INSS Hosts Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies
On 2 June, INSS hosted researchers from Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) and a group of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) officers for a research dialogue and discussion on the US-Japan alliance and strategic and security affairs in the Indo-Pacific.
LEARN MORE
INSS Facilitates Discussions During NATO Defense College Visit
INSS joined NDU colleagues for discussions on U.S. national defense priorities, Indo-Pacific security, and global security challenges.
LEARN MORE
INSS Hosts National Security Talk on Iran
On 13 March, INSS led a timely, regional security discussion with Dr. Mahsa Rouhi on Operation Epic Fury.
LEARN MORE
Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence: Report Rollout Event
On 12 March, the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and the National Defense University (NDU) co-hosted the Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence: Report Rollout event.
LEARN MORE
A military vehicle travels down a dirt road at twilight.

MWI | Dec. 11, 2023

Imagining the Future of Landpower

Frank Hoffman

Book review of The Arms of the Future: Technology and Close Combat in the Twenty-First Centry by Jacking Watling.
“Every critical infrastructure system in the United States, including that of the USG, depends on commercial telecommunications infrastructure”

Orbis | Dec. 4, 2023

AI’s Impact on War’s Enduring Nature

Frank Hoffman, Axel D'Amelio

Despite the remarkable progress in generative AI, the authors contend that war’s essential nature will be impacted to a degree but will not be substantially altered.
Baltic servers data center

CNA | Dec. 1, 2023

Assessing Russian Cyber and Information Warfare in Ukraine

Jaclyn A. Kerr

This article examines Russian use of cyber and information capabilities to influence the course of the Ukraine war by analyzing prior expectations, public knowledge of wartime realities, potential reasons for disparity between the two, and the distinct and sometimes contradictory takeaways that have been drawn to date within the analytical community.

In the News

Highlighted Articles

Cover image of Advance Research in Sciences (ARS) Journal.

Multifactorial Considerations for the Neurocognitive Aspects of Military Operations in Space

James Giordano, John R. Shook, Diane DiEuliis, et al.

Addressing the physical and psychological realities of the operational theatre and arming those serving in mission command and control roles with sound tenets of national and international security, have always been essential to military professionalism.

Illustration depicting the potential withdrawal from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. A fractured stone monument engraved with the treaty's title rests on a lunar surface, while a broken fragment labeled

“I Will Make It Legal:” From Palpatine to Article XVI, an Assessment of the Outer Space Treaty’s Withdrawal Mechanism

Todd Pennington

In "“I Will Make It Legal:” From Palpatine to Article XVI, an Assessment of the Outer Space Treaty’s Withdrawal Mechanism," Todd Pennington uses a memorable line from Star Wars to explore a serious and largely overlooked question in international space law: what happens if a State withdraws from the Outer Space Treaty?

The K1000 ultra-long range endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is launched from a government owned non-tactical vehicle during the Army’s first battalion-level All-Domain Home Station Training (HST) exercise Static Focus 3 at Yakima Training Center, Wash., March 6th, 2025. The Army’s first MDO HST exercise enabled live training of the MDEB’s family of systems used to conduct Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and non-kinetic effects execution. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Rickert)

Irregular Warfare, Part Two: AI Approaches, Implications, and Proposed Recommendations

Jocelyn Garcia and Dr. James Giordano

The convergence of artificial intelligence (AI) and non-kinetic irregular warfare (IW) represents both a qualitative shift in the nature of strategic threat and a quantitative increase in adversarial operational effectiveness. To be sure, IW has always relied upon exploitation of asymmetries of expectation, capability, attribution, legality, and response thresholds. Certainly asymmetries, and tactics like indirect approaches (e.g., employing covert and clandestine and non-kinetic operations) are factors in both regular warfare and IW.

The K1000 ultra-long range endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) is launched from a government owned non-tactical vehicle during the Army’s first battalion-level All-Domain Home Station Training (HST) exercise Static Focus 3 at Yakima Training Center, Wash., March 6th, 2025. The Army’s first MDO HST exercise enabled live training of the MDEB’s family of systems used to conduct Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and non-kinetic effects execution. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Brandon Rickert)

Irregular Warfare, Part One: Updating the Term and the Toolkit

Jocelyn Garcia and Dr. James Giordano

Irregular warfare (IW) is not a new phenomenon, although its contemporary character has been substantively reshaped by advancements in technology, and more specifically, by the developments in AI.

Workers oversee artillery shell production inside a munitions manufacturing facility. Rows of large shell casings move through an industrial assembly line surrounded by heavy machinery, conveyor systems, and production equipment.

The Pentagon Needs a Playbook for Munitions Surge Production

Bryce Loidolt

Using uneven U.S. munitions ramp ups after Russia’s 2022 Ukraine invasion as evidence, the article argues that munitions surge capacity is determined before a crisis begins.
More

Featured Experts

Dr. James Giordano
James Giordano
Senior Fellow, Disruptive Technology and Future Warfare

Areas of Expertise: Emerging Science and Technology; Neurocognitive Technology; Bioweapons, Biowarfare, and Biosecurity; Ethics

Distinguished Research Fellow, CSR / Director, CSCMA
Phillip C. Saunders
Distinguished Fellow, China, Asia, WMD

Areas of Expertise: China, Asia, Weapons of Mass Destruction

 

Distinguished Research Fellow, CSR
Thomas F. Lynch III
Distinguished Fellow, Global Strategic Competition, Indo-Pacific

Areas of Expertise: Global Strategic Competition and the Indo-Pacific

T.X. Hammes, Distinguished Research Fellow, CSR
T.X. Hammes
Distinguished Fellow, Technology, Future Conflict

Areas of Expertise: Future conflict and technology

More

Institute for National Strategic Studies

Advancing National Security Through Research and Analysis

Foundation

Founded in 1984, the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) serves as the dedicated research arm of the National Defense University. INSS is comprised of four research centers and NDU Press.

National Defense University

Experts

Our experts provide indispensable strategic and research support to key stakeholders, including the Secretary of War, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Services, and combatant commands. This commitment ensures that our nation's decision-makers are equipped with the latest insights and analysis.

National Defense University

Research Faculty

Our research faculty not only teach and advise students but also actively contribute to groundbreaking research and knowledge creation. This comprehensive approach is designed to advance strategic thinking and cultivate the next generation of national security leaders.

National Defense University

Highlighted Publications