LANDPOWER: Army War College, DSG, and the World
Strengthening PME at the Senior Level - The Case of the U.S. Army War College by MG Anthony A. Cucolo and BG(R) Betros
The end of American combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan marks the start of a new interwar period for the U.S. Army. Like its predecessors, the emerging period will see dramatic declines in military budgets and manpower. Congress already has legislated steep reductions in defense spending that will lead to corresponding reductions in Army programs and personnel. Under current plans, the personnel strength of the Active-duty Army will shrink from 570,000 to 490,000 by 2015, and even steeper cuts are now on the table. Given the uncertain budgetary and security environments, the Army’s most senior leaders have resolved to invest in human capital as the best way to prepare for future challenges.
Defense Strategic Guidance: Thoughtful Choices and Security Cooperation by William G. Pierce, Harry A. Tomlin, Robert C. Coon, James E. Gordon, and Michael A. Marra
In the past several years the U.S. Government published a series of national strategic documents and joint doctrine manuals. Now is a good time to assess how well these documents guide Security Cooperation efforts consistent with the Secretary of Defense’s January 2012 DSG, given significant budget cuts to DOD. This article evaluates current guidance and doctrine regarding planning for security cooperation activities, briefly describes the evolution of security cooperation guidance, and proposes a planning methodology to help combatant commanders make thoughtful choices on when and where to conduct Security Cooperation activities. In addition, it offers considerations and challenges in planning Security Cooperation engagements.
Democratization and Instability in Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus by Dr. Robert Nalbandov
This monograph analyzes the interconnections between the democratic institutionalization of the newly independent states of Ukraine, Georgia, and Belarus, their political (in)stability, and economic development and prosperity. By introducing the concept of regime mimicry into the field of public administration, this monograph extends the epistemological frameworks of the democratization school to the phenomenon of political culture. Successes and failures of the democratic institutionalization processes in these countries largely depend on the ways their institutional actors reacted to internal and external disturbances of their domestic political, econmic, and cultural environments.
After Afghanistan by Antulio J. Eshevarra II
One of the key issues to be discussed at the forthcoming NATO summit will be preparation for future military engagements after more than a decade of counter-insurgency operations in Afghanistan. Antulio J Echevarria II revisits some of the key lessons to be drawn from this experience, and highlights the questions that will need to be addressed if the Alliance is to be equipped to meet future challenges in a changing world.
The Politicization of Iraqi Identities, Sectarian Civil War, and the Fight for Hegemony in the Levant by Dr. Adam L. Silverman
The purpose of this US Army War College Cultural Operations Report is to examine how Iraqi identity solidified into sectarianism after the US invasion in 2003. We will also examine how the electoral systems, politics, and outcomes, especially those of 2009 and 2010, contributed to this sectarianization of identity. Additionally, we will examine how Prime Minister (PM) Maliki has manipulated these systems on behalf of himself, his party, and his coalition, which has exacerbated the cracking of Iraqi culture. Finally, we will discuss the policy and strategy ramifications arising from a more robust socio-cultural understanding of the ongoing Iraqi sectarian violence and crises in the Levant.
For updated USAWC events see the TORCH.
We hope you will enjoy these insightful and thoughtful works and we always look forward to your feedback through comments to this blog, Landpower, or to me.