RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY

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.

 

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U.S. Navy SEAL secures deck of ship and conducts board, search, and seizure training with British Royal Marine Commandos and Ukrainian special forces in Odesa, Ukraine, June 21, 2021 (U.S. Army/Patrik Orcutt)

March 16, 2026

Joint Force Quarterly 119 (4th Quarter 2025)

At 32 years and now 119 issues, Joint Force Quarterly has had over 40 people involved in making the magic happen.

Cover of a report titled “A Framework for Biological Weapons Deterrence.” The design features blue circular graphics with the word “UNCLASSIFIED” at the top and bottom. The subtitle reads: Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University, August 2025. Two photos appear on the cover: one shows emergency responders wearing bright yellow hazmat suits standing near a fire truck; the other shows a U.S. Army soldier in uniform examining a sample through a laboratory microscope. A disclaimer notes that the views expressed are those of the authors and not official U.S. government policy. Logos for the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, National Defense University, and the Institute for National Strategic Studies appear at the bottom.

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).

A Green Beret assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne) calibrates an unmanned aerial system during Next Generational Command and Control (NGC2) training support of Ivy Sting IV at Pinon Canyon Maneuver Site, Colorado Feb. 4, 2026. The training enhanced Special Operations Forces integration into NGC2 systems alongside 4th Infantry Division to improve mission command capabilities and interoperability in large-scale combat operations.

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.

NATO Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security Scott Bray (left) stands next to INSS China's Center Dr. Phillip Saunders (right).

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.”

Cover Image for Terrorism and Political Violence, Volume 38, Issue 2, (2026), Special Issue: A Legacy of David C. Rapoport

March 10, 2026

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.

Flyer promoting "China's Quest for Military Supremacy" with Dr. Joel Wuthnow and Dr. Phil Saunders for an OSD Speaker Series.

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.

U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program dolphin trainers tend to their dolphins before a flight from Naval Air Station Key West, Fla., to NMMP in San Diego

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.

In this handout photo released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, Chief of the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Col. Gen. Vladimir Zarudnitsky, left, escorts China's Defense Minister Gen. Li Shangfu during a visit to Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in Moscow, Russia, Monday, April 17, 2023.

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.

U.S. Marine Corps 1st Lt. Connor Rooney, left, a logistics officer with Combat Logistics Battalion 24, Combat Logistics Regiment 27, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, is awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal during CLB-24's Warrior’s Night as part of Mountain Training Exercise 1-26 at Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center in Bridgeport, California, Feb. 10, 2026. Warrior’s Night is a tradition that usually follows major training exercises and is held to build camaraderie and celebrate accomplishments while honoring unit history through ceremony, toasts, and shared activities. Exercises like MTX 1-26 prove Marines’ ability to provide flexible and responsive combat service support during high intensity combat operations in contested and mountainous terrain. Rooney is a native of Illinois.

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.

Dr. Giordano sits on a couch as he faces the hosts of NATDEF, a podcast hosted by NDU's College of Information and Cyberspace (CIC).

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.