Digital Commons Network^™

Book Review: Warfare In The Robotics Age, Jeremy Lewis

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Ash Rossiter and Peter Layton

Reviewed by Jeremy Lewis, US Army (retired)

With real-world examples and clear explanations of how robotics influence air, maritime, land, space, and cyber operations, Warfare in the Robotics Age offers an overview of the history of robotics in war. Covering topics including drafting robots into military service, reimagining robotic warfare, and adapting to a robot way of war, the reviewer recommends the book for policymakers, strategists, practitioners, and senior leaders.

Book Review: China’S Quest For Military Supremacy, Zenel Garcia

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Joel Wuthnow and Phillip C. Saunders

Reviewed by Zenel Garcia, associate professor of security studies, Department of National Security and Strategy, US Army War College

Joel Wuthnow's and Phillip Saunders’s China’s Quest for Military Supremacy is a sharp, deeply researched examination of the People’s Liberation Army’s transformation into a modern force with regional ambitions and global implications. The book reveals how China’s military advances are tempered by internal structural weaknesses, political constraints, and a deliberate focus on deterring US intervention—especially over Taiwan. Balanced and insightful, it’s essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the shifting dynamics of power in …

Book Review: America’S Cold Warrior: Paul Nitze And National Security From Roosevelt To Reagan, James Graham Wilson

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: James Graham Wilson

Reviewed by Rev. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College class of 2010

In America’s Cold Warrior: Paul Nitze and National Security from Roosevelt to Reagan written by James Graham Wilson and reviewed by Rev. Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, readers follow the life of Paul Nitze. As a businessman and government official, Nitze lived a life of service, holding positions as United States Deputy Secretary of Defense, U.S. Secretary of the Navy, and Director of Policy Planning for the U.S. State Department. He also helped craft America’s Cold War policy. “Nitze’s life is more than …

Book Review: Upstart: How China Became A Great Power, R. M. Ihme

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Oriana Skylar Mastro

Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Kelly R. M. Ihme, PhD, General Hoyt S. Vandenberg Chair of Aerospace Studies and assistant professor, Department of Distance Education, US Army War College

Upstart: How China Became a Great Power, by Oriana Skylar Mastro, tracks China’s transition from a minor regional influence in the 1990s to a global power. The author developed and used the Upstart Strategy, which examines emulation, exploitation, and entrepreneurship, to offer predictive modeling that political and military leaders can use to anticipate China’s future trajectory. Reviewer Kelly Ihme applauds the specific and actionable recommendations for America and …

Book Review: Spetsnaz: A History Of The Soviet And Russian Special Forces, Chase Metcalf

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Tor Bukkvoll

Reviewed by Colonel Chase Metcalf, assistant professor, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College

Tor Bukkvoll delivers an in-depth and compelling history of Soviet and Russian Spetsnaz, tracing its evolution from strategic reconnaissance units to key players in hybrid and irregular warfare. The reviewer recommends the book for scholars, military professionals, and anyone interested in Russian special operations forces.

Book Review: Algorithms Of Armageddon: The Impact Of Artificial Intelligence On Future Wars, Kevin M. Boyce

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Authors: George Galdorisi and Sam J. Tangredi

Reviewed by Kevin M. Boyce, retired aviation command and control officer US Marine Corps, Futures Lab director, Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College

Authors George Galdorisi and Sam J. Tangredi explore the risks and implications of AI on national security in Algorithms of Armageddon: The Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Future Wars. With Russia and China pursuing weaponized AI systems, America must master the algorithms of war to remain dominant.

Book Review: The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations In The 19th Century, Whitney Grespin

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Barbara Emerson

Reviewed by Dr. Whitney Grespin, Irregular Warfare Initiative fellow

An instructive historical case study and strategic diagnostic, The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century, clearly distills complex dynamics, reminding readers that to deal with Russia, the United States must remember Russia's motives and fears.

Parameters Autumn 2025, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Autumn 2025 issue of Parameters. We open with two In Focus commentaries. The first, “A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants” by Henry Sokolski, offers practical ways in which military planners can disable civilian targets, such as nuclear infrastructure, without undermining operational goals, alliance cohesion, or long-term political objectives. Our second commentary, “The Consequences of Declining Patriotism in the United States” by Neil N. Snyder, presents findings from a national survey showing a decline in patriotism, especially among Generation Z nonveterans. His article highlights a growing civil-military values gap with implications for recruitment and national …

Russian Arctic Land Forces And Defense Trends Redefined By Nato And Ukraine, Troy J. Bouffard, Lester W. Grau, Charles K. Bartles, Mathieu Boulègue

