Journal

War is nonlinear. The implications of this statement should shape our understanding of war’s nature, and the role of its unpredictability in our planning process.

The national military strategy showcases innovation as one of three mechanisms to retain our comparative advantage in a complex future environment.

To address the national security challenges involving land power it is imperative for increased discipline and innovation to solve complex problems while simultaneously adjusting to fiscal constraints imposed by the realities of global economic pressures.

Interview with Dr. Mark Galeotti, Professor of Global Affairs and academic director of the  Transnational Security concentration of the MS in Global Affairs program at New York University.

This article examines the current and emerging security situation faced by Mexico’s petro-energy sector.

The conflict between Georgia and Russia over Abkhazia and South Ossetia provide a number of valuable and relevant lessons for international organizations and the international community.

The new military COIN doctrine articulated in December 2006 had been applied to the surge in Iraq with some success, and it was being applied in Afghanistan under General Stanley McChrystal.

As China’s economic might has grown, so has its ability and inclination to use national power and influence to advance its geopolitical ends.

A recent National Defense University article titled “Rapid Regeneration of Irregular Warfare Capacity” identifies some pitfalls with the elimination of irregular warfare capability.

The overall purpose of this paper is to scrutinize the contemporary hybrid warfare employed by Russia in Ukraine and determine which elements have been most critical for Russia’s success.

The US’ relationship with Europe is complex but paramount for security - as Europe serves as a geographical and cultural buffer for the US to our adversaries to the east and to the south.

National security professionals would do well to consider the history of the American Civil War when pondering the strategic dilemmas of modern small wars.

Lone wolf terrorists can be difficult to identify before an attack is attempted because the individual is not tied to any specific organization or network.

The exact number of Americans who have joined ISIS is unknown, but the DNI testified that roughly 180 have traveled or have attempted to travel to Syria in order to fight with extremist organizations.

One small war changed Israel, contributed to the stabilization of relations between Israel and the Arab states and the rise of non-state actors that continue to cause trouble in the region.

The operationalization of the Cyberspace Domain at the tactical-level continues to exacerbate both tactical theorists and practitioners alike.

Senior leaders within the US military often view detention operations as a supply problem rather than a challenging and continually changing dynamic with strategic level implications.

In the 21st century, there has been an apparent shift in the operations of Mexican criminal organizations since the onset of democratization.

Cameron H. Holmes, Organized Crime in Mexico: Assessing the Threat to North American Economies. Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2014, 200 Pages.

The focus of this interview was ISIS and the current crisis is Syria and Iraq.  While the actual interview will be made available by SMA, I am providing the answers I prepared in advance.

If this “luck” can be programmed as an Artificial Intelligence algorithm, then unmanned aviation will truly enter the robotic age.

The international aid community continues to underestimate the power of religion as a potential partner in the context of post-conflict statebuilding.

The purposeful destruction and ransacking of cultural properties has been with us probably for as long as there has been war.

Strategy cannot stand on its own.  Strategy exists to support a purpose, its success or failure measured against that purpose.

The 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia and its ongoing intervention in Ukraine demonstrates an increasing reliance on the military and security services as instruments of its grand strategy.

Responding to a perceived increase in radicalization among American Muslims, the White House recently convened a summit on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE).

It is time to recognize the central problem and to understand that nuclear weapons and human suffering are the result of one thing:  the existence of the Kim Family Regime.

On-going research on “mega-cities” highlights aspects of large, unplanned cities that make them an operational challenge.

An Army culture that valued robust formations with overwhelming resources must now transform into a culture that embraces the reorganization of the current operational force. 

Tony M. Kail, Narco-Cults: Understanding the Use of Afro-Caribbean and Mexican Religious Cultures in the Drug Wars. Boca Raton: CRC Press, 2015. 345 Pages. $59.95.

We should recognize that the enemies we fought in Afghanistan and Iraq possessed many advantages, including a level of freedom and knowledge that we sometimes ignore.

Today’s terrorist organizations more resemble organized criminal organizations rather than the strictly political or military organizations they once were.

How can we be at war with an ideology, what is it that attracts its members, and can an ideology really be combated?

The acquisition of Unmanned Aerial Systems by non-state actors will require U.S. forces to modify operational procedures in an approaching era of ubiquitous surveillance.

The most dangerous problem in Libya is the spread of an ISIS-led insurgency that threatens to undermine the stability of the entire region.

The demands on the Active Component necessitates Security Cooperation solutions with the breadth of scope and malleability that can only be optimized by incorporating the US Army Reserve.

Unless the Federal Government of Somalia is able to arrive at a political solution and consolidate control of the country future military victories on the battlefield will accomplish little.

Chapter One, Genesis: Day & Night

The once-praised concept known as population-centric counterinsurgency, typically abbreviated simply as "COIN", has fallen on hard times.

A review of Thieves of State: How Corruption Threatens Global Security by Sarah Chayes.

Fifteen police officers were killed in a ‘military-style’ ambush in Jalisco on 6 April 2015. The attack resulted in the highest death toll in a single attack since 2010.

The current military approach relegates narratives to a supporting communications effort. Inasmuch, the US military continues to struggle with employing information as an instrument of national power.

Writing and advice in the military often focus on key developmental positions – even though we spend most of our time on staff or broadening assignments.

If training and using allies continues as the US way of war, then the latest generation of US Advisors should add Vegetius to their bookshelves.

Emili J. Blasco, a Washington correspondent for ABC Spain, authored a groundbreaking new book focusing on the corruption in Venezuelan politics.

This article examines how the analytical methods developed during World War II influenced future military intelligence analysis in Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan.

Those of us focused on the narrative battle are pretty much in agreement about one thing: we are losing. We are losing badly.

The use of qualitative analysis within the Army intelligence community can help remedy certain capability gaps in obtaining locally nuanced information.

Many pundits and politicians decry America and the Obama administration’s lack of a strategy on how to deal with the ISIS. 

The real issue is whether the Mexican public and authorities can tolerate such a setback.