Military Doctrine and TheoryCategory

A Whole-of-Government Approach to Gray Zone Warfare

Gray zone warfare, also known as irregular warfare, political warfare, hybrid warfare, asymmetric warfare, and unconventional warfare, is a significant concern today, threatening U.S. national security as well as the security of U.S. allies and partners. Despite its population’s immense capacity for creativity and innovation, the United States is losing this war. This monograph builds… Continue Reading A Whole-of-Government Approach to Gray Zone Warfare

Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare

    Ongoing discussion around the Russian development of hybrid warfare and the revelations about meddling in the 2016 United States Presidential election have focused the public’s attention on the threats posed by coordinated campaigns of propaganda and disinformation. These recent events have also raised concerns around the broader challenge posed by the emergence of… Continue Reading Maneuver and Manipulation: On the Military Strategy of Online Information Warfare

Command Decision: Ethical Leadership in the Information Environment

This monograph analyzes how big data exacerbates the challenge military commanders face in making decisions on the basis of insufficient and questionable information. The new information environment sets distinct challenges at various stages of the intelligence cycle. This monograph considers three models, each of which articulates key approaches to leadership, emotional intelligence competencies, and critical… Continue Reading Command Decision: Ethical Leadership in the Information Environment

Grand Strategy is Attrition: The Logic of Integrating Various Forms of Power in Conflict

In this monograph, Dr. Lukas Milevski examines the logic of grand strategy in practice, defined by its most basic building block—combining military and non-military power in war. He lays out competing visions of how to define grand strategy and why the aforementioned building block is the most fundamental. The monograph establishes the essential logic of… Continue Reading Grand Strategy is Attrition: The Logic of Integrating Various Forms of Power in Conflict

A Better State of War: Surmounting the Ethical Cliff in Cyber Warfare

This study analyzes the emergent field of cyber warfare through the lens of commonly accepted tenets of ethical warfare. By comparing the foundational understanding of concepts that determine the justice of wars (jus ad bellum) and justice in war (jus en bello) with the capabilities cyber warfare offers, this work highlights both causes for concern… Continue Reading A Better State of War: Surmounting the Ethical Cliff in Cyber Warfare

Air Power and Warfare: A Century of Theory and History

In this monograph, Tami Davis Biddle analyzes the historical record of air power over the past 100 years. Her monograph, designed for the student of strategy, is intended to provide both a concise introduction to the topic and a framework for thinking intelligently about air power, particularly aerial bombing. Her primary aim is to discern… Continue Reading Air Power and Warfare: A Century of Theory and History

Scenario Planning and Strategy in the Pentagon

  Scenario planning should be one of the Pentagon’s most important tools for developing strategy for an uncertain future. However, the formalized joint scenario planning process to support strategy and force development—Support for Strategic Analysis—has faced many challenges over the past 2 decades, and has ultimately proven less influential than intended on strategic decision-making. Explaining… Continue Reading Scenario Planning and Strategy in the Pentagon

Communication Campaigning: Primer for Senior Leaders

  Traditional approaches to strategic communication have focused on a single leader’s ability to influence stakeholders and other audiences through exceptional communication skills. But there is much more to it. What about the content of the message? How well does the message permeate the organization, allowing it to speak and act as one with the… Continue Reading Communication Campaigning: Primer for Senior Leaders

Weaving the Tangled Web: Military Deception in Large-Scale Combat Operations

Volume 1, Weaving the Tangled Web: Military Deception in Large-Scale Combat Operations surveys twelve cases of MILDEC from World War I through Desert Storm focusing on how armies have successfully used preconceptions to either immobilize an opponent or force the expenditure of energy in unproductive directions. The case studies span the major wars of the… Continue Reading Weaving the Tangled Web: Military Deception in Large-Scale Combat Operations

The Dual-System Problem in Complex Conflicts

Despite decades of research and experience in for-eign conflicts and fragile environments, institutions in the United States and beyond are often unable to position themselves for success when called upon to intervene. This monograph contributes to the growing recognition that today’s conflicts are best understood as complex systems, characterized by greater levels of fragility, uncertainty,… Continue Reading The Dual-System Problem in Complex Conflicts