Digital Commons Network^™

Escaping The Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars In The Middle East, Kurt Buckendorf, Paul Salem, Ross Harrison

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The Kaiser’S U-Boat Assault On America: Germany’S Great War Gamble In The First World War, Timothy J. Demy, Hans Joachim Koerver

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Review Essay—Adaptation And The School Of War: "Mars Adapting: Military Change During War", John T. Kuehn, Frank G. Hoffman

Naval War College Review

Retired Marine officer and National Defense University research fellow Frank Hoffman’s Mars Adapting is, first and foremost, a work of military theory. Hoffman initially achieved notoriety for his work and briefs about something he characterized as hybrid or compound warfare, since popularized alongside the rise in interest in gray-zone conflict. This book’s major contribution is similarly theoretical, but in the area of institutional learning, not modalities of war. Hoffman argues “for greater consideration of Organizational Learning Theory [OLT] to establish an analytical framework.”

Review Essay—The Swartz Festschrift: "Conceptualizing Maritime & Naval Strategy: Festschrift For Captain Peter M. Swartz, United States Navy (Ret.)", Robert C. Rubel, Sebastian Bruns, Sarandis Papadopoulos

Naval War College Review

Captain Peter M. Swartz, USN (Ret.), has been a prominent figure in the maritime-strategy world since the early 1980s, playing a key role in the development and articulation of the noted 1980s Maritime Strategy. After retirement from active duty, he joined the staff at the Center for Naval Analyses (CNA), where he became a noted archivist and analyst of USN strategy documents, as well as an adviser to many naval officers and academics who dealt with strategy. On his retirement from CNA, two academics who had benefited from Swartz’s mentorship put together a Festschrift—a volume of essays to honor him …

“To Die Gallantly”?—The Role Of The Surface Fleet In German Naval Strategy, 1919–41, Peter Hooker

Naval War College Review

While the U-boat dominated Germany’s naval war from 1942 on, its surface fleet played a far more significant strategic role to that point than is appreciated. The construction of that fleet was not the result of myopia but of considered appraisals of the German navy’s performance in the First World War and the development of naval technology during the interwar period.

The Limits Of Sea Power, Jakub J. Grygiel

Naval War College Review

Sea powers have many handicaps that often are forgotten, resulting in a dangerous overestimation of their safety, influence, and staying power in a competitive world. A more clear-eyed assessment of sea power—one less enamored of the grandeur associated with naval might—reveals that often their hopes were unwarranted and ended up having tragic results.

Jomini And Naval Special Operations Forces—An Applied-Competition Approach To Russia, Kevin D. Stringer

Naval War College Review

A version of Jomini’s campaigning theory, in combination with maritime special-operations capabilities, offers a convincing maritime approach for contesting Russia’s malign activity in Europe while remaining below the level of armed conflict and supporting a broader conventional effort to prepare a war-fighting environment by using irregular warfare to secure advantages prior to conflicts.

Seoul’S Misguided Desire For A Nuclear Submarine, James Campbell

Naval War College Review

Rather than waste its money on nuclear submarines that would provide only a single-dimensional response, South Korea should lock down a superior ASW suite by combining new technologies with existing ROKN platforms to provide multiple mission capabilities for less money, including support by existing maintenance infrastructure.

Sizing The Carriers—A Brief History Of Alternatives, Sam J. Tangredi

Naval War College Review

In the end, the debate over aircraft carriers always boils down to cost; their acquisition costs are much higher than for any other single-item defense program, making them a natural target for criticism. Combined with a simplistic perception of vulnerability, high costs tend to cause critics to declare aircraft carriers unaffordable—but “compared to what?”

Aircraft Carriers—Missions, Survivability, Size, Cost, Numbers, John F. Lehman, Steven Wills

Naval War College Review

A new, twenty-first-century design of the size of USS Midway with an air wing up to sixty-five aircraft, whether conventionally or nuclear powered, could complement larger nuclear flattops while still incorporating rugged survivability and being capable of independent operations—and could be built quicker and cheaper and in more shipyards.

Autumn 2021 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

From The Editors, Robert Ayer

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Deterrence: Selected Articles From The Naval War College Review, Robert C. Ayer, Jack Raymond, Colin S. Gray, Donald M. Snow, Edward J. Ohlert, Jerome J. Burke, George R. Lindsey, Hunter Stires, Sam Goldsmith, Jeffrey E. Kline, Wayne P. Hughes Jr., William S. Murray

Newport Papers

The subject of deterrence fell away from the forefront of American strategic thinking during the three decades following the fall of the Soviet Union. Our ability to deter much weaker states by denying them the ability to achieve their aims was long assumed. But today there is a new global security situation that makes it imperative for American military officers and security specialists to begin to relearn the fundamental tenets of this aspect of national security.

The purpose of this volume is to contribute to that campaign of learning by drawing on some of the excellent scholarship published in the …

The Russian Maritime Arctic: Region Of Great Change In The 21st Century, Lawson W. Brigham

CIWAG Case Studies

(MIWS/02 - Maritime Irregular Warfare Studies, Book 2)

This case study focuses on the evolution and development of the critical maritime region of the Russian Arctic out into the future. It specifically considers what the Russian state may initiate in Arctic economic projects, and what aspects of this region Russia will seek to control, in what will most certainly become one of the vital ocean corridors of the world. The case highlights what factors may constitute the outlines of further development in a region that is not only important today and is emerging as a vital resource area and transport …

China Maritime Report No. 18: Chinese Special Operations In A Large-Scale Island Landing, John Chen, Joel Wuthnow

CMSI China Maritime Reports

PLA special operations forces (SOF) would likely play important supporting roles in an amphibious assault on Taiwan. Their capabilities and training are geared towards several missions undertaken during the preparatory and main assault phases of the landing, including infiltration via special mission craft and helicopter, reconnaissance and targeting, obstacle clearance, strikes and raids, and extraction missions. While PLA SOF have made progress in recent years, several longstanding challenges could affect their performance in an island landing: integrating advanced special mission equipment for complex and dangerous missions, coordinating their operations with non-SOF supporting and supported forces, and overcoming the Chinese military’s …

Submarine Cable Security And International Law, Douglas R. Burnett

International Law Studies

In this article the revolution in fiber optic submarine cable communications is placed in context with the world’s growing dependence upon critical submarine cable infrastructure. Emphasis is placed on the development of international law designed to protect submarine cables and in particular those articles in the United Nations Law of the Sea Convention that foster and safeguard the freedom to lay and repair submarine cables. Special focus is applied to the status of international submarine telecommunication cables in cases of intentional actions that damage or destroy them and the State practice and customary international law that generally classifies submarine cables …

Islamist Terrorism And The Classical Islamic Law Of War, Joseph Hoelz

International Law Studies

Islamist terrorists have had a large influence on U.S. foreign and domestic policy for more than twenty years, and yet policy makers, legal practitioners, and the public know very little about what motivates these violent extremist organizations. A primary unifying principle among the various Islamist terrorist groups is their desire to return to a religiously ordered State, justified and based upon their interpretation of the Shari’a, or Islamic law. This article explores the Islamist terrorist interpretation of Shari’a law and how it generally contradicts that of mainstream Islamic scholars. The article begins with a review of the primary and secondary …

China Maritime Report No. 17: The Pla Army's New Helicopters: An "Easy Button" For Crossing The Taiwan Strait?, Tom Fox

CMSI China Maritime Reports

This report examines the potential roles and missions of the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) new rotary wing capabilities in a cross-strait invasion. Looking specifically at the helicopter units of the PLA Army (PLAA), it discusses two possible scenarios in which these forces could serve as the main thrust in a campaign to seize control of Taiwan. In the first scenario, the PLAA would use nearly all of its rotary wing inventory simultaneously to overwhelm Taiwan’s defenses and quickly convince the country’s political leadership to surrender. In a second “unconventional” scenario, the PLAA would risk the destruction of older helicopters in …

Refining Japan’S Integrative Position On The Territorial Sovereignty Of The Senkaku Islands, Atsuko Kanehara

