Strategic Studies Institute

National Security Strategy Studies

Added May 17, 2013

Type: Letort Papers

The Challenge of Drug Trafficking to Democratic Governance and Human Security in West Africa. Authored by David E. Brown.

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International criminal networks—some with links to terrorism—represent an existential threat to democratic governance of already fragile states in West Africa, and are using drugs to buy political power, fray West Africa’s traditional social fabric, and create a public health crisis. Drug trafficking represents the most serious challenge to human security in the region since resource conflicts rocked several West African countries in the early 1990s; international aid to the subregion’s “war on drugs” is only in an initial stage, and progress will be have to be measured in decades, not years.

Added May 13, 2013

Type: Monograph

War and Insurgency in the Western Sahara. Authored by Dr. Geoffrey Jensen.

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Home to the largest functional military barrier in the world, the Western Sahara has a long history of colonial conquest and resistance, guerrilla warfare and counterinsurgency, and evolving strategic thought. This monograph explores the past, present, and future of the region, including its relationship to developments in Morocco, Algeria, and elsewhere in North Africa.

Added April 26, 2013

Type: Monograph

Sharing Power? Prospects for a U.S. Concert-Balance Strategy. Authored by Dr. Patrick Porter.

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Sharing Power examines alternative U.S. grand strategies. It argues that, while retrenchment is prudent, new strategies will also have to cope with dilemmas that can be mitigated but cannot be avoided.

Added February 05, 2013

Type: Book

Strategic Stability: Contending Interpretations. Edited by Elbridge A. Colby, Michael S. Gerson.

This edited volume offers the most current authoritative contemporary survey of the concept of strategic stability, a central plank in U.S. policy on nuclear weapons and great power relations.

Added December 19, 2012

Type: Monograph

Venezuela as an Exporter of 4th Generation Warfare Instability. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.

We must adapt our approach to the overwhelming reality that just as the world has evolved from an industrial society to an information-based society, so has warfare. The reality of this evolution demonstrates the need for a new paradigm of conflict based on the fact that information—not firepower—is the currency upon which war is now conducted. The new primary center of gravity is public opinion and political leadership. The “new” instruments of power are intelligence, public diplomacy, media, time, and flexibility. The one thing that remains the same is that one level or another of compulsion still defines war.

Added December 13, 2012

Type: Monograph

A National Security Staff for the 21st Century. Authored by Dr. Jack A. LeCuyer.

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This monograph offers a new model for the management of the national security system—at the strategic level—which is the first step in transforming our national security system to meet the challenges and opportunities of the global security environment of the 21st century. This monograph provides a proposed response to Section 1072 of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act, which requires the President to report to Congress on the organizational changes required to implement the National Security Strategy of May 2010.

Added November 23, 2012

Type: Book

The Energy and Security Nexus: A Strategic Dilemma. Edited by Dr. Carolyn Pumphrey.

It is hard to overstate the importance of energy. Energy literally drives the global economy. Without question, the links between energy and security are significant, but how so? This book explores the connections between energy and security (human, national, and international) and provides considerable discussion on how best to resolve this strategic dilemma.

Added October 29, 2012

Type: Monograph

How Nation-States Craft National Security Strategy Documents. Authored by Dr. Alan G. Stolberg.

This monograph compares and contrasts how different countries craft their national security strategy documents. It highlights similarities as well as differences, and provides lessons learned that all national strategy makers can apply.

Added September 19, 2012

Type: Monograph

The Prospects for Security Sector Reform in Tunisia: A Year After the Revolution. Authored by Dr. Querine Hanlon.

The Arab Spring began in Tunisia, and in the year since the revolution, Tunisia has undergone a remarkable transition to democratic rule. The legacy of the previous regime looms large, however, as Tunisia’s new government faces major challenges implementing Security Sector Reform.

Added August 30, 2012

Type: Monograph

The Promise and Pitfalls of Grand Strategy. Authored by Dr. Hal Brands.

This monograph offers a critical analysis of the idea of “grand strategy.” It explains why grand strategy is simultaneously so important and so difficult to do, and offers suggestions for how U.S. officials might approach the challenges of grand strategy in the 21st century.

