Dickinson College…students marched on the War College but instead of violence we had discussion. In a time when the nation sees increasing political divides and claims that the civil-military gap is ever widening, one program reaches out to try and reverse the trend. Colonels Ed Kaplan and Mike Baim join WAR ROOM Editor-in-Chief Jacqueline E. […]
Tag Archives: National Security Policy and Strategy
HYPERSONICS: THE NEW ‘SPUTNIK’ MOMENT?
The rise of hypersonic technologies could render the current naval and marine strategies obsolete virtually overnight The early 1950s were an iconic time in America’s history – one of great prosperity and optimism. Rock and roll was new, and gas was cheap at a mere $0.25 a gallon. Libraries kept track of books and magazines […]
“GIRLS NEXT DOOR” — WOMEN AS EMOTIONAL LABORERS ON THE FRONT LINES
They’re outgoing. They’re adventurous. They want to do something for the war effort. They want to do their bit. While contemporary conversations about women and the military focus on the extent to which women are or should be integrated as service members, this is but one perspective. Women have been associated with militaries in various […]
A STRATEGIC CONGRESS EMERGES: NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE 116TH CONGRESS
[Congress] is flexing its muscles by using the power of the purse, lawmaking and, most visibly, oversight Last year, conservative commentator George Will accused congressional leaders of “leaving dormant the powers in their institution” because they lacked any “higher ambition than to placate the president.” Indeed, for the first two years of President Donald Trump’s […]
DARK INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: WHEN CRIME IS THE “DIME”
Criminal states have infused their national instruments of power with an ethos that more closely resembles organized crime At a press conference in Pyonyang last year, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to a North Korean negotiator’s claim that the U.S. demands during nuclear negotiations were “gangster-like.” Secretary Pompeo explained that the United States […]
THE CHALLENGES OF KEEPING SPACE SECURE (LEADER PERSPECTIVES)
There is nothing we do in the joint force that isn’t enabled by space. Nothing. A lot of attention is being paid to the space domain, and so A BETTER PEACE welcomes General John W. “Jay” Raymond, Commander of the U.S. Air Force Space Command, to the studio to discuss his perspectives on strategic leadership. […]
THE DOD-CIA RELATIONSHIP: ARE WE MILITARIZING STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE?
Military intelligence is important, but it isn’t the whole world As quoted from David Oakley’s book, Subordinating Intelligence: The DoD/CIA Post-Cold War Relationship How has the relationships among intelligence agencies evolved over the past half century, and why is this important for national security leaders today? In this episode in our on-going series on Strategic Intelligence, […]
HOW CLIMATE CHANGE AFFECTS AFRICAN SECURITY
The United States Institute of Peace found a ‘basic casual mechanism’ linking climate change to political violence in Nigeria Last month, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee on the matter of climate change, where he correctly noted that “we have to respond militarily very often to […]
INF TREATY WITHDRAWAL: THE CONGRESSIONAL ROLE
There are times when Congress has to lead by bringing attention to an issue What makes for a successful nuclear arms control agreement? There is no one answer. The tendency is to focus on the parties to the negotiations, starting at the top: the political leadership. Certainly having heads of government that promote reaching an […]
A ZOMBIE ALLIANCE OR ALLIANCE AGAINST ZOMBIES? NATO AT 70 YEARS
one could argue that NATO [is] a rambling, destructive creature carrying on in the body of its former self Last year, WAR ROOM celebrated the 70th anniversary of the Treaty of Brussels, the founding agreement of what would become the European Union. This year there are three important anniversaries to review: The first is the […]
“GOOD ALLIES”: INTERNATIONAL PERSPECTIVES ON AFGHANISTAN
War is complex. States often have multiple objectives for sending their sons and daughters in harm’s way Editor’s Note: In February 2019, the Institute for the Study of War and Strategy (ISWS) of the University of St. Andrews and the U.S. Army Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) brought together 11 scholars, each representing the view of […]
CONVENTIONAL AND UNCONVENTIONAL WAR ARE NOT OPPOSITES
It seems that Western military forces are doomed to reinvent the wheel every time they are confronted with insurgencies Editor’s Note: In February 2019, the Institute for the Study of War and Strategy (ISWS) of the University of St. Andrews and the U.S. Army Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) brought together eleven scholars, each representing the […]
THE HIDDEN COMPLEXITIES OF U.S. DECISION-MAKING ON NORTH KOREA
Any U.S. pursuit of victory over North Korea could spark a corrosive, lethal, escalatory dynamic with Pyongyang, one from which Washington could draw no military advantage “The existence of ‘system’ in the world is at once obvious to every observer of nature, no matter whom….” — Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, The Phenomenon of Man The […]
WHY DOES THE MEDIA COVER STORIES IN SOME COUNTRIES … BUT NOT OTHERS?
If Moldova is never in the news, I doubt policy makers are ever really thinking about Moldova If you were a news editor, which story would you run first — a moderate earthquake in Italy or a larger earthquake in Sri Lanka? In the U.S., the Italian earthquake would be more likely due to the […]
CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS & THE DANGERS OF BEING A HIGHLY TRUSTED INSTITUTION
Don’t love the military too much, and don’t love the other institutions too little It is well-known that poll after poll shows the military ranks as the most trusted institution in the U.S. And, it is equally known that the opposite was true a mere few decades ago. The numbers belie the persistent tensions that […]
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS & NATIONAL SECURITY
The approach that the government often takes to acquisition of [intellectual property] rights is something that’s completely anathema to working with tech companies Managing and regulating intellectual property (IP) rights is central to the functioning of a working economy. The intellectual work behind the development of new products, publications, or innovative ideas is vital and […]
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE “NEW” U.S. STRATEGY FOR AFRICA
The new strategy seems far less a “strategy” and much more akin to a “philosophy” for engagement in Africa The Trump Administration’s new “Africa Strategy” has gotten a lot of press, much of it negative, since National Security Advisor John Bolton announced it on December 13th, 2018 at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C. The […]
ROLES (AND PERILS) OF BEING A WATCHDOG: THE PRESS AND GOVERNMENT
The relationship is complex because journalists and politicians depend on each other A free and independent media is a hallmark of freedom and provides an important check against government power. Meanwhile, government leaders are invested in pursuing their agenda. This brings about natural tensions between political objectives and the objective truth, and therefore between governments […]
THE TALE OF TWO GENERALS WHO BECAME SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
It might seem natural that retired flag officers would be considered for [Secretary of Defense]. Nonetheless, the U.S. tradition of civilian control is strong Flag officers are esteemed members of American society, both inside and outside the military. By and large, they exhibit the best qualities of leadership and character the nation has to offer. […]
HOW WILL BREXIT IMPACT GLOBAL CYBERSECURITY?
regaining national sovereignty poses problems for cybersecurity because the internet is inherently transnational Cybersecurity experts have long focused on protecting the information and networks of individuals and organizations. Now in addition to that never-ending task, they must also devote attention to organizational arrangements threatened by the political trend of multi-national rejectionism, such as the British […]