International Law Studies

China and Japan face a tense situation in the East China Sea over conflicting sovereignty claims to the Senkaku Islands. In order to cope with the situation appropriately and precisely, Japan needs to thoroughly analyze it from the dual perspectives of the law of the sea and the law of territorial acquisition. Japan denies any existence of a dispute with China over the territorial sovereignty of the islands. The legal effects of the existence of a “dispute” need to be understood and considered by Japan when it constructs its position from the perspectives of the law of the sea and …

Animating The U.S. War Crimes Act, Beth Van Schaack

International Law Studies

All war crimes are challenging to prosecute. Typical reasons include the technicality of some constitutive elements, the difficulties of amassing sufficient evidence, the vagaries of unreliable or unavailable witnesses, and the often-impenetrable khaki wall of silence. Adding to these challenges, the United States has erected a number of idiosyncratic structural barriers in the way in which it has incorporated the prohibitions against war crimes into its domestic legal frameworks, both military and civilian. This article addresses problems with the U.S. federal war crimes statute and proposes reforms that would (1) better conform to U.S. obligations under the Geneva Conventions and …

Revisiting Ad Bellum Proportionality: Challenging The Factors Used To Assess It, Yishai Beer

International Law Studies

Traditionally, international law has established a binary distinction between jus ad bellum and jus in bello. The former relates to the right to exercise military force. The latter regulates the conduct of adversaries engaged in an armed conflict. However, the prevailing legal approach doesn't accept this dichotomy. It wants to reduce war's hazards by applying the ad bellum rules, including the proportionality requirement, continuously throughout the conduct of armed conflict. To that end, it has established factors that define the essence of the continuing ad bellum proportionality requirement. This article challenges the near-unanimous consensus regarding these factors. It argues that …

Last Mission To Tokyo: The Extraordinary Story Of The Doolittle Raiders And Their Final Fight For Justice, Jacob Meusch, Michel Paradis

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

The Allure Of Battle: A History Of How Wars Have Been Won And Lost, Richard J. Norton, Cathal J. Nolan

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Redeployment Of The German Brest Group Through The English Channel, 11–13 February 1942 (Operation Cerberus), Milan Vego

Naval War College Review

In this redeployment—a nearly unique operation—the Germans were highly successful in both planning and execution, while the British response was incoherent and poorly coordinated and executed, providing a rich trove of operational lessons still valid today.

“An Object Lesson To The Country”—The 1915 Atlantic Fleet Summer Exercise And The U.S. Navy On The Eve Of World War I, Ryan Peeks

Naval War College Review

This unrealistic summer exercise scenario was designed to embarrass the Secretary of the Navy and force the Wilson administration to expand the Navy, illuminating three aspects of the service on the cusp of America’s entry into war: a rupture in civil-military relations, the use to which the Navy put its German counterpart, and Navy leaders’ assessment of the service after two decades of naval buildup.

The British And The Limitations Of Maritime Maneuver, Geoffrey Till

Naval War College Review

Strategists who are turning to maritime maneuver to achieve their ends amid intensifying great-power competition should be aware that the British historical experience shows that—owing to its costs, challenges, and limitations—the approach most often has failed to deliver on its strategic promise.

From The Editors, Robert Ayer

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Summer 2021 Full Issue, The U.S. Naval War College

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

In Defense Of Pure Sovereignty In Cyberspace, Kevin Jon Heller

International Law Studies

States currently endorse three different positions concerning the international wrongfulness of cyber operations that penetrate computer systems located on the territory of another state but do not rise to the level of a use of force or prohibited intervention. The first position is that such low-intensity cyber operations are never wrongful, because sovereignty is a principle of international law, not a primary rule that can be independently violated. The second is that low-intensity cyber operations are always wrongful, because sovereignty is a primary rule of international law that is violated by any non-consensual penetration of a computer system located on …

Know Thy Enemy: The Use Of Biometrics In Military Operations And International Humanitarian Law, Marten Zwanenburg

International Law Studies

Biometrics is a technology that is increasingly being adopted by armed forces. It is the automated recognition of individuals based on their biological or behavioral characteristics. Important questions in relation to the use of this technology by armed forces concern the legal framework that governs such use. This article discusses the relationship between International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and biometrics, by focusing on a number of different activities carried out during armed conflict in which biometrics can play a role. It concludes that although IHL contains no rules that expressly regulate the use of biometrics, a number of IHL rules are …