Jul 30, 2013

By Mr Henry D Sokolski, Dr Bruno Tertrais

Authors: Mr Henry D Sokolski, Dr Bruno Tertrais View the Executive SummaryAt the height of the Cultural Revolution a Chinese long-range nuclear missile is fired within the country, and the nuclear warhead it is carrying detonates. A French nuclear device is exploded in Algeria during a coup there. The Soviet empire has collapsed, and shots are

Jul 24, 2013

By COL David S Lyle, Dr John Z Smith, Mr Roy A Wallace

Authors: COL David S Lyle, Dr John Z Smith, Mr Roy A Wallace View the Executive SummaryThe current military retirement system has been integral to sustaining the All Volunteer Force (AVF). Mounting federal budget challenges, however, have raised concern that the program may become fiscally unsustainable. While several restructuring proposals have

Jul 16, 2013

By Dr. Alex Crowther

Dr. Alex CrowtherThe U.S. Army is contemplating mission sets that it will perform in the middle of the second decade of the 21st century. After 10 years of two ground wars, the Army seeks to redefine its activities. While other actors seek to relegate ground forces into irrelevance, the Army seeks to communicate why it remains necessary.      At

Jul 12, 2013

By Mr Keir Giles

Author: Mr Keir Giles View the Executive SummaryAn apparent lack of interest by Russia in Sub-Saharan Africa over recent years masks persistent key strategic drivers for Moscow to re-establish lost influence in the region. A preoccupation with more immediate foreign policy concerns has temporarily interrupted a process of Russia reclaiming

Jul 11, 2013

By Dr. Don M. Snider

Dr. Don M. SniderThe Army’s ongoing struggle to win its battle against sexual violence within its ranks can be approached in two ways. The dominant one is to define the issue as one of a perpetrator, a victim, and a crime; the results of the institution’s inability to enforce professional standards of interpersonal respect and behavior. Following

Jun 28, 2013

By Dr Florence Gaub

Author: Dr Florence Gaub View the Executive SummaryOn March 17, 2011, a month after the beginning of the Libyan revolution, with up to 2,000 civilians dead, the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) decided on backing a no-fly zone over Libya and authorized “all necessary measures” to protect civilians. While France, Great Britain, and the United

Jun 24, 2013

By Dr Richard M Meinhart

Author: Dr Richard M Meinhart View the Executive SummaryMilitary leaders at many levels have used strategic planning in various ways to position their organizations to respond to the demands of the current situation while simultaneously preparing to meet future challenges. This Paper will first describe the Chairman’s statutory responsibilities and

Jun 21, 2013

By Dr W Andrew Terrill

Author: Dr W Andrew Terrill View the Executive SummaryIn recent years, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been widely recognized as a more dangerous regional and international terrorist organization than the original al-Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden until his death in 2011. In 2010-11, AQAP was able to present a strong challenge to Yemen's

Jun 14, 2013

By LTC Clarence J Bouchat (USAF, Ret), Mr Gerald McLoughlin

Authors: LTC Clarence J Bouchat (USAF, Ret), Mr Gerald McLoughlin View the Executive SummaryNigeria’s future as a unified state is in jeopardy. Those who make or execute U.S. policy will find it difficult to advance U.S. interests in Africa without an understanding of the pressures that tear and bind Nigeria. Despite this, the centrifugal forces

Jun 13, 2013

By Prof. Matthew Pinsker

Prof. Matthew PinskerAbraham Lincoln cared about international law. He encountered it as a 19th-century lawyer and politician. He quoted from it in some key public documents. He invoked it as commander-in-chief. But most important, he considered himself and the American government to be bound by it—or at least obligated to take international legal

Jun 10, 2013

By Dr Mohammed El-Katiri

Author: Dr Mohammed El-Katiri View the Executive SummarySeismic cultural and political shifts are under way in the Arab Gulf monarchies. The political upheavals and transitions that have swept through the Arab world over the last 2 years have not toppled the Arab Gulf rulers, but did not leave them untouched, either. Rulers of Gulf Cooperation

Jun 4, 2013

By Dr Thomas R Mockaitis

Author: Dr Thomas R Mockaitis View the Executive SummaryThis Letort Paper covers U.S. military interventions in civil conflicts since the end of the Cold War. It defines intervention as the use of military force to achieve a specific objective (i.e., deliver humanitarian aid, support revolutionaries or insurgents, protect a threatened population,