INSS provides cutting-edge research, analyses, and innovative solutions on critical national security issues in support of the joint warfighter and Department of War stakeholders.
March 16, 2026
A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence
The United States and its allies and partners face a rapidly expanding array of biothreats, to include the potential employment of increasingly sophisticated and lethal biological weapons (BW).
March 11, 2026
Precision in Words, Precision in Warfare: Terminology and Control in Military Discourse on Unmanned Systems
Unmanned vehicular systems (UVS) spanning aerial, maritime, terrestrial, and sub-surface domains have become integral to intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance (ISR), logistics, strike operations, and electronic warfare. Yet despite the increasing ubiquity and sophistication of these technologies, discourse surrounding their capabilities can be undermined by imprecise terminology that conflates the terms automatic, remote, and autonomous in policy, technical, operational, strategic and policy briefings and planning.
March 10, 2026
INSS briefs NATO Committee on Proliferation about 'China’s Nuclear Weapons Posture and Launch on Warning'
On 6 March, INSS China Center Director Dr. Phillip Saunders briefed the NATO Committee on Proliferation about “China’s Nuclear Weapons Posture and Launch on Warning.”
From Theory to Policy: The Four Waves and U.S. Counterterrorism
This article examines United States (U.S.) counterterrorism policy through the lens of David C. Rapoport’s four waves theory.
March 9, 2026
INSS joins OSD Historical Office Speaker Series
On 4 March, Dr. Phillip Saunders and Dr. Joel Wuthnow spoke about their co-authored book, China’s Quest for Military Supremacy, to an audience of 180 people at the Pentagon as part of the OSD Historical Office Speaker Series.
March 4, 2026
Neuromodulating Mammals for Military Operations: Ethical Responsibility and Governance in Security Domains
Research into consideration and possible utility of employing marine mammals in military support operations is nothing new.
March 2, 2026
Why Is Xi Still Purging His Generals?
The removal of PLA senior generals Zhang Youxia and Liu Zhenli in January 2026 represented the peak, if not the end, of a massive purge of the military leadership that began in mid-2023.
Feb. 27, 2026
A Phenomenologic Approach to the Warrior Experience and Ethos
Military identity emerges through the lived, imaginative, and moral experience of service. This paper introduces enchantment—the cognitive, narrative, and symbolic structuring of meaning—as a foundational dimension of military life that sustains commitment, moral coherence, and disciplined action under conditions of risk, ambiguity, and existential strain.
Feb. 26, 2026
Disruptive Technology & the Future of Warfare, Discussion with Dr. James Giordano
Dr. James Giordano joins the NATDEF podcast, hosted by NDU's College of Information and Cyberspace.
Feb. 25, 2026
Strategic Assessment 2025: Evolving Great Power Competition at Mid-Decade
This mid-decade review of contemporary Great Power competition is most welcome because it presents U.S. political leadership and the national security community with an opportunity to reflect on the inherent challenges in this latest round of geopolitical rivalry. Although the turn toward contestation among the United States, China, and Russia (as well as others) was formally acknowledged by Washington first in its 2017 National Security Strategy, Great Power competition had never disappeared from the international system even during the halcyon days after the Cold War’s ending.