Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS)

Aviation boatswain’s mate (handling) 3rd class Tainesha Hines shows encouragement on flight deck during vertical replenishment onboard amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island, Pacific Ocean, April 20, 2020 (U.S. Navy/Harry
Andrew D. Gordon)

Joint Force Quarterly 98 | Sept. 10, 2020

Executive Summary

William T. Eliason

As I write this column from my table far away from my NDU Press office during the pandemic, I am wondering about the scope of it all, as I am sure many of you are. Was COVID-19 unexpected? Unprecedented? Did we all think it would not happen? One thing I am certain about—such times bring out the need for capability and teamwork in the harshest of conditions. While not a typical environment for the military, often when we see the need to team up in ways that might not be traditional to work out a “wicked problem” like this one, I wonder if this situation is exactly what jointness is for.

A car bomb set off by al-Qaeda in Iraq, an organization that is highly resilient to special forces high value targeting campaigns.

WOTR | Sept. 4, 2020

Book Review: Terror and Technology from Dynamite to Drones

TX Hammes

T.X. Hammes reviews Power to the People: How Open Technological Innovation is Arming Tomorrow's Terrorists by Audrey Kurth Cronin at War on the Rocks.

Journal of Defense Studies | Aug. 25, 2020

Tactical Partnerships for Strategic Effects: Recent Experiences of U.S. Forces Working By, With, and Through Surrogates in Syria and Libya

Kim Cragin

Drawing on interviews with senior policymakers, diplomats, and military officials with knowledge of Operations Inherent Resolve in Syria and Odyssey Lightning in Libya, this paper confronts commonly-held perspectives on the “by, with, through” approach to warfare. It argues that will-to-fight and skillset play important roles in US military partnerships with irregular forces.

WOTR | Aug. 10, 2020

Distilling the Essence of Strategy

Frank Hoffman

I am certain of one thing: Colin Gray would be exasperated with claims that “Grand strategy is

Research & Analysis

Beyond Borders: PLA Command and Control of Overseas Operations

Phillip C. Saunders

Just Another Paper Tiger? Chinese Perspectives on the U.S. Indo-Pacific Strategy

Joel Wuthnow

The PLA Beyond Asia: China’s Growing Military Presence in the Red Sea Region

Joel Wuthnow

The European Union’s Permanent Structured Cooperation: Implications for Transatlantic Security

Jonathan Dunn

Baltics Left of Bang: Nordic Total Defense and Implications for the Baltic Sea Region

Håkon Lunde Saxi, Bengt Sundelius, and Brett Swaney

Baltics Left of Bang: The Role of NATO with Partners in Denial-Based Deterrence

Robert M. Klein, Stefan Lundqvist, Ed Sumangil, and Ulrica Pettersson

System Overload: Can China’s Military Be Distracted in a War over Taiwan?

Joel Wuthnow

Finding Ender: Exploring the Intersections of Creativity, Innovation, and Talent Management in the U.S. Armed Forces

Susan F. Bryant and Andrew Harrison

The Micromanagement Myth and Mission Command: Making the Case for Oversight of Military Operations

Christopher J. Lamb

Joint Force Quarterly 98 (3rd Quarter, July 2020)

PRISM Vol. 8, No. 4 (June 2020)

Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms

Phillip C. Saunders, Arthur S. Ding, Andrew Scobell, Andrew N.D. Yang, and Joel Wuthnow