Decisive Point Podcast

Using US military aid as a lever to achieve human rights reforms has proven only marginally effective. This article examines the approaches employed by the Obama and Trump administrations to US military aid to Egypt and proposes practical steps that can be taken by policymakers and military personnel on the ground to advance US human rights values. Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss3/8/Keywords: Egypt, Obama administration, Trump administration, US military aid, human rights reforms

While unmanned aerial systems can serve as a force multiplier for militants, these systems do not embody a transformation in modern insurgent warfare or enable militants to engage regularly in strategic coercion. Instead, drone use is consistent with a militant group’s relative capabilities and broader strategic objectives. Consequently, these groups are likely to employ drones primarily for theater and tactical military purposes.Keywords: militants, drones, unmanned aerial systems, tactical military, insurgent warfare, strategic coercionRead the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/8/

The failure of liberal internationalism in the post–Cold War period requires the United States to adopt a clear-eyed approach to competition that promotes regional balances of power, emphasizes reciprocity, and creates mission-driven coalitions.Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss1/10/Keywords: coalitions, post–Cold War, liberal internationalism

Growing Sino-Russian coordination necessitates greater security cooperation between US Allies in Europe and East Asia. US Allies in both regions face remarkably similar threats requiring similar operational concepts, capabilities, and technologies. Further, these Allies must hedge against the specter of US abandonment. An exploration of the links between the two geographically distant US Alliance networks illustrates the Allies’ perspectives on US extended deterrence and highlights opportunities to devise better policies for cooperation. Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/7/

Shortfalls and inefficiencies in traditional planning and campaigning have become increasingly clear in the current hyperconnected security environment. US military planners can mitigate these deficiencies by embracing integrated planning and campaigning approaches including the development of new organizational structures and processes. These improvements will give senior leaders increased options as the US military and US Allies and partners address complex problems with better effect and to greater advantage. Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/10/

The rapid decline of the Peruvian left-wing insurgent organization Sendero Luminoso was not only the result of the arrest of its leader. An analysis of the precipitous weakening of the organization using two social movement theories finds other factors were involved in the demise of the organization as well. These factors—participatory politics, support for the military among the rural population, and alienation of the population by Sendero Luminoso—provide insights to effective counterinsurgency tactics. Keywords: counterinsurgency tactics, social movement theories, participatory politics, Sendero LuminosoRead the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/5/

Counterinsurgency does not increase the legitimacy of, or support for, central governments engaged in internal conflicts. Recent research shows quantifiable degrees of government legitimacy, national identity, and population security are necessary precursors and accurate predictors of a government’s ability to outlast a civil uprising. Because the first two predictors—government legitimacy and national identity—can be measured and do not increase during a conflict, the probability of government failure in most cases can be accurately predicted when the conflict starts.Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/4/

Predoctrinal deliberations about the employment of the US armed forces, captured in Joint Doctrine Notes, remain critically understudied. Using comparative text analysis, this article identifies changes in recent Joint Doctrine Note depictions of military strategy. These changes risk distorting the logic of military strategy, sacrificing means-ends integration to organizational impulse, and raising the prospect of future shortfalls in US strategic effectiveness. Keywords: US armed forces, military strategy, US strategic effectiveness, Joint Doctrine NotesRead the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/9/

Army General Matthew Ridgway’s actions throughout his career provide a valuable example of the appropriate time and place for serious dissent by military leaders. Ridgway demonstrated the importance of selectively and pragmatically expressing open disagreement in response to operational decisions a military leader deems unnecessarily risk American lives and economic resources.Read the original article, “Matthew Ridgway and the Value of Persistent Dissent“, by Dr. Conrad C. Crane: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss2/3/Keywords: military leaders, General Matthew Ridgway

In an era of great power competition centered on warfighting domains other than land, the US Army faces difficult and likely painful choices. This reality, coupled with looming budget cuts, means the Army must reconsider its approach to capabilities and total force structure, its role in homeland security, and the relationship between its active and reserve components. Read the article: https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters/vol51/iss1/6/Keywords: US Army, budget cuts, force structure, active and reserve components