Strategic Studies Institute
United States Army War College
Briefs and Reports from Past Research Colloquia
All of our briefs and reports are below. Jump to a year or scroll down.
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Added April 08, 2011
Other People's Wars: PLA Lessons from Foreign Conflicts. Authored by Mr. Daniel Alderman, Mr. Joe Narus.
The 2010 annual People's Liberation Army (PLA) Conference discussed ways to better understand how the PLA may seek to utilize its newly acquired capabilities by asking the question, “What lessons does the PLA appear to have drawn from the conflicts of others, and what might the focus and content of those lessons reveal about modern PLA tactics, doctrines, and intentions?” -
Added April 06, 2011
A Colloquium on U.S. National Security Policy, Military Strategy: Understanding the Environment for Contemporary Warfare. Authored by Dr. Steve Maxner, Dr. Dennis Patterson, Mr. Dave Lewis.
No problem facing the United States is more important than national security, and no institution is more involved and more affected by this problem than the U.S. military, the U.S. Army in particular. The purpose of this collaboration is to begin a dialogue that can help bridge the gap between two worlds, one where senior U.S. military officers are educated and the other where scholars work on problems that relate to the causes and conduct of war. -
Added March 25, 2011
Security and Governance: Foundations for International Stability. Authored by Dru Lauzon, Andrew Vine.
This conference was designed to outline strategies for coping with the threat posed to international stability by fragile, failing, or failed states. Presentations outlined various strategies for identifying and ameliorating the security challenges that result from state failure in contemporary international environments. -
Added March 03, 2011
Brazil's Security Strategy and Defense Doctrine. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring, Andrew Fishman.
Unlike other areas of the world, Brazil has no bloody religious or ethnic conflicts, and its last border conflict took place in the early 19th century. Brazil’s new national defense strategy consists of three principal elements that it hopes to develop: 1) advanced technologies; 2) a space program; and 3) a peaceful nuclear capacity. -
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 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 15, 2010
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA). Authored by Mr. Daniel Alderman.
Participants in this conference sought to understand the PLA's evolving view of its roles and responsibilities in a changing global security landscape. -
Added November 25, 2009
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 June 18, 2009
Strategic Implications of Emerging Technologies. Authored by Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
This year’s USAWC’s Strategic Studies Institute 20th Annual Strategy Conference was held on April 14-16, 2009, at Carlisle Barracks. It focused on “Strategic Implications of Emerging Technologies,” and was intended to look beyond the noted importance of advances in the field of cyber and information technologies to raise awareness of other technology areas which thus far have received less visibility. The conference explored biogenetics, biometrics, nanotechnologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, alternative energies, electromagnetic weaponry, nuclear power, and global warming. -
Added May 22, 2009
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 October 27, 2008
PLA Missions Beyond Taiwan. Authored by Marc Miller.
Analysis of China’s armed forces tends to focus on its role in a potential Taiwan scenario, given that the PLA retains a central mission in the reunification of Taiwan or prevention of its independence. However, it is also becoming clear that China’s interests and foreign policy objectives are growing with its increasing power and international stature. As a result, it is reasonable to expect the PLA to be asked to perform a wider variety of missions in support of Chinese interests and objectives, from disaster and humanitarian relief and United Nations peacekeeping operations; to counterterrorism and border defense; to outer space and cyber space security; and extending to the protection of ethnic Chinese abroad. -
Added October 22, 2008
Leadership and National Security Reform: The Next President's Agenda. Edited by Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Dr. Robert H. Dorff, Lisa Moorman.
The Bush School of Government and Public Service held a conference on “Leadership and National Security Reform: The Next President’s Agenda” on March 20, 2008, at the Annenberg Presidential Conference Center, Texas A&M University. The conference addressed national and international security reforms and the next presidency. -
Added September 30, 2008
Stability Operations and State Building: Continuities and Contingencies. Edited by Colonel Greg Kaufmann, U.S.A., Ret..
The current age of state building may be traced back at least to U.S. involvement in the various Balkan conflicts. But with the advent of the Global War on Terror and the subsequent interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. military, especially the Army and the Marines Corps, has been faced with an unprecedented challenge to reestablish entire countries and rebuild their institutions. -
Added July 15, 2008
Civil-Military Relations in a Post-9/11 World. Authored by Dr. Leonard Wong.
The participants in this colloquium sought to examine three general areas: the roles and responsibilities of military leaders and changes in the relationship between civilian and military leaders. Experts from the military, government, and academia presented their not-for-attribution assessments and recommendations for further increasing U.S. effectiveness in civil-military relations. -
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 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 March 12, 2008
Opportunities for Engaging Minorities. Authored by Dr. Dallas D. Owens.
