RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

Through its publications, INSS provides rigorous, forward‑looking research and analysis on critical national security issues that support the joint warfighter and inform Department of War decision‑makers.

 

Research and Commentary

Digital illustration of a human profile with a glowing brain facing an AI-generated profile connected by network-like data streams and neural patterns.

June 9, 2026

Autonomous Narrative Warfare: Engaging Agentic AI Within the Cognitive Battlespace

Cognition is becoming a focal domain of strategic competition of the twenty-first century battlespace.

Illustration of a human head silhouette containing a glowing brain with digital circuitry, data streams, and floating numbers, representing cognitive warfare, neurotechnology, and information operations.

June 8, 2026

Cognitive Warfare at the Crossroads: Defining and Developing Capabilities

To date, there continues to be some discussion, including essays that have appeared in this forum, as to whether and to what extent cognitive warfare represents anything other than psychological operations (PSYOPS) with more sophisticated tools and methods, or if it actually is a unique and evolving domain of combat.

INSS Research Fellows and Faculty stand next to a group of researchers from Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) and s group of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) officers from NIDS’ National Security Strategist Studies Program at National Defense University (NDU).

June 4, 2026

INSS Hosts Counterparts from Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS)

On Tuesday, 2 June, INSS hosted a group of researchers from Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) and a group of Japan Self-Defense Force (JSDF) officers from NIDS’ National Security Strategist Studies Program for a research dialogue and general discussion on the US-Japan alliance and broader strategic and security affairs in the Indo-Pacific.

Animated graphic of science tubes in a laboratory setting in front of a green background.

June 3, 2026

Multifactorial Considerations for the Neurocognitive Aspects of Military Operations in Space

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 "Withdrawal Article XVI" lies nearby. Earth is visible in the background.

June 2, 2026

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

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?

Jeffrey Mankoff, Distinguished Fellow for Russia, Eurasia, and the Arctic at the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), sits behind a panelist table during the conference Evolving Nuclear Dynamics on the Korean Peninsula in Seoul, South Korea, on May 22, 2026.

June 1, 2026

INSS Participates in Seoul Conference on Nuclear Dynamics on the Korean Peninsula

On 22 May, INSS Distinguished Fellow Jeffrey Mankoff participated in the Evolving Nuclear Dynamics on the Korean Peninsula conference in Seoul, South Korea.

A photo of an astronaut in space with earth in the background. The words ASCEND are in large letters across the top, with 19-21 May 2026 | Washington, DC spelled out underneath.

May 26, 2026

INSS Participates in ASCEND 2026 Panel Discussion

Mr. Todd Pennington, INSS Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy, was a panelist at ASCEND 2026, the American Institute for Aeronautics and Astronautics' annual conference on spacepower.

Digital artwork of a human face split into blue and red circuitry, surrounded by glowing data lines representing human–AI interaction.

May 20, 2026

"Strategic Insights" Moves to Monthly Release

Beginning in June 2026, Strategic Insights will shift from a weekly to a monthly release.

Speakers part of the "U.S. National Defense Strategy and its Implications for NATO and Europe" panel sit in front of a large screen with NDU's logo. From left to right: Dr. David Auerswald, Professor, National War College, NDU; Dr. Justin Anderson, Senior Fellow, INSS, NDU; Dr. Lisa A. Aronsson, Research Fellow, Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), NDU (Moderator); and Dr. Elena Pokalova, Professor, College of International Security Affairs (CISA).

May 13, 2026

INSS Facilitates Strategic Discussions During NATO Defense College Visit

On 6 May 2026, National Defense University hosted a delegation from the NATO Defense College for discussions on U.S. national defense priorities and the evolving global security environment.

K1000 ultra-long range endurance Unmanned Aircraft System

May 12, 2026

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

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.