Military Affairs & Warfare
The Democratization of Violence in the Greater Middle East
Dr. Carter Malkasian joins us to explore how the "democratization of violence"—driven by the availability of assault rifles and explosives—empowered non-state actors and challenged state authority throughout the Cold War. The conversation also addresses…
AI Policy & Hostage Recovery with the Former Deputy Assistant to the President
Dr. Joshua Geltzer, former Deputy Assistant to the President and Legal Advisor to the National Security Council, shares his extensive experience on two crucial topics: artificial intelligence in national security and the evolving policies surrounding hostage…
Wars of the Greater Middle East, 1945–92
This article examines the history of war and society during the Cold War in the Middle East and parts of South Asia—two regions linked by geography, history, and culture. Few other regions have been so touched by war, or so fixed the attention of world…
Cultural Change in Military Organizations: Hackers and Warriors in the US Army
Why did the US Army decide to create a new basic branch for cyberspace? This decision is puzzling because it broke with long-standing patterns. We argue that it reflects an attempt at cultural change within the military. The establishment of a new branch for…
Lost Seoul? Assessing Pyongyang’s Other Deterrent
For decades the North Korean military has fallen ever further behind its South Korean and US rivals. Unable to compete symmetrically on the battlefield, Pyongyang has enhanced its military’s ability to coerce the South. In addition to its nuclear program,…
Ghost in the Machine: Coming to Terms with the Human Core of Unmanned War
The widespread assumption that the United States can achieve favorable outcomes in war with more machines and fewer humans must be subjected to rigorous scrutiny. This article challenges that assumption through a historical inquiry guided by the catalysts for…
Expanding the Margins for Success: Corbett’s Maritime Strategy Theories and the United States Since 1945
Though Julian S. Corbett wrote for Britain at the turn of the twentieth century, his maritime strategic concepts can apply more broadly to spotlight key challenges the United States has faced since the Second World War. Corbett’s theoretical concepts can…
Called to Testify: Congressional Oversight of the Armed Forces
Committee hearings are a key mechanism by which Congress conducts oversight and shapes defense policy. The expertise Congress chooses to draw upon in these settings can have important implications for the substance of national security choices, the time…
Machine Failing: How Systems Acquisition and Software Development Flaws Contribute to Military Accidents
How does software contribute to military accidents? The stakes are high. During the Cold War, computerized early warning systems produced “near-miss” nuclear crises. In the future, military AI applications could fail with devastating consequences. To…
Davy Crockett and the Boy Scouts: The Korean War and Mismanaging Protracted Conflict
The specter of protracted large-scale ground combat has grown more real in the wake of Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. As the United States and its partners debate the best way to prepare for such a conflict, it would be wise to review the experience of the…
Bringing Politics Back In: The Neglected Explanation of the Oct. 7 Surprise Attack
Civil-military relations are a neglected dimension in the explanation of surprise. I integrate the worldviews and political priorities of civilian leaders with the psychological processes and organizational pathologies within the military and intelligence…
Public Service and Counter-Terrorism: A Conversation with Christine Abizaid
TNSR talks with Hon. Christine Abizaid, who recently served as the director of the National Counter-Terrorism Center. In this interview, Abizaid talks about her career in public service and the private sector, the craft of intelligence analysis, and current…