A colloquium titled “Opportunities For Engaging Minority Communities in Securing Our Nation” was held on February 11, 2008, at The Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and addressed methods for successful engagement by security and public health agencies with Latino, Muslim, and at-risk communities. -
Added January 10, 2008
COIN of the Realm: U.S. Counterinsurgency Strategy. Authored by Dr. Steven Metz, Ralph Wipfli.
Given the wide-ranging and deep impact of counterinsurgency, the participants in the "Future Defense Dilemmas" seminar conducted by The Brookings Institution and the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, explored two key questions: (1) Is the United States pursuing and executing the right strategy? And (2) Does the military’s focus on counterinsurgency detract from other defense and security needs? -
Added November 14, 2007
The Evolution of U.S.-Turkish Relations in a Transatlantic Context. Authored by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.
The Conference’s opening address, entitled, “Turkey’s Future Course: a European Perspective,” was presented by a German legislator with a special interest in European-Turkish relations. The speaker stated that the future of Turkey is both an external and internal issue for Europe. She asserted that the future of Europe depends on the integration of Turkey into Europe and expressed concern that Turkey was not invited to the March 2007 “Fifty Years of Europe” celebration commemorating the moves toward European unity following the Treaties of Rome. This snub sent the wrong message to the Turks. -
Added November 13, 2007
The “People” in the PLA: Recruitment, Training, and Education in China's 80-Year-Old Military. Authored by Justin B Liang, Sarah K Snyder.
On September 28, 2007, more than 60 leading experts on China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) convened at Carlisle Barracks, PA. The 2007 PLA Conference, conducted by The National Bureau of Asian Research and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, sought to investigate the 80-year-old military’s human infrastructure, identifying trends in PLA recruitment, education and training, demographics, and historical perspectives. -
Added May 30, 2007
Roots of Terror. Authored by Corinna Johnson.
The conference speakers’ goals were to examine (1) recruitment and support strategies used by terrorist organizations, (2) the environments that enable terrorism, and (3) implications for the future of counterterrorism. -
Added May 01, 2007
Global Climate Change: National Security Implications. Authored by Dr. Douglas V. Johnson, II.
The Strategic Studies Institute and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies conducted a colloquium on “Global Climate Change: National Security Implications.” -
Added March 01, 2007
Exploring the "Right Size" for China's Military: PLA Missions, Functions, and Organizations. Authored by Justin B Liang, Sarah K Snyder.
On October 6, 2006, more than 60 leading experts on China's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) convened at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, for a two-day discussion of the drivers of PLA force modernization. -
Added October 05, 2006
Defense, Development, and Diplomacy (3D): Canadian and U.S. Military Perspectives. Authored by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
The Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College (USAWC); Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada; and the Canadian Land Forces Doctrine and Training System cosponsored a colloquium at Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on June 21-23, 2006. -
Added August 28, 2006
The Future of Transatlantic Security Relations. Edited by Dr. Joseph R. Cerami, Lieutenant General (USA, Ret) Richard A. Chilcoat, Patrick B Baetjer.
What changes, if any, are there in U.S. and European defense and foreign policy in the aftermath of the War in Iraq, particularly in light of a new consensus for coordinating U.S. and European military strategy, planning and operational activities. This conference report examines key dimensions of this relationship, which has major implications for global as well as regional security. -
Added April 26, 2006
U.S. Military Operations in Iraq: Planning, Combat and Occupation. Authored by Shane Lauth, Kate Phillips, Erin Schenck. Edited by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.
Three years beyond the start of the transition to Phase IV, the debate continues about the adequacy of planning for and proficiency of execution of these operations in Iraq and elsewhere. -
Added March 01, 2006
The Challenge of Governance and Security. Edited by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
The Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, the U.S. Southern Command, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College held the ninth in a series of major annual conferences dealing with security and defense matters in the Western Hemisphere on February 1-3, 2006, in Miami, Florida. -
Added October 15, 2005
The PLA Shapes the Future Security Environment. Edited by Andy Gudgel.
Over 50 experts on China and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) gathered at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from September 23-25, to attend the 2005 PLA Conference, "The PLA Shapes the Future Security Environment," cosponsored by the Heritage Foundation and the U.S. Army War College. -
Added September 10, 2005
Contending Perspectives: Southeast Asia and American Views on a Rising China. Edited by Corazon S. Foley.
The State Department’s Bureau of Intelligence and Research (INR), the National Bureau of Asian Research, the Institute for Defence and Strategic Studies of Singapore, and the U.S. Army War College conducted a colloquium on Southeast Asia and American views of China in August 2005 in Singapore. -
Added July 16, 2005
The Test of Terrain: The Impact of Stability Operations Upon the Armed Forces. Edited by Dr. Douglas V. Johnson, II.
