PUBLICATIONS

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.

 

Publications

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 major security challenges shaping the transatlantic and global strategic 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.

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.

May 11, 2026

The Pentagon Needs a Playbook for Munitions Surge Production

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.

LTC Abdullah Clark and Dr. Elena Bailey interviewing INSS expert consultant Dr. Diane DiEuliis on the NATDEF podcast

May 8, 2026

INSS Joins NATDEF Podcast to Discuss a Biodeterrence Framework

INSS expert consultant Dr. Diane DiEuliis was interviewed on the NATDEF podcast on the topic of a Biodeterrence Framework.

Headshots of Mr. Todd Pennington (left), Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, and Professor Laura Donohue (right), Director of the Center on National Security at Georgetown Law Center underneath the words "NatSec EmTech: Jurisprudence in ZeroG: SpaceLaw101"

May 6, 2026

INSS Joins NatSec EmTech Podcast to Discuss Outer Space Law

Mr. Todd Pennington, Senior Fellow for Space Strategy and Policy at the Institute for National Strategic Studies, recently appeared on the National Security Emerging Technology Podcast (NatSec EmTech) with host Professor Laura Donohue, Director of the Center on National Security at Georgetown Law Center.

Title slide reading “Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security” by Dr. James Giordano, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University. INSS and NDU logos appear at the top, with a stylized portrait of Giordano on the right against a dark, abstract background.

May 5, 2026

Substrate Vulnerability: Neural Factors in Cognitive Security | James Giordano

A realist approach to cognitive security must appreciate the dynamic interaction of biological, psychological and socioenvironmental factors as both (1) constituent to human function and (2) opportune targets of influence, and effect.

K1000 ultra-long range endurance Unmanned Aircraft System

May 5, 2026

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

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.

Two silhouetted soldiers in tactical gear stand side by side, facing a glowing digital interface filled with data streams, maps, and code, evoking cyber warfare and modern battlefield technology.

May 4, 2026

Synthesized Command & Control: A new way human choices can guide AI warfighting

As the U.S. military races to adapt to ever-larger amounts of increasingly advanced, and iteratively autonomous AI, how do humans stay in control?

April 30, 2026

NATO Defense College Visit

Panel discussions at National Defense University to gain insights into U.S. national security policy and the enduring importance of the transatlantic link.

Dr. Phillip Saunders, director of NDU's Institute for Strategic Studies, Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, leads an interactive discussion on the impacts of senior PLA leadership purges on the second day of the conference.

April 27, 2026

INSS Participates in 2026 Carlisle Conference on the PLA

INSS's Dr. Phillip Saunders, Dr. Elliot Ji, and Dr. Joel Wuthnow participated in the US Army War College Strategic Studies Institute’s annual Carlisle Conference on the PLA on March 25 and 26, 2026, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.