Landpower Update: A Little Bit of Everything
Landpower has a new lead article and several other additions as well:
Toward an Army Story: It's Not the "People" Part, It's the "Land" Part by Nate Freier
While unlikely to save the absolute capacity that it wants, the Army can preserve the right capabilities it needs by defining its role at its clearest and most basic foundation. The fundamental ability to exercise control over, secure, and/or operate with staying power on and from land is the Army’s best hope for a narrative that sticks. In addition to latent deterrence, Army forces (active, reserve, and guard) perform five basic functions in joint operations.
The Future of American Landpower: Does Forward Presence Still Matter? The Case of the Army in the Pacific by John Deni
The time has come for a reappraisal of the U.S. Army’s forward presence in East Asia, given the evolving strategic context and the extraordinarily high, recurring costs of deploying U.S. Army forces from the 50 states for increasingly important security cooperation activities across the Indo-Asia-Pacific theater. Without unduly harming America's commitment to deterrence on the Korean peninsula, a reconfigured Army forward presence could help to achieve U.S. objectives throughout the theater more effectively through more regular, longer-duration engagement with critical allies and partners, while reducing the recurring transportation costs associated with today’s practice of sending U.S.-based units to conduct most exercises and training events across the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
Cyberterrorism after STUXNET by Dr. Thomas M. Chen
The discovery of STUXNET was a recent milestone in the arena of cyber security because it was the first malware designed to cause real world damage to industrial control systems. It demonstrated that a sufficiently determined adversary might be able to cause physical damage to U.S. critical infrastructure through a cyberattack. This monograph asks if STUXNET has had an effect on cyberterrorism in terms of motive, means, and opportunity.
The Growing Complexity of Sino-Indian Ties by Dr. Harsh V. Pant
According to most political observers, the global political architecture is undergoing a transformation with power increasingly shifting from the West to the East. The two most populous nations on the earth, China and India, are on their way to becoming economic powerhouses and are shedding their reticence in asserting their global profiles, making their relationship of still greater importance for the international system. The evolution of Sino-Indian ties over the last few decades and the constraints that continue to inhibit this relationship from achieving its full potential are examined.
Moving Beyond Pretense: Nuclear Power and Nonproliferation by Dr Henry D. Sokolski
The U.S. President and nearly all his critics agree that the spread of nuclear weapons and the possibility of their seizure and potential use is the greatest danger facing the United States and the world. They have insisted that the dangers of nuclear weapons proliferation are manageable either by making future nuclear plants more “proliferation-resistant” or by strengthening International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards and acquiring more timely intelligence on proliferators. This volume taps the insights and analyses of 13 top security and nuclear experts to get the answers. What emerges is a comprehensive counter narrative to the prevailing wisdom and a series of innovative reforms to tighten existing nuclear nonproliferation controls.
Operational Reservations: Considerations for a Total Army Force by COL John D. Ellis and COL(R) Laura McKnight Mackenzie
As the Army Reserve Components assume an “operational” mission as the force drawdowns in overseas contingency operations occur, the Army senior military and civilian leadership should consider the ramifications and realities of such a mission in what is expected to be a relatively peaceful time. This monograph explores some of these considerations regarding the implementation of the Army Total Force Policy, identifies potential obstacles, and makes recommendations to better engage the “three Armies” in a successful and meaningful reform.
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.