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Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Summit Report: Nuclear Deterrence In An Uncertain World, Manolis Priniotakis

GNSI Summit Reports

The Global and National Security Institute’s Tampa Summit 6 took place on March 24-25, 2026, and examined a nuclear weapons environment marked by renewed uncertainty, weakened institutions, and rapid strategic change. General (Ret.) Frank McKenzie’s opening keynote framed the central challenge: The nuclear age never ended, but the United States and its allies spent much of the post-Cold War period looking away at other threats while Russia, China, North Korea, and others adapted. The world is now moving from the longstanding and relatively stable “two-body” nuclear order centered on the United States and Russia toward a far more complex “three-body” …

From The Editor In Chief, C. Anthony Pfaff

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Summer 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of two In Focus special commentaries, three forums (Indo-Pacific, Strategy, and Historical Studies) and the Strategic Competition Corner.

Parameters, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

A National Security Strategy For The Middle East, Vanessa Rice, Rudy Torres, Addy Horgan, Joy Omosa, Mark Westfall

School of Public Policy Capstones

This National Security Strategy addresses the persistent national security challenges the United States faces in the Middle East, a region vital for global energy supply, economic connectivity, and a source of anti-American extremism. Recognizing the failures of past "haphazard experimentation," the strategy proposes a thoughtful, pragmatic plan prioritizing five distinct and congruent interest areas: Maintaining Regional Access, Supporting Regional Stability, Ensuring Energy Security, Defending American Citizens and Personnel, and Preserving and Protecting Western Ideals. The strategy outlines actions such as: countering Chinese and Russian influence through intelligence sharing and defense incentives; containing Iran via a new, permanent nuclear deal and …

Gnsi Decision Brief: The Three-Body Trap: The New Geometry Of Nuclear Deterrence, Seong-Hyon Lee

GNSI Decision Briefs

In the astrophysics of orbital mechanics, the “Two-Body Problem” – predicting the gravitational interaction between two objects, such as the Earth and the Moon – is mathematically solvable. The system is stable, the orbits are predictable, and the variables are calculable. However, if a third independent object of sufficient mass is introduced, the system becomes non-linear and highly unpredictable. As proven by mathematician Henri Poincaré in 1887, no single formula can solve for long-term stability in a three-body system. For eight decades, since the dawn of the nuclear age, global security operated on “Two-Body” physics. The United States and the …

From The Editor In Chief, C. Anthony Pfaff

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Spring 2026 issue of Parameters, which consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Clausewitz and Modern Warfare, Operational Considerations, and Historical Studies), and the Strategic Competition Corner.

Parameters Spring 2026, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

Countering Intelligence, Surveillance, And Reconnaissance In The Pacific—Mobile Missile Launcher Survivability Against The People’S Liberation Army, Ben Wermeling

Naval War College Review

With the survivability of mobile missile launchers in question for newly established U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps multidomain task forces and Marine littoral regiments, the role of countering intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance in the Pacific may prove crucial to preventing sea denial from the land in future conflicts.

Seamless Security: Reforming Export Controls For A Stronger Allied Defense Industrial Base, Justin Belcher

San Diego International Law Journal

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and China’s accelerating military modernization underscore the need for the United States and its allies to reinforce their defense industrial bases to deter and prevail in future conflicts. This paper examines the historical and strategic foundations driving the need for export control reform, identifies key U.S. export control laws governing defense coproduction and co-development, and analyzes how current regulations constrain allied industrial integration. It concludes by proposing solutions to streamline export control regulations to improve the strength and resilience of the modern defense industrial base.

The 2024 Carlisle Conference On The Pla: Protracted War Against The Prc, Joshua Arostegui

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

The US Army War College’s 2024 Carlisle Conference on the People’s Liberation Army was held on October 16 and 17 at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The conference featured keynote speakers from the US Department of Defense and the think-tank community, and panels focused on assessing the People’s Republic of China’s understanding of and capability to carry out a protracted war in the Indo-Pacific. The conference brought together over 100 participants from government, military, US Intelligence Community, academic, and think-tank organizations.

The conference papers were authored by expert speakers and panelists and were designed to provide insight into key People’s Republic of …

The Instruments Of Chinese Economic Statecraft, Wilson Han

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

The global economic order is undergoing a profound transformation as China increasingly leverages its vast commercial resources not merely for market expansion, but as strategic instruments to reshape global governance and secure its national interests. Moving beyond traditional analyses that rely on aggregate macroeconomic indicators, this dissertation investigates the targeted, highly asymmetrical mechanisms of Beijing’s economic statecraft. It systematically examines three specific instruments – institutional, financial, and trade – through which China projects structural power and constructs an alternative economic order.

The first empirical study explores China’s institutional statecraft by analyzing its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement …

Danger Zone: The Coming Conflict With China, Richard Norton, Hal Brands, Michael Beckley

Naval War College Review

No abstract provided.

Security Implications Of The China-Russia-North Korea Triangle, Brian G. Carlson

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article analyzes the evolving strategic dynamics within the China-Russia-North Korea triangle and their implications for global security. It argues that while the strengthened Russia–North Korea relationship poses risks for China’s global strategy and its major economic partnerships, for now, China also derives some benefits from these close ties and considers the risks to be manageable. Drawing on recent diplomatic developments, military cooperation, and regional responses, the article offers a nuanced assessment of how this alignment affects European and Indo-Pacific theaters. The analysis provides US policymakers with insight into the risks of opportunistic aggression and the strategic calculations driving these …

China’S Securitization Of Agricultural Imports: A Case Of Economic Statecraft Mixed Successes, Gustavo Ferreira, Bert Cramer

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the People’s Republic of China’s agricultural import diversification from 1995–2023 reflects a strategic effort to reduce reliance on US and allied suppliers while prioritizing national food security. Unlike prior studies focused on production or consumption, this analysis centers on trade patterns of high-value, strategically critical commodities. Using trade data and policy documents, it assesses shifts in supplier dependency, notably toward Brazil. This research offers policy and military practitioners insights into how food security intersects with economic statecraft, revealing vulnerabilities and strategic choices in global supply chains relevant to deterrence and resilience planning.

Nationalism And Anglo-American Neo-Colonialism In Southeast Asia, 1945-1965, Wen-Qing (Wei Wenqing) Ngoei

Research Collection College of Integrative Studies

It is tempting to treat the United States’ ill-fated military intervention in Vietnam in the 1960s as the desperate final gasp of a moribund Western imperial system. Certainly, scholars have described Washington’s military debacle in Vietnam as the end of America’s “short-lived empire” in Southeast Asia, emblematic of the broader, decisive triumph of Southeast Asian nationalism over western colonialism. