Monthly Newsletter

Who is SSI?

The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College publishes national security and strategic research and analysis which serves to influence policy debate and bridge the gap between Military and Academia.

Homeland Security and Defense - Recent

Homeland security is the number one priority for the U.S. and its military. Issues addressed by SSI include implications of homeland security policy, the military's role in homeland security and homeland defense, and changes in and legal implications of posse comitatus for using the military for defense support of civil authorities when civilian agencies are leading responses to disasters. Dr. Robin Dorff is our Homeland Defense and Security specialist.

New References from the Military Education Research Library Network

Homeland Security and Defense

(3/11/08) The Homeland Security MiPAL has been updated with a fact sheet and remarks by the President on the five-year anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security, a Congressional report on the lack of diversity in the Department's senior ranks, a report on homeland security spending from the Mercatus Center, a RAND report on the homeland security threat presented by unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles, and a report from the Canadian Chamber of Commerce on reducing border costs while strengthening security. Please see the Recently Added Documents section for the latest on this topic - the newest updates are in bold. (View it at NDU)

Homeland Security and Defense

(2/22/08) The Homeland Security MiPAL has been updated with a report on public health preparedness from the Centers for Disease Control, a number of statements and fact sheets from the Department of Homeland Security on the Fiscal Year 2009 budget, a Government Accountability Office report on the Department's implementation of management and mission functions, and an article from the Heritage Foundation on visa policy and transportation security. Please see the Recently Added Documents section for the latest on this region - the newest updates are in bold. (View it at NDU)

Homeland Security and Defense

(2/5/08) The Homeland Security MiPAL has been updated with a Defense Department news briefing on the role of the guard and reserves in domestic security, reports on container security and on health care and homeland security from the Heritage Foundation, a report on management challenges facing the Department of Homeland Security from the Department's Inspector General, a report on planning and resource allocation and their role in strengthening homeland security from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the second report to Congress from the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board. Please see the Recently Added Documents section for the latest on this topic - the newest updates are in bold. (View it at NDU)

Homeland Security and Defense

(1/28/08) The Homeland Security MiPAL has been updated with a Government Accountability Office report on supply chain security and examination of high-risk cargo, a Congressional Research Service report on nuclear power plant security and vulnerabilities, and a report on infrastructure protection in the information age from Defense Horizons. Please see the Recently Added Documents section for the latest on this country - the newest updates are in bold. (View it at NDU)

Added September 21, 2012

Russia and the Current State of Arms Control

Edited by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.
The chapters in this volume focus on Russian developments in arms control in the light of the so-called New Start Treaty signed and ratified in 2010 by Russia and the United States in Prague, Czech Republic.
Added August 10, 2012

Arms Control and European Security

Edited by Dr. Stephen J. Blank, COL Louis H. Jordan, Jr.
Is the Conventional Armed Forces in Europe Treaty dead, or waiting to be reborn? These three papers from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia illuminate the complexities and dilemmas facing any attempt to raise the vexed issue of conventional arms control in Europe.
Added August 01, 2012

2012-13 Key Strategic Issues List

Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
The purpose of the Key Strategic Issues List is to provide military and civilian researchers a ready reference for issues of special interest to the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense.
Added July 25, 2012

The Next Arms Race

Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
As the United States and Russia negotiate to bring their number of deployed nuclear weapons down, China, India, Pakistan, and Israel continue to bump their numbers up while a growing number of smaller states develop “peaceful” nuclear programs that will bring them closer to getting bombs if they choose. Welcome to the brave new world of tighter, more opaque nuclear competitions, the focus of The Next Arms Race—a must read for policy analysts and planners eager to understand and prevent the worst.
Added July 05, 2012

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol 2: National Security Policy and Strategy, 5th Ed.

Edited by Dr. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
This edition of the U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues reflects both the method and manner that the U.S. Army War College uses to teach strategy formulation to America’s future senior leaders. It contains essays on the general security environment, strategic thought and formulation, the elements of national power, the national security policymaking process in the United States, and selected strategic issues.
Added June 22, 2012

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol. 1: Theory of War and Strategy, 5th Ed.

Edited by Dr. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
This edition of the U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues reflects both the method and manner that the U.S. Army War College uses to teach strategy formulation to America’s future senior leaders. It contains essays on the general security environment, strategic thought and formulation, the elements of national power, the national security policymaking process in the United States, and selected strategic issues.
Added April 25, 2012

Enabling Unity of Effort in Homeland Response Operations

Authored by Lieutenant General (Ret.) H Steven Blum, Lieutenant Colonel (Ret.) Kerry McIntyre.
The authors assert that attaining unity of effort is the fundamental prerequisite for effective homeland response operations. They conclude that the best way to improve unity of effort is to create a dynamic system for producing, validating, and updating a unifying national homeland response doctrine.
Added April 12, 2012

Tactical Nuclear Weapons and NATO

Edited by Dr. Tom Nichols, Dr. Douglas Stuart, Dr. Jeffrey D. McCausland.
What is the role that tactical or non-strategic nuclear weapons (NSNWs) play in NATO defense policy and strategy? This book examines the key issues surrounding this question as the Alliance seeks to redefine itself in the 21st century and meet the requirements in the Defense and Deterrence Policy Review.
Added March 29, 2012

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 November 25, 2011

Forecasting Zero: U.S. Nuclear History and the Low Probability of Disarmament

Authored by Jonathan Pearl.
Should the United States relinquish its nuclear weapons? This monograph discusses both the technical and political factors related to the future of American nuclear weapons.
Added November 22, 2011

Russian Nuclear Weapons: Past, Present, and Future

Edited by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.
A new work by leading Russian, European, and U.S. experts analyzing the multiple issues of force structure, doctrine, strategy, and Russian national security policy connected with Russia’s reliance on nuclear weapons as the main deterrent of threats to its security.
Added October 31, 2011

Arms Control and Proliferation Challenges to the Reset Policy

Authored by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.
What are the prospects for further progress in the reset policy with Russia regarding arms control and nuclear proliferation by North Korea and Iran? This monograph attempts to postulate where we are, and possibly where we should be going, or will be going, with respect to these issues.
Added May 09, 2011

Cyber Infrastructure Protection

Edited by Dr. Tarek N. Saadawi, COL Louis H. Jordan, Jr.
This book answers several essential questions: What is cyberpower; how do we deal with emerging threats in cyberspace; what are the lessons that have already been learned; and where are the current cyberspace vulnerabilities?
Added December 31, 2010

Nuclear Power's Global Expansion: Weighing Its Costs and Risks

Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
Will the global spread of nuclear power programs, which could bring many more countries much closer to acquiring nuclear weapons capabilities, be an inevitable consequence of energy market economics? Or is such an expansion impossible without government subsidies and new policies to support them? This volume showcases the analyses of some of the world’s leading energy experts to shed light on this key 21st century security issue.
Added September 21, 2010

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 27, 2010

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 05, 2010

Organizing to Compete in the Political Terrain

Authored by Dr. Nadia Schadlow.
The degree to which military forces can and should shape the political landscape during war--that is, who rules contested terriroty--is at the root of several ongoing debates about how to restructure the U.S. Army. Decisions about the military's appropriate role in shaping political outcomes in war are fundamental to resolving these debates and will determine the degree of organizational and educational changes that the U.S. Army must make to meet current and future security threats.
Added July 30, 2010

Project on National Security Reform: Vision Working Group Report and Scenarios

Edited by Dr. Sheila R. Ronis.
On November 26, 2008, the Project on National Security Reform submitted its 2-year study of the national security system, "Forging a New Shield," to the President, President-elect, and Congress. The work of the Vision Working Group led to the formulation of the following recommendation: The country must establish a mechanism to infuse greater foresight into the Executive Branch, and in particular the national security system. This proposed mechanism, named the Center for Strategic Analysis and Assessment, would exist and operate within the Executive Office of the President. This volume details the proposed architecture and operation of the Center.
Added July 27, 2010

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol I: Theory of War and Strategy, 4th Edition

Edited by Dr. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
This edition of the U. S. Army War College Guide to National Security Policy and Strategy reflects both the method and manner the college uses to teach strategy formulation to America’s future senior leaders. It contains essays on the general security environment, strategic thought and formulation, the elements of national power, the national security policymaking process in the United States, and selected strategic issues.
Added July 27, 2010

U.S. Army War College Guide to National Security Issues, Vol II: National Security Policy and Strategy, 4th Edition

Edited by Dr. J. Boone Bartholomees, Jr.
This edition of the U. S. Army War College Guide to National Security Policy and Strategy reflects both the method and manner the college uses to teach strategy formulation to America’s future senior leaders. It contains essays on the general security environment, strategic thought and formulation, the elements of national power, the national security policymaking process in the United States, and selected strategic issues.
Added June 03, 2010

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 May 17, 2010

Sufism in Northern Nigeria: A Force for Counter-Radicalization?