Added August 30, 2012

Type: Other

2012-13 KSIL Update No. 01. Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.

This is an update to the 2012-13 Key Strategic Issues List. It includes topics from I Corps, USACE, UNC/CFC/USFK, and U.S. Army South (ARSOUTH).

Added July 03, 2012

Type: Student (Carlisle) Papers

End Game Strategies: Winning the Peace. Authored by Lieutenant Colonel William L. Peace, Sr.

What lessons can be learned from the occupation of Germany after World War II and from Iraq after Operation IRAQI FREEDOM? This Carlisle Paper analyzes both the similarities and differences between the occupations of both countries and suggests how lessons learned from both can be applied to the future.

Added April 27, 2012

Type: Monograph

Ambassador Stephen Krasner's Orienting Principle for Foreign Policy (and Military Management)—Responsible Sovereignty. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.

This monograph takes the logic of the contemporary security dilemma to another level. The intent is to operationalize and elaborate Ambassador Stephen Krasner’s "Responsible Sovereignty" orienting principle for foreign policy and military management.

Added March 29, 2012

Type: Book

Project on National Security Reform - Vol. 2: Case Studies Working Group Report. Authored by Dr. Richard Weitz.

The case studies in this volume confirm that flawed responses recur in issue areas as diverse as biodefense, public diplomacy, and military intervention as well as across presidential administrations. The piecemeal national security organizational reforms enacted to date have not fostered improved policy outcomes or decisionmaking, while capability building, especially in the civilian national security agencies, remains less than optimal.

Added February 24, 2012

Type: Monograph

Categorical Confusion? The Strategic Implications of Recognizing Challenges Either as Irregular or Traditional. Authored by Dr. Colin S. Gray.

"First, do no harm" is a golden rule for both medicine and strategic theory. Challenges to national security are simply challenges, they are neither irregular nor traditional.

Added December 19, 2011

Type: Book

The United States and China in Power Transition. Authored by Dr. David Lai.

Historically, systematic power transitions were settled in war. Can China and the United States avoid a deadly contest and spare the world another catastrophe? What can we expect from China and the United States with respect to the future of international relations?

Added December 01, 2011

Type: Monograph

The Strategic Logic of the Contemporary Security Dilemma. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.

This monograph is part of a continuing effort to inform the contemporary transnational security debate, move it to the strategic level, and support the best interests of the United States Government and peoples, and also those of the Western Hemisphere and the rest of the world.

Added August 31, 2011

Type: Book

National Security Reform 2010: A Midterm Assessment. Edited by Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Dr. Robert H. Dorff, Matthew Harber.

This book includes a summary report of three panels, along with selected papers, from an April 22, 2010, colloquium in Washington, DC, on “2010: Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration.”

Added April 08, 2011

Type: Monograph

Hard Power and Soft Power: The Utility of Military Force as an Instrument of Policy in the 21st Century. Authored by Dr. Colin S. Gray.

The concepts of "hard" and "soft" power are subjected to close critical scrutiny. The author finds the latter is significantly misunderstood and therefore inappropriately assessed as a substitute for the former, the threat or the use of military force.

Added February 11, 2011

Type: Student (Carlisle) Papers

The Role of Religion in National Security Policy Since 9/11. Authored by Chaplain (COL) Jonathan E Shaw.

Is it possible to wage war against radical Muslim terrorists if your national security policy does not consider religion as power which motivates terrorist behavior? Yes, but you risk being ineffective or inefficient, or both.

Added January 31, 2011

Type: Monograph

2010 SSI Annual Strategy Conference Report "Defining War for the 21st Century". Authored by Dr. Steven Metz, COL Phillip R. Cuccia.

SSI's XXI Strategic Conference convened many of the world's top experts to assess and debate the definition of war and the strategic implications of how it is defined.

Added December 21, 2010

Type: Student (Carlisle) Papers

A Risk-Based Approach to Strategic Balance. Authored by Colonel John A. Mauk.

This paper explores a risk-based approach to a strategically balanced force that assesses alternative postures and the viability of competing force concepts in mitigating national risk in a resource-constrained environment. This assessment also examines alternate definitions of balance and the continued relevance of U.S. conventional capabilities and nuclear deterrence.

Added December 08, 2010

Type: Op-Ed

Strangely Silent: The Missing Strategic Debate in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections. Authored by Dr. Robert H. Dorff.

Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the December 2010 newsletter.

Added September 21, 2010

Type: Colloquium Brief

A New Chapter in Trans-American Engagement. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring, Eva Silkwood Baker.

The critical need to develop a serious hemispheric partnership for opening “A New Chapter in Trans-American Engagement” was stressed at the 2010 Western Hemisphere Security Colloquium, held on May 25-26, 2010, in Miami, Florida. The issues and recommendations discussed emphasized that building a viable regional security partnership in the Hemisphere is not a strictly short-term, or unilateral, or even bilateral defense effort. Regional security will result only from long-term, multilateral, civil-military partnering efforts. Thus, the generalized results of the colloquium emphasize three highly interrelated needs and an associated recommendation.

Added August 31, 2010

Type: Monograph

Dilemmas of Brazilian Grand Strategy. Authored by Dr. Hal Brands.

The author discusses the grand strategy Brazil has pursued under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He argues that Lula’s policies have raised Brazil’s profile and enhanced its diplomatic flexibility, but have also exposed Brazil to several potent strategic dilemmas that could compromise, or at the very least complicate, its geopolitical ascent.

Added August 27, 2010

Type: Colloquium Brief

Preparing for a Mid-Term Assessment of Leadership and National Security Reform in the Obama Administration. Authored by Jared E. Bennett, Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Dr. Robert H. Dorff.

The colloquium theme focused on the need for advancing the research and study of key national security issues by engaging the invited participants to share their expertise, and by informing interested community members of ways to develop a deeper awareness and understanding of the security reform issues facing the U.S. Government.

Added August 24, 2010

Type: PKSOI Papers

U.S. Military Forces and Police Assistance in Stability Operations: The Least-Worst Option to Fill the U.S. Capacity Gap. Authored by Colonel (Ret.) Dennis E Keller.

Stability operations in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to be challenged by the lack of effective local police forces to secure the civilian population from insurgent infiltration and criminal violence. Given U.S. government legal and organizational shortfalls to train and advise foreign police forces, coupled with an operational environment characterized by local police corruption and abusiveness, this monograph proposes a way ahead for effective community based policing despite these adverse circumstances.

Added June 03, 2010

Type: Monograph

Human Intelligence: All Humans, All Minds, All the Time. Authored by Mr. Robert D. Steele.

The author explores the centrality of Human Intelligence in meeting the needs of the U.S. Army, as well as the Department of Defense, and the whole of government, for relevant information and tailored intelligence essential to creating a national security strategy; for defining whole of government policies that work in harmony; for acquisition of the right capabilities at the right price in time to be useful; and for operations, both local and global.

Added June 01, 2010

Type: Book

Rethinking Leadership and "Whole of Government" National Security Reform: Problems, Progress, and Prospects. Edited by Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Dr. Jeffrey A. Engel.

On June 24, 2009, in Washington, DC, the Bush School of Government and Public Service and Scowcroft Institute of International Affairs at Texas A&M University, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College conducted a conference on Leadership and Government Reform. Two panels discussed "Leader Development in Schools of Public Affairs" and "Leadership, National Security and 'Whole of Government' Reforms." The authors in this volume are from universities and policy institutes focused on international affairs, history, foreign policy, intelligence, and national and homeland security.

Added May 11, 2010

Type: Monograph

Crime, Violence, and the Crisis in Guatemala: A Case Study in the Erosion of the State. Authored by Dr. Hal Brands.

In this monograph, the author argues that rampant crime and violence have led to a full-blown crisis of the democratic state in Guatemala. He discusses the various criminal groups active in that country, and outlines a strategy for improving public order, strengthening government institutions, and combating the root causes that inform criminal activity.

Added May 06, 2010

Type: Monograph

Decisionmaking In Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: The Strategic Shift of 2007. Authored by Dr. Steven Metz.

Was the 2007 decision to surge forces into Iraq effective in turning the war from a potential disaster to a possible success?

Added April 29, 2010

Type: Book

Reviewing the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT). Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.