On June 16-18, 2005, the Strategic Studies Institute co-hosted a conference on "The Impact of Stability Operations Upon the Armed Forces" in cooperation with the Centre d'Etudes en Sciences Sociales de la Défense, Royal United Services Institute, the Association of the United States Army, the Förderkreis Deutsches Heer, the Heritage Foundation, and the United States Embassy, Paris. -
Added May 29, 2005
The U.S.-UK Special Relationship: Past, Present and Future. Edited by Dr. Douglas V. Johnson, II.
On April 11-13, 2005, the Strategic Studies Institute co-sponsored a conference on "The U.S.-UK Special Relationship: Past, Present and Future," in cooperation with Dickinson College, and the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham. The conference was followed by a wrap-up session hosted by the Royal United Services Institute in London. Conference attendees were primarily from the Defence Academy and its associated colleges and research bodies. -
Added May 25, 2005
South Asia and the Nuclear Future: Rethinking the Causes and Consequences of Nuclear Proliferation. Edited by Todd S. Sechser.
On June 4-5, 2004, the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) at Stanford University hosted a workshop on the question of nuclear weapons and stability in South Asia. Cosponsored by CISAC and the U.S. Army War College, the workshop brought together approximately 75 scholars, military officers, civilian policymakers, scientists, and journalists. -
Added May 25, 2005
U.S.-India Security Ties. Edited by Brian Shoup.
On April 21-23, 2005, the India Studies Program at Indiana University hosted a conference aimed at assessing the current state of Indo-U.S. relations. More than 20 scholars, policymakers, and military leaders attended the conference, and provided a number of viewpoints on the evolution of the relationship between the two countries. In particular, conference attendees focused on issues pertaining to strategic cooperation and questioned whether we are, in fact, witnessing the convergence of grand strategies between two states that have traditionally maintained tenuous security links. -
Added May 25, 2005
Beyond The U.S. War on Terrorism: Comparing Domestic Legal Remedies to an International Dilemma. Edited by Dr. Dallas D. Owens.
The John Bassett Moore Society of International Law, University of Virginia School of Law, in cooperation with the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, sponsored a conference, "Beyond the U.S. War on Terrorism: Comparing Domestic Legal Remedies to an International Dilemma," on February 25-26, 2005. -
Added May 23, 2005
Strategic Opportunities: Charting New Approaches to Defense and Security Challenges in the Western Hemisphere. Edited by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
The Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, the U.S. Southern Command, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College held the eighth in a series of major annual conferences dealing with security matters in the Western Hemisphere in Coral Gables, Florida, on March 9-11, 2005. -
Added April 05, 2005
The Rise and Fall of Empires. Edited by Dr. Douglas V. Johnson, II.
On March 4-5, 2005, the Strategic Studies Institute and the Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS), (Duke University, University of North Carolina and North Carolina State University) co-hosted a conference addressing the question of whether or not the United States has become an empire and, if so, what does that mean for U.S. national security policy? -
Added January 27, 2005
Stabilization and Post-Conflict Operations: The Role of the Military. Edited by Dr. Dallas D. Owens.
The Women In International Security (WIIS) and Georgetown University, in cooperation with the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, sponsored a conference, "Stabilization and Post-Conflict Operations: The Role of the Military," on November 17, 2004. -
Added December 01, 2004
Winning the War by Winning the Peace: Strategy for Conflict and Post-Conflict in the 21st Century. Authored by Colonel Lloyd J. Matthews, USA Ret..
The SSI Annual Strategy Conference theme for year 2004 was "Winning the War by Winning the Peace: Strategy for Conflict and Post-Conflict in the 21st Century." The participants probed into the question of how the West can capitalize, in this new century of omnipresent terrorism, on its superior military and economic might to achieve a satisfying and enduring modus vivendi. The search for answers to this central question was lent added relevance and urgency by the fact that the allied anti-insurgency wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were transpiring even as the conference proceeded. -
Added November 05, 2004
Chinese Crisis Management. Edited by Andy Gudgel.
Over 50 experts on China and the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) gathered at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from October 1-3, to attend the 2004 Chinese Crisis Management Conference. Cosponsored by the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, and the U.S. Army War College, the conference participants discussed a framework for analyzing Chinese decisionmaking during crises, and examined historical examples of domestic, regional, and international crises and how the Chinese government dealt with them. -
Added July 08, 2004
Homeland Security and Civil Liberties. Edited by Dr. Leonard Wong, Professor Douglas C. Lovelace, Jr..
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, the Institute for Strategic Threat Analysis and Response, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College conducted a conference dealing with homeland security and civil liberties on June 18, 2004, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. -
Added June 01, 2004
Building Capability from the Technical Revolution that Has Happened. Authored by Dr. John White, Dr. John Deutch.
With U.S. military forces engaged around the world in both combat and stabilization operations, the need for rigorous and critical analysis of security transformation has never been greater. Toward this end, the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, the Strategic Studies Institute, and the Eisenhower National Security Series cosponsored a conference on security transformation. -
Added May 11, 2004
Nuclear Asia. Edited by Joseph Ferguson, Gael Tarleton.
