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.
Dec. 1, 2023
Assessing Russian Cyber and Information Warfare in Ukraine
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.
Nov. 6, 2023
Maneuver Warfare is not Dead, but It Must Evolve
The attrition versus maneuver argument is an irrelevant distraction.
Nov. 2, 2023
Toward Integrated Deterrence: Sweden's Role on NATO's Northeast Flank
This study evaluates Sweden’s potential contributions to the US concept of Integrated Deterrence in northern Europe as Sweden and Finland prepare to join the NATO alliance.
Autonomous Weapons are the Moral Choice
To succeed in the battlespace, the United States must field autonomous weapons.
Sept. 5, 2023
Constructing Russia's Strategic Space: Empire, Identity, and Geopolitics
The war in Ukraine may be Russia’s most blatant attempt to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a neighboring state, but it is in keeping with a long history of Russian attempts to dominate its smaller neighbors.
July 11, 2023
Proxy Wars and Strategic Competition
Routledge — This chapter of the Routledge Handbook of Proxy Wars (Eds. Assaf Moghadam, Vladimir Rauta, Michael Wyss) explores the character of proxy wars through the lens of great power competition, where conventional warfare remains a major concern given its potentially catastrophic consequences.
April 5, 2023
Game-changers: Implications of the Russo-Ukraine War for the Future of Ground Warfare
What does the record of combat in the year since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine herald about the future character of ground war?
Feb. 2, 2023
The Inhospitable Sea: Toward a New U.S. Strategy for the Black Sea Region
The Black Sea region (BSR) has become a central fault line in the strategic competition between Russia and the West. The war in Ukraine is forcing the United States and NATO to devote more attention to the region, one which NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg recognized has “vital strategic importance” to the alliance.
Jan. 25, 2023
The Realist Case for Ukraine
January 25, 2023 — Despite US support and Ukrainian valor, the war is now approaching a second year, and several observers in the United States and in Europe have become increasingly alarmed at the consequence of a longer war. None of these concerns should be dismissed out of hand. Each, however, rests on problematic assumptions. The realist case for aiding Ukraine accepts Mearsheimer’s insight about the tragic structural nature of international politics, particularly the danger of a sustained period of great-power competition with both Russia and China—as well as the continued threat that Vladimir Putin’s Russia poses to peace and stability in Europe. It acknowledges that Ukraine’s resilience and ingenuity provide an opportunity to, as Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put it “weaken Russia” and reshape the global balance of power in favor of the United States and its allies.
Jan. 17, 2023
The PLA's Strategic Support Force and AI Innovation
If China’s strategic ambitions for AI are clear, how it intends to integrate AI into the PLA remains opaque. The CCP’s goals for militarized AI are still shrouded in mystery, even as the PLA clearly views AI as a technology that will be vital for driving next-generation warfare. Our research into the SSF took a deep dive into open-source information, convened subject matter experts, and looked to scholarly analysis to form a more precise understanding of what role the SSF might be playing in the PLA’s AI innovation—and what role it definitely is not.