…
The author concludes that the Army has a new strategic reality of persistent conflict and that its doctrine and educational systems must adapt and become more agile to meet the requirements of this persistent warfare continuum.
In a military area of operations, particularly in countries in the Middle East that are lacking adequate traditional state based public administrative organizations or institutions, US national military policy must recognize the value that tribes can bring to the spectrum…
Today, the U.S. Army is decisively engaged in both fighting an unfamiliar type of war and transforming itself to meet the challenges of future warfare. But what are those challenges? What capabilities does U.S. strategy demand of its military instrument?…
Taking hostages and ritually beheading them has recently emerged as a popular terrorist tactic for radical groups. Using camcorders and the Internet, any group can mount an international media event at the tactical level that has tremendous strategic impact. Terrorists…
This paper examines the choices available to the United States for dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs. The options range from doing nothing to executing policies of engagement, containment, or preemption. Each option has advantages and disadvantages, and there are…
The Army has been pursuing a process of transformational change for over a decade. It is readily apparent that the amount of actual transformation in the Army as a whole has been extremely limited in size and scope. The promise…
The 2002 National Security Strategy (NSS) identified the proliferation, privatization, and acquisition of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by terrorist groups and rogue states as the critical nontraditional threat of the 21st century. We argue preemption is ill-suited for disrupting…
The U.S. core interests and National Security Strategy are founded on Western cultural operatives that assume all nation-states will respond to its influences in a predictable manner. When states do not respond appropriately, we assume they are either recalcitrant or…