On March 18-19, 2004, in Seattle, Washington, the National Bureau of Asian Research, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, U.S. Army War College, Central Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Nuclear Threat Initiative, and the Ploughshares Fund co-sponsored a conference to explore the complex topics of nuclear proliferation, regional and global terrorism, and the state of nonproliferation regimes in Asia. -
Added May 11, 2004
Hemispheric Strategic Objectives for the Next Decade. Edited by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
The Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, the U.S. Southern Command, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College held the seventh in a series of major annual conferences dealing with security matters in the Western Hemisphere, in Miami, Florida, on March 17-19, 2004. The conference focused on "Hemispheric Strategic Objectives for the Next Decade." -
Added April 14, 2004
U.S. Security Strategies: Trade Policy Implications for Latin America. Edited by Dr. Max G. Manwaring.
The Summit of the Americas Center and Latin American and Caribbean Center of Florida International University, and the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College held the first of a series of mini-conferences dealing with security issues in the Western Hemisphere in Miami, Florida, on February 26, 2004. The theme focused on "Security Implications of Poor Economic Performance in Latin America." -
Added January 26, 2004
Strategic Deception in Modern Democracies: Ethical, Legal, and Policy Challenges. Edited by Dr. Carolyn Pumphrey, Dr. Antulio J. Echevarria, II.
The Triangle Institute for Security Studies (TISS) and the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) held a conference on October 31-November 1, 2003, at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The purpose of the conference was to address the ethical, legal, and policy challenges that arise when democratic governments use deception. -
Added December 23, 2003
Security Transformation. Edited by Dr. Steven Metz.
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute (SSI), and the Eisenhower National Security Series co-sponsored a conference on security transformation on November 14-15, 2003, which brought together top thinkers to assess this topic. -
Added October 31, 2003
After the 16th Party Congress: The Civil and the Military. Edited by Andy Gudgel.
Over 50 experts in the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) gathered at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, from September 19-21, to attend the 2003 PLA Conference. Cosponsored by the U.S. Army War College, the Heritage Foundation, and the American Enterprise Institute, the conference was titled "After the 16th Party Congress: The Civil and the Military." -
Added June 02, 2003
The "New" American Way of War. Edited by LTC Raymond A. Millen.
This year’s topic, "The 'New' American Way of War," was particularly relevant because it occurred during the height of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM (OIF). Over 130 national security strategists, including ten flag officers, from the Department of Defense, civilian universities, and other policy-related institutions participated in the conference, held April 8-10, 2003. As OIF demonstrated, the U.S. military is in the midst of changing the way it fights wars. With such a backdrop unfolding, the speakers and panelists used very clear topical examples to make their points. -
Added April 29, 2003
Prospects for Peace in South Asia. Edited by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.
On January 21-22, 2003, the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute and Stanford University's Asia Pacific Research Center cosponsored a conference on "Prospects for Peace in South Asia." This event brought together a number of well-known scholars, diplomats, and senior military officers with wide experience in the region. Panels considered a variety of topics related to the role of religion in conflict, the nature of past South Asian conflicts, Kashmir, the war on terrorism, and outsider policy interests. -
Added March 01, 2003
Security Transformation: Report of the Belfer Center Conference on Military Transformation. Authored by Dr. John Deutch, Dr. John White.
The magnitude of the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the administration's aggressive and expansive response have changed the definition of national security. Meeting these challenges demands a fundamental transformation of American strategy, armed forces, and national security organization. This conference identified key issues and questions and was the inaugural event in a long-term project to assess defense transformation. -
Added January 01, 2003
Reconstructing Iraq: Challenges and Missions for Military Forces in a Post-Conflict Scenario. Authored by Dr. Conrad C. Crane, Dr. W. Andrew Terrill.
With the winds of war swirling around Iraq, it is time to plan for its post-conflict reconstruction. To assist such planning, this study proposes a construct for identifying the postwar missions to be accomplished following a victory over the Hussein regime and suggests the time phasing for the accomplishment of specific tasks. -
Added January 01, 2003
Defeating Saddam Hussein's Strategy. Authored by LTC Raymond A. Millen.
Should war break out between Iraq and the United States, Saddam Hussein will likely adopt a strategy designed to undermine the prestige of the United States and turn the Arab World against the West. -
Added December 01, 2001
The Transatlantic Security Agenda: A Conference Report and Analysis. Authored by Dr. Stephen J. Blank.
Immediately after the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, NATO members unanimously voted their support for the United States under Article V of the Washington Treaty. This unprecedented action, the first time such a vote has occurred in NATO's history, underscores the vitality of the Atlantic Alliance and its tremendous strategic value for its members.
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