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that Russia’s Arctic land forces have been weakened by the Russia-Ukraine War and NATO’s northern expansion, creating a strategic window for Western militaries to bolster their Arctic capabilities. Unlike existing studies that focus on maritime operations and the Northern Sea Route, it integrates technical assessments of ground-based Arctic platforms with analysis of military-district reforms. Using a mixed methodology that incorporates equipment specifications, Russian government documents, media reports, and NATO strategic-response evaluations, this article constructs a comprehensive baseline understanding of Russia’s Arctic land-force potential and readiness. Policy and military practitioners will benefit from actionable insights into Arctic force-design …

Humanitarian Intervention And Just War Theory, Nathaniel R. King

The Ozark Historical Review

Since the end of World War II, the United States has engaged in a new type of warfare. No longer fighting conventional wars, the United States has begun to enter into an intervention style of warfare. Often, intervention occurs on humanitarian grounds, rather than for reasons of conquest, which can often lead to unwanted destruction and alienate local populations. At the same time America’s military tactics shifted the world saw the resurgence of universal human rights. Increasingly included within these rights was the right to protection, or R2P. Just war theory becomes joined with humanitarianism when the action of intervening …

Book Review: Marshall’S Great Captain: Lieutenant General Frank M. Andrews And Air Power In The World Wars, Evan H. Gardner

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Kathy Wilson

Reviewed by Colonel Evan H. Gardner (US Air Force), faculty instructor, Department of Military Strategy, Planning, and Operations, US Army War College

Marshall’s Great Captain is a biography of General Frank M. Andrews, one of the founders of the US Army Air Force. The author reveals the story of Andrews’s contribution to the creation of the Air Force and argues that he deserves more recognition. Her argument is accomplished through a detailed look at various aspects of Andrews’ life. This book is for anyone wanting to learn more about a relatively unknown legend of the Air Force.

Book Review: The Unvanquished: The Untold Story Of Lincoln’S Special Forces, The Manhunt For Mosby’S Rangers, And The Shadow War That Forged America’S Special Operations, Wylie W. Johnson

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: Patrick K. O'Donnell

Reviewed by Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, US Army War College class of 2010

The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln’s Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby’s Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America’s Special Operations, by Patrick K. O’Donnell and reviewed by Dr. Wylie W. Johnson, explores the Civil War–era precursors of today’s special operations forces. Broken into three sections, the book covers rival groups—the Jessie Scouts and Mosby’s Rangers, the Confederate Secret Service, and Sheridan’s Scouts and the retribution they wreaked upon their enemies. The reviewer calls it “. . . a strong …

Book Review: Mission Iran: Special Forces Berlin & Operation Eagle Claw Jtf 1-79, Daniel W. Harris

Parameters Bookshelf – Online Book Reviews

Author: James Stejskal

Reviewed by Colonel Daniel W. Harris, US Air Force, instructor, Department of Command, Leadership, and Management, US Army War College

Adding to the history of Operation Eagle Claw, the author includes primary sources, photos, and declassified documents to the story of the failed special operations forces rescue attempt and a second planned-but-never-executed rescue attempt. The reviewer calls this book “captivating” and of interest to “anyone interested in learning more about a lesser-known element of the Desert One mission.”

Defending Nato’S Northern Flank: Power Projecting And Military Operations, Nate Ostdiek

Space and Defense

This review evaluates Defending NATO’s Northern Flank: Power Projection and Military Operations, edited by Lon Strauss and Njord Wegge. The volume offers a comprehensive assessment of NATO’s evolving Arctic posture, combining doctrinal analysis, historical context, and alliance dynamics. Contributions examine Russia’s military strategy, U.S. Arctic policy, and intra-alliance complexities involving Denmark, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands. While the anthology provides valuable insights into NATO’s strategic challenges, it notably underrepresents Canada’s role. Overall, it stands as a timely and rigorous contribution to understanding Arctic security and NATO’s internal decision-making amid rising geopolitical competition.

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Modeling Nato Joint Warfighting Through Space Combat Simulations, Grant Nehls, Apoorva Somani

Space and Defense

This article investigates NATO’s dependence on space systems in joint warfighting and explores the use of simulation to quantify degradation effects. Using a custom-built AFSIM model of a NATO Arctic operation, the study demonstrates how GNSS spoofing and crosslink jamming undermine data integrity, commander trust, and strike execution—even without kinetic losses. Results show that partial degradations can cause mission failure through decision paralysis. By moving beyond binary modeling, this research highlights the need for nuanced simulations to prepare NATO for contested space environments and the challenges of great power competition.

