USAWC Crest
  • Book cover: British Grand Strategy in the Age of American Hegemony

    Dr. Frank L. Jones, a distinguished fellow of the US Army War College, provides a useful and comprehensive review of author William D. James’s first book, “an excellent study for members of the defense community who want to understand British grand strategy historically or aspire to policy-making or strategy-making positions and need a sound introduction.” Jones outlines James’s main arguments and the value of the case studies presented, including the “East of Suez” case study, a “vivid example of strategic adjustment where timing, domestic politics, other foreign policy priorities, economic power, and the concerns of allies shape decision making.”

  • Book cover: We Had to Get Out of That Place: A Memoir of Redemption and Betrayal in Vietnam

    Dr. Wylie W. Johnson reviews Vietnam War veteran Steven Grzesik’s memoir that, as Johnson explains, shows the effects of “the Army’s institutional policies” and how “[u]nit cohesiveness begins with senior leadership.” Grzesik’s personal experiences and the “isolation, abuse, and sacrifice of individual replacements” (which Johnson identifies as important themes in the book) provide a valuable perspective on “the imperative of caring for soldiers.”

  • Conversations on Strategy Podcast – Ep 55 – Dr. James D. Scudieri, Colonel Jon Klug

    By Dr. James D. Scudieri, Colonel Jon Klug

    Dr. James D. Scudieri and Colonel Jon Klug analyze Lieutenant General Robert C. Richardson Jr.’s

  • Will Assad’s defeat be Putin’s Waterloo? | John R. Deni

    By Dr. John R. Deni

    The narrative of Russia’s ascendancy in 2024 is beginning to look like more fiction than fact. The Assad regime in Syria has become a casualty of Moscow’s increasingly desperate efforts in Ukraine, and its collapse is a strategic and operational blow that undermines the narrative of Russia as ascendant, Kyiv as doomed, and Vladimir Putin as strategic mastermind.

  • China’s Next Step in Modernizing the People’s Liberation Army: A New Reserve Service System | Joshua M. Arostegui

    By Joshua M. Arostegui

    The Chinese Communist Party’s massive active-duty army—the largest in the world—understates the manpower available to the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) during a future protracted war. Despite the hundreds of thousands of combat troops garrisoned around the country, a prolonged war of attrition will require more than movement of forces from one side of the country to another.

  • Pretexts for War and the Preinvasion Crisis in Ukraine | Ron Gurantz

    By Dr. Ron Gurantz

    The US strategy in the run-up to the invasion of Ukraine appeared to undermine Russian efforts to justify the war. While studies of international crises typically focus on the goals of deterrence and escalation management, recent events in Ukraine show that counterjustification is another important objective. Russia used covert activities and deception to try and create a pretext for its invasion, and the United States aggressively countered these efforts.

  • Decisive Point Podcast Ep 5-27: “A Long, Hard Year: Russia-Ukraine War Lessons Learned 2023” | Michael T. Hackett, John A. Nagl

    By Michael T. Hackett, John A. Nagl

    In this episode of Decisive Point, authors Michael T. Hackett and John A. Nagl delve into insights from the article “A Long, Hard Year: Russia-Ukraine War Lessons Learned 2023.” They analyze the evolution of warfare tactics between the first and second year of the Russia-Ukraine War, highlighting the shift from rapid maneuvers to trench warfare characterized by saturation and attrition. The discussion emphasizes

  • SSI Live podcast graphic

    By Dr. Lisa Aronsson, Dr. John R. Deni 

    America’s European allies have played a critical role in providing military assistance to Ukraine.

  • China’s Summit Diplomacy: Insights From BRICS, 
APEC and the G20 | R. Evan Ellis

    By Dr. R. Evan Ellis

    From late October through mid-November, China’s President Xi Jinping held high-profile engagements in three very different major international forums: the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia; the APEC Leadership Forum in Lima, Peru; and the G-20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Beyond the dominant role of Xi and China in each summit, the three distinct performances by Xi also provide important