Why does the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) warrant support as a nonproliferation convention?

Added April 12, 2010

Type: Letort Papers

Criminal Sovereignty: Understanding North Korea's Illicit International Activities. Authored by Dr. Paul Rexton Kan, Dr. Bruce E. Bechtol, Jr., Mr. Robert M. Collins.

North Korea’s criminal conduct—smuggling, trafficking and counterfeiting—is well known, but the portion of the government, Office Number 39, which directs it, is understudied or overlooked. This shadowy part of an already opaque government is examined to reveal how it conducts its activities and supports the longevity of the regime.

Added March 31, 2010

Type: Book

Teaching Strategy: Challenge and Response. Edited by Dr. Gabriel Marcella.

No subject is more essential in the preparation of national security professionals and military leaders than the teaching of strategy, from grand to military strategy. Nor is there one that is more timeless and intellectually demanding. The questions dealing with teaching strategy—why we should study it, what we should teach, and how we should teach it—may bear most directly on the system of PME. However, the answers need to be applied much more broadly across a wider range of our society today. For only then can we expect to regain strategic competence, not just in the crisis of the moment but in a sustained manner well into the 21st century. The contributions to this edited volume will advance that society-wide discussion and debate. This book should stimulate discussion and introspection that will in time enhance the security of our nation.

Added March 22, 2010

Type: Monograph

Decisionmaking in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM: Removing Saddam Hussein by Force. Authored by Dr. Steven Metz. Edited by Professor John R. Martin.

The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is pleased to initiate its latest monograph series, Operation IRAQI FREEDOM Key Decisions. SSI started this project in an effort to give leaders of the U.S. Armed Forces some important insights into how military advice was provided to the Nation’s civilian leadership during the many years—including the months before the invasion—of the war in Iraq. Dr. Metz starts this series with an impressive review of the decision to remove Saddam Hussein by force. The Strategic Studies Institute hopes that this and the succeeding monographs will generate debate on just how the United States made decisions—some of them disastrous—about Iraq. The resulting better understanding of the decisions should lead to strengthening of the processes—where appropriate—so that the military and civilian leadership forge better decisions in the future.

Added February 17, 2010

Type: Monograph

Do Oil Exports Fuel Defense Spending? Authored by Dr. Clayton K. S. Chun.

Rising oil prices facilitate the acquisition of greater resources and perhaps economic development. But oil revenues can also drive a government to finance massive military equipment purchases like Saudi Arabia did in 1979. The nature of governments that rely on raw material extraction and long-term development of military programs may affect how their current and future spending occurs regardless of oil prices. How nations decide to use their national wealth helps explain some of the perennial problems facing oil and commodity exporting nations and provides insights into their relations with other countries.

Added February 12, 2010

Type: Colloquium Brief

Drug Trafficking, Violence, and Instability in Mexico, Colombia, and the Caribbean: Implications for U.S. National Security. Authored by Mr. Evan Brown, Dr. Dallas D. Owens.

The growing violence and instability in Mexico and the Caribbean will clearly demand greater attention from the United States in the future. As the trafficking organizations continue to defy authorities, undermine governance, and escalate violence, Mexico has become much more of a national security challenge rather than simply a border problem. This conference offered an important opportunity to assess these threats, and to consider what can be done to counter them.

Added January 22, 2010

Type: Letort Papers

Security and Stability in Africa: A Development Approach. Authored by Lieutenant Colonel Clarence J. Bouchat (USAF, Ret.).

The security and stability of Africa has recently become an important national issue. However, to be effective this growing interest must be rooted in the desire to overcome centuries of ignorance and misunderstanding about the conditions and people of Africa.

Added January 19, 2010

Type: Book

Pakistan's Nuclear Future: Reining in the Risk. Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.

With any attempt to assess security threats, there is a natural tendency to focus first on the worst. Consider the most recent appraisals of Pakistan’s nuclear program. Normally, the risk of war between Pakistan and India, and possible nuclear escalation, would be bad enough. Now, however, most American security experts are riveted on the frightening possibility of Pakistani nuclear weapons capabilities falling into the hands of terrorists who are intent on attacking the United States. Presented with the horrific implications of such an attack, the American public and media have increasingly come to view nearly all Pakistani security issues through this lens.

Added December 23, 2009

Type: Monograph

Medvedev's Plan: Giving Russia a Voice but not a Veto in a New European Security System. Authored by Dr. Richard J. Krickus.

The author revisits Medvedev’s proposal and, while some Western analysts deem the conflicting interests and value gap that separate the West from Russia to be overwhelming, others argue that the time has come to engage Russia in seeking a common security agenda in Europe. The most compelling question confronting those who favor a security partnership with Russia is: How to give Russia a voice but not a veto in a new European security system?

Added November 25, 2009

Type: Colloquium Brief

Leadership and National Security Reform Conference. Authored by Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Dr. Jeffrey A. Engel, Lindsey K. Pavelka.

The need for significant changes in leader development and government reform to improve the alignment, coordination, integration, and interoperability among largely autonomous U.S. Government agencies was addressed. The two conference panels were challenged to discuss leadership in a broader sense rather than focusing solely at the top, or on presidential leadership.

Added October 02, 2009

Type: Op-Ed

War's Second Grammar. Authored by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.

Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the October 2009 newsletter.

Added September 16, 2009

Type: Op-Ed

National Security Strategy Reform: Rebalancing the President's Agenda. Authored by Dr. Robert H. Dorff.

Each month a member of the SSI faculty writes an editorial for our monthly newsletter. This is the Op-Ed for the September 2009 newsletter.

Added August 27, 2009

Type: Letort Papers

Mind-Sets and Missiles: a First Hand Account of the Cuban Missile Crisis. Authored by Mr. Kenneth Michael Absher.

A detailed chronology and analysis of the intelligence failures and successes of the Cuban Missile Crisis is provided.

Added August 11, 2009

Type: PKSOI Papers

Toward a Risk Management Defense Strategy. Authored by Mr. Nathan P. Freier.

The author outlines eight principles for a risk management defense strategy. He argues that these principles provide “measures of merit” for evaluating the new administration’s defense choices.

Added August 06, 2009

Type: Student (Carlisle) Papers

Taking Up the Security Challenge of Climate Change. Authored by Rymn J. Parsons.

The security implications of climate change, including man-made global warming, will be most pronounced in places where the effects of climate change are greatest. Two things are vitally important: stemming the tide of climate change and adapting to its far-reaching consequences.

Added May 22, 2009

Type: Colloquium Brief

American Grand Strategy after War. Authored by Dr. Dallas D. Owens, Ionut C. Popescu.

The Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS), the Duke University Program in American Grand Strategy, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) conducted a colloquium on February 26-28, 2009, that examined debates over grand strategy after World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Cold War, and grand strategies likely to follow U.S. involvement in Iraq.

Added March 11, 2009

Type: Monograph

Russia and Arms Control: Are There Opportunities for the Obama Administration? Authored by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.

As of September 2008, the Bush administration was contemplating not just a break in arms talks but actual sanctions, and allowed the bilateral civil nuclear treaty with Russia to die in the Senate rather than go forward for confirmation. Russian spokesmen make clear their belief that American concessions on key elements of arms control issues like missile defenses in Europe are a touchstone for the relationship and a condition of any further progress towards genuine dialogue.

Added March 04, 2009

Type: Book

Prospects for U.S.-Russian Security Cooperation. Edited by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.

The prospects for U.S.-Russian security cooperation lay buried under the wheels of Russia’s invasion of Georgia in August 2008. But ultimately, given Russia's power, standing, and nuclear capability, dialogue and cooperation will be resumed at some point in the future. Therefore, an analysis of the prospects for and conditions favoring such cooperation is an urgent and important task that cries out for clarification precisely because current U.S.-Russian relations are so difficult.

Added January 13, 2009

Type: Monograph

After Iraq: The Search for a Sustainable National Security Strategy. Authored by Dr. Colin S. Gray.

A sustainable national security strategy is feasible only when directed by a sustainable national security policy. In the absence of policy guidance, strategy will be meaningless. The only policy that meets both the mandates of American culture and the challenges of the outside world is one that seeks to lead the necessary mission of guarding and advancing world order.