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Same But Different: The Survivability Of Arctic-Based Russian Second-Strike Capability, July Decarpentrie

Space and Defense

This article analyzes the survivability of Russia’s second-strike capability in the Arctic through the lens of classical nuclear deterrence theory. Despite heavy commitments in Ukraine, Moscow continues to modernize its Northern Fleet and reinforce bastion defenses, underscoring the Arctic’s role as the cornerstone of its retaliatory deterrent. While these strategies mirror Cold War practices, they face unprecedented challenges from NATO expansion, multipolar competition, and advances in anti-submarine detection technologies. The study concludes that safeguarding Russia’s second-strike capability not only shapes regional security dynamics but also has broader implications for global strategic stability.

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Atomic Offsets: Nuclear Policy Shifts For Arctic States In The Wake Of Moscow’S Special Military Operation, Molly Wise, Lillian Hussong

Space and Defense

This article examines how Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine has intensified nuclear reliance among Arctic states. Applying a new framework of “conventional-nuclear vulnerability,” it analyzes the nuclear policy shifts of Sweden, Finland, and Russia. The findings show that Finland and Sweden pursued NATO membership to secure nuclear guarantees, while Russia adopted riskier nuclear signaling and lowered thresholds for nuclear use. These developments highlight the growing centrality of nuclear deterrence in Arctic security, underscoring the challenges for U.S. and NATO policymakers in balancing assurance and deterrence in a volatile regional environment.

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Russian Strategic Culture And Deterrence In The Arctic, Lana Obradovic, Bethany Vailliant

Space and Defense

This study analyzes Russia’s evolving strategic culture to assess its implications for deterrence in the Arctic. It argues that Western deterrence frameworks insufficiently account for Russia’s integration of military, economic, informational, and political tools into a holistic strategy. Rooted in a siege mentality and aspirations for great power status, Russia perceives the Arctic as central to its security, economic modernization, and geopolitical influence. By situating Arctic policy within this cultural framework, the analysis highlights the need for U.S. and NATO practitioners to reassess assumptions and develop more culturally attuned deterrence strategies.

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Space And Defense Vol. 16 No. 1 Summer 2025 Special Issue On Arctic Security (Whole Issue), Editors Space And Defense

Space and Defense

Articles that cover issues on Artic Security.

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Understanding, Deterring, And Preparing For A Great-Power War In The Twenty-First Century, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii, Larry P. Goodson, Brennan Deveraux

Integrated Research Projects

The US government and the US Army are unprepared for a great-power war. This integrated research project (IRP), sponsored by Vice Chief of Staff of the Army General James J. Mingus, is a critical first step in helping senior US Army leaders increase their knowledge of, and preparations for, deterring or fighting a great-power war in the twenty-first century. No one knows how long the US government and the US Army have to prepare for a future conflict. Consequently, the US Department of Defense faces difficult decisions as it balances preparing for a future war with maintaining readiness to address …

Weaponizing Risk: Recalibrating Western Deterrence, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

This monograph discusses how NATO might better leverage risk to strengthen the alliance’s extended deterrence. Such leverage would prove especially useful because Kyiv is unlikely to be permitted to join NATO and the United States may reduce its presence in Europe. Western analysts have not given Russian deterrence enough credit for the alliance’s deterrence failure on February 24, 2022. The alliance did not act fecklessly, nor did it self-deter. Rather, NATO’s deterrence measures were calibrated more for hybrid/gray-zone attacks of the sort it saw in 2014, not for the large-scale combat operations the alliance witnessed in 2022, which involved a …

More Than A Numbers Game: Comparing Us And Chinese Landpower In The Pacific Requires Context, Brennan Deveraux, Joshua Arostegui

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

This monograph establishes a contextual baseline that serves as the framework for future comparisons of the US Army and the People’s Liberation Army Army. It examines differences in five key components of land warfare: the two nations’ landpower definitions, uses of land forces to build relationships, underlying warfare concepts, associated modernization efforts, and varying approaches to simulating land warfare in the region. In examining these components, the authors identify warfare intangibles that highlight analytical findings in a way that promotes future research. The existing scholarship comparing the two forces is often limited in scope, focusing on funding or comparing capabilities …

Integrating Artificial Intelligence And Machine Learning Technologies Into Common Operating Picture And Course Of Action Development, C. Anthony Pfaff, Christopher John Hickey

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

C. Anthony Pfaff and Christopher John Hickey, Principal Investigators

©2025 C. Anthony Pfaff. All rights reserved.

