In 2005, a U.S. Navy plan was forwarded to Congress: It entailed reducing force structure and transforming to a capabilities-based forward force posture. However, the Navy continued to pursue unattainable force levels and, today, has lost command of the seas…
Aspects of the relationship between Russia and the United States can be conceptualized as a security dilemma. Each side perceives a serious threat from the other and takes countermeasures that further provoke insecurity for the adversary. Bilateral ties have…
Criticism of French military operations in the Sahel region of Africa raises questions about the French army’s heritage of colonial and counter-insurgency (COIN) operations and its relevance today. The French army is heir to practices and doctrines that…
In the introduction to our special issue on cyber competition, guest editors Robert Chesney and Max W. Smeets challenge the way in which cyber attacks and cyber competition are often studied and explain why they felt an "intervention" was needed.
Do cyber capabilities create novel risks of a future political crisis between the United States and China escalating into a conflict? This article outlines one potential pathway for interstate crises to escalate: the use of force in response to adversary…
As the United States shifts to a new military strategy of defending forward against adversaries in cyberspace, research into the role of cyber capabilities in crisis stability is especially relevant. This paper introduces the concept of situational cyber…
The 2000 presidential election debacle in Florida led to the widespread adoption of electronic voting machines in the United States. Yet these machines have proven to be more problematic than the punch card machines that precipitated Florida's crisis. Poorly…
Roundtables are where we get to hear from multiple experts on either a subject matter or a recently published book. These collections of essays allow for detailed debates and discussions from a variety of viewpoints so that we can deeply explore a given topic or book.
This policy roundtable looks at the role of gender and gendered analysis in conflict and security. The authors highlight ways in which gender intersects with political violence and security policy. As the chair observes, the analysis, “defies efforts to make gender a problem of ideology or an issue best relegated to the human resources department.”
In this roundtable, which grew out of a conference on maritime strategy in the Indo-Pacific region sponsored jointly by the United States Naval War College, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Forces Maritime Command and Staff College, and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation, our contributors examine growing Japanese defense capabilities and aspirations. The authors examine the impact of a more robust Japanese defense capability on Japan’s defense and foreign policy, as well as regional stability and alliances.
In this policy roundtable, part of our special issue on cyber competition, the panelists explore whether cyber conflict might better be understood as a form of intelligence competition.