Authored by Dr. Jonathan N. C. Hill.
This monograph examines the roles played by the Qadiriyya and Tijaniyya Sufi Brotherhoods in countering Islamic radicalism in northern Nigeria.
Added April 29, 2010

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 08, 2010

Thinking about Nuclear Power in Post-Saddam Iraq

Authored by Dr. Norman Cigar.
Iraqis are debating the desirability of atomic power for their country. U.S. and international policymakers will have to consider Iraqi views as they shape policy to manage the process of an orderly, safe, and peaceful nuclear reintegration of Iraq in the civilian sector while guaranteeing safeguards against both accidents and any future diversion of a nuclear program for military purposes or terrorist exploitation.
Added February 12, 2010

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 19, 2010

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 03, 2009

An All Hazards Training Center for a Catastrophic Emergency

Authored by Colonel Xavier Stewart.
The author has experienced dramatic changes in homeland security theory, policy and practices. He proposes the establishment of All-Hazard Training Centers in the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency regions to train civil support team (weapons of mass destruction) emergency responders for chemical, biological radiological, nuclear, explosive, and cyberspace events or natural catastrophes.
Added September 25, 2009

A "New" Dynamic in the Western Hemisphere Security Environment: The Mexican Zetas and Other Private Armies

Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
A new and dangerous dynamic has been introduced into the Mexican internal security environment. That new dynamic is represented by a private military organization called the Zetas, and involves the migration of power from traditional state and nonstate adversaries to nontraditional nonstate private military organizations. Moreover, the actions of this irregular nonstate actor tend to be more political-psychological than military, and further move the threat from hard power to soft power solutions.
Added September 16, 2009

Alien: How Operational Art Devoured Strategy

Authored by Brigadier Justin Kelly, Dr. Michael James Brennan.
This authors argue that the idea of an operational level of war charged with the planning and conduct of campaigns misconceives the relationship between wars, campaigns, and operations, and is both historically mistaken and wrong in theory. They conclude that its incorporation into U.S. doctrine has had the regrettable impact of separating the conduct of campaigns from the conduct of wars and consequently marginalized the role of politics in the direction of war. In essence, they argue that the idea of the campaign has come to overwhelm that of strategy.
Added September 16, 2009

Escalation and Intrawar Deterrence During Limited Wars in the Middle East

Authored by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.
This monograph seeks to analyze military escalation and intrawar deterrence by examining two key wars where these concepts became especially relevant—the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. A central conclusion of this monograph is that intrawar deterrence is an inherently fragile concept, and that the nonuse of weapons of mass destruction in both wars was the result of a number of positive factors that may not be repeated in future conflicts.
Added August 06, 2009

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 June 25, 2009

2009 Key Strategic Issues List

Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
The purpose of the Key Strategic Issues List is to provide military and civilian researchers a ready reference for issues of special interest to the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense.
Added January 26, 2009

Nuclear Heuristics: Selected Writings of Albert and Roberta Wohlstetter

Edited by Mr. Robert Zarate, Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
Pioneers of nuclear-age policy analysis, Albert Wohlstetter (1913-1997) and Roberta Wohlstetter (1912-2007) emerged as two of America's most consequential, innovative and controversial strategists. Through the clarity of their thinking, the rigor of their research, and the persistence of their personalities, they were able to shape the views and aid the decisions of Democratic and Republican policy makers both during and after the Cold War. Although the Wohlstetters' strategic concepts and analytical methods continue to be highly influential, no book has brought together their most important published and unpublished essays--until now.
Added November 04, 2008

Known Unknowns: Unconventional "Strategic Shocks" in Defense Strategy Development

Authored by Mr. Nathan P. Freier.
Historically, defense strategy demonstrates three flaws: (1) it is generally reactive, (2) it lacks sufficient strategic imagination, and (3) as a result, it is vulnerable to surprise. The current administration confronted a game-changing “strategic shock” in its first 8 months in office. The next team would be well-advised to expect the same kind of unconventional and nonmilitary shock to DoD convention early in its first term.
Added July 16, 2008

Key Strategic Issues List, July 2008

Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
The Key Strategic Issues List gives researchers, whether military professionals or civilian scholars, a ready reference of those issues of particular interest to the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense. Its focus is strategic, rather than operational or tactical. Every year, the KSIL helps guide research efforts to the mutual benefit of the defense community and individual researchers.
Added June 19, 2008

State of the U.S. Military Reserve Components

Authored by Ralph Wipfli, Dr. Dallas D. Owens.
On March 6, 2008, the 21st Century Defense Initiative and the Strategic Studies Institute held a seminar entitled “The State of the U.S. Military Reserve Components.” This seminar focused on the future mission sets and priorities, personnel policies, and deployment of National Guard and Reserve troops.
Added June 03, 2008

From the New Middle Ages to a New Dark Age: The Decline of the State and U.S. Strategy

Authored by Dr. Phil Williams.
The author contends that the long-term decline of the state will move the world into a New Dark Age in which the forces of chaos and disorder will be almost overwhelming. Alternative options for the U.S. response to the security challenges posed by such an environment are examined.
Added May 27, 2008

Borders: Technology and Security--Strategic Responses to New Challenges

Authored by Dr. Douglas V. Johnson, II.
A border is both a place of separation and connection, intended to be a barrier to the unwanted—particularly criminal, illegal, or specifically terrorist entry—but simultaneously a connecting point for legitimate trade, services, and knowledge.
Added April 28, 2008

Prospects from Korean Unification

Authored by Colonel, Australian Army David Coghlan.
For a number of reasons, many of which are self-induced, the United States is in danger of losing, or may have already lost, the strategic initiative in Korea to the People's Republic of China. Given time, the ramifications of ceding the initiative to China may result in a unified Korea tilted toward Beijing.
Added March 24, 2008

Projecting Pyongyang: The Future of North Korea's Kim Jong Il Regime

Authored by Dr. Andrew Scobell.
The author explores the future of the regime of Kim Jong Il, constructs a number of scenarios, and then identifies the most plausible one.
Added March 21, 2008

Building for the Future: China's Progress in Space Technology during the Tenth 5-Year Plan and the U.S. Response

Authored by Mr. Kevin Pollpeter.
This report assesses the progress of China’s space program during the Tenth 5-year Plan (2001-05), examines the implications of this rise, and proposes a course of action for managing the effects of increased competition on the U.S. space program.
Added March 04, 2008

Towards a New Russia Policy

Authored by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.
Russia presents an ever greater challenge to American policy and interests. This monograph analyzes the dimensions of Russian threat perception, the mainsprings and goals of contemporary Russian foreign policy, and the requirements for a coherent U.S. strategy to meet that challenge across the entire agenda of Russo-American and East-West relations.
Added February 27, 2008

Falling Behind: International Scrutiny of the Peaceful Atom

Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
If possible, it would be useful to enhance the International Atomic Energy Agency’s ability to detect and prevent nuclear diversions. This would not only reduce the current risk of nuclear proliferation, it would make the further expansion of nuclear power much less risky.
Added February 25, 2008

The North Korean Ballistic Missile Program

Authored by Dr. Daniel A. Pinkston.
North Korea has never officially abandoned its objective of “completing the revolution in the south” and has continued an alarming military buildup. The ballistic missile inventory now totals about 800 road-mobile missiles, including about 200 Nodong missiles that could strike Japan.
Added January 30, 2008

Transforming to Effects-Based Operations: Lessons from the United Kingdom Experience

Authored by Dr. Andrew M. Dorman.
The author evaluates the extent to which America’s principal military ally, the United Kingdom, has been able to transition to effects-based operations and the implications this has for the United States.
Added July 18, 2007

2007 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)

Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
The Key Strategic Issues List gives researchers, whether military professionals or civilian scholars, a ready reference of those issues of particular interest to the Department of the Army and the Department of Defense. Its focus is strategic, rather than operational or tactical. Every year, the KSIL helps guide research efforts to the mutual benefit of the defense community and individual researchers.
Added February 05, 2007

A Nation at War

Authored by Professor John R. Martin.
One of the basics of strategy is understanding the foe and the type of war in which a nation is involved. The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) does not fit easily into the mold of war, but that is because of too much comparison with conventional wars; the Cold War may provide a better model. This report chronicles the panels and resulting papers from the Seventeenth Annual U.S. Army War College Strategy Conference, held at Carlisle Barracks, PA, in April 2006.
Added July 17, 2006

2006 Key Strategic Issues List (KSIL)

Edited by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
In today’s dynamic strategic environment, political changes can become challenges very quickly. Any list of key strategic issues must, therefore, include the broadest array of regional and functional concerns. This is a catalogue of significant issues, arranged as potential research topics, of concern to U.S. policymakers. As such, the KSIL is a ready source of topics that members of the defense community and academia can use to focus their research efforts.
Added July 12, 2006

Taming the Next Set of Strategic Weapons Threats

Edited by Mr. Henry D. Sokolski.
Long discounted by arms control critics, traditional nonproliferation efforts now are undergoing urgent review and reconsideration even by their supporters. Why? In large part, because the current crop of nonproliferation understandings are ill-suited to check the spread of emerging long-range missile, biological, and nuclear technologies.
Added April 21, 2006

Preventive War and Its Alternatives: The Lessons of History

Authored by Dr. Dan Reiter.
The author explores the effectiveness and risks of preventive attacks intended to combat the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, as compared to other nonproliferation policy options. He concludes that preventive attacks are generally less effective, more dangerous, and more costly than other nonproliferation policy options.