Integrating Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Technologies into Common Operating Picture and Course of Action Development explores the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to revolutionize military planning processes by enhancing situational awareness and expediting course of action development within the Joint planning process. The study delves into technical, organizational, and resource considerations that are critical for AI integration. In addition, the study highlights the importance of clean, structured data in training AI systems, addresses challenges in data collection across varying formats …

The Insurgent’S Dilemma: A Struggle To Prevail, David E. Spencer

Joint Force Quarterly

David E. Spencer’s review of The Insurgent’s Dilemma highlights David Ucko’s nuanced analysis of the strategic challenges insurgent movements face in balancing military efficacy with political legitimacy. Drawing on his expertise in Latin American insurgency, particularly the FARC, Spencer uses Ucko’s framework to explain why some insurgent groups, like the FARC, failed to adapt to post-Cold War conditions, while others, like the Zapatistas, successfully evolved ideologically, locally, and institutionally. Ucko argues that modern insurgencies must navigate complex trade-offs between violence and popular support, especially as traditional strategies become obsolete. The book offers critical insights into how both insurgents and counterinsurgents …

Space Warfare: Strategy, Principles And Policy, 2nd Ed., Todd W. Pennington, Emmy Kanarowski

Joint Force Quarterly

The second edition of Space Warfare by John J. Klein offers a timely and comprehensive update to a foundational text in spacepower strategy. Reviewed by Pennington and Kanarowski, this expanded volume deepens Klein’s signature analogies between maritime and space domains while addressing the significant geopolitical, doctrinal, and legal changes that have reshaped military space operations since the book’s original release in 2006. Notable additions include new chapters on space-based offensive and defensive platforms, “Guardian Angels” and “Celestial Demons,” and a thought-provoking call for a future Space National Guard. While some proposals are forward-looking, Klein’s work remains grounded in strategic theory, …

Human, Machine, War: How The Mind-Tech Nexus Will Win Future Wars, Frank Hoffman

Joint Force Quarterly

In his review of Human, Machine, War, Frank Hoffman explores a timely and thought-provoking anthology that examines how the fusion of human cognition and advanced technologies will define success in future warfare. Edited by Nicholas Wright, Michael Miklaucic, and Todd Veazie, the book argues that winning tomorrow’s conflicts hinges not just on technological superiority, but on mastering the interplay between human factors and emerging capabilities like AI, neuroscience, and cognitive enhancement. Featuring insights from leading defense thinkers, including retired Lieutenant General Jack Shanahan and defense neuroscientist James Giordano, the volume delves into the ethical, operational, and strategic dimensions of …

The Long Pivot: The Development Of The Joint Warfighting Concept, Wilson C. Blythe Jr.

Joint Force Quarterly

In the wake of America’s long wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military faced an urgent need to pivot from counterinsurgency back to conventional warfighting, especially against peer competitors like China and Russia. This article traces the decade-long struggle to realign Department of Defense priorities, culminating in the development of the Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC). Early efforts, such as the Third Offset Strategy, highlighted technological innovation but lacked a unifying vision for how to fight future wars. The Services led their own modernization efforts, while analytical tools like Support for Strategic Analysis (SSA) fell short in shaping a cohesive …

A Conditions-Based Look At A Cyber Force, Shiraz Khan

Joint Force Quarterly

As threats in cyberspace continue to grow, U.S. policymakers are debating whether it's time to create a dedicated Cyber Force. In this Joint Force Quarterly article, Shiraz Khan uses a conditions-based framework, drawing from historical precedents like the formation of the Air Force and Space Force to assess whether the time is right for an independent military cyber service. Applying Dyck and Starke’s model for organizational breakaways, Khan explores the political, operational, and strategic conditions that led past capabilities to evolve into standalone services. Today, cyberspace shows similar signals: rising strategic importance, competing visions across Services, high-profile advocates, and institutional …

Revive: Getting Medical Supplies And Expertise Right In Distributed Maritime Operations, Seth Reini, Jonathan J. Haase

Joint Force Quarterly

As the U.S. Navy prepares for possible large-scale conflict in the Indo-Pacific, ensuring wounded warfighters get the care they need and fast, has become more urgent than ever. In this Joint Force Quarterly article, “Revive” is introduced as a vital addition to the Navy’s contested logistics model. Beyond resupply, rearm, refuel, and repair, “revive” focuses on getting medical supplies to ships and moving injured personnel safely out of harm’s way, even across vast, dangerous seas. The article draws powerful lessons from both recent and historic conflicts, showing that survival and morale depend on agile, ready-to-move medical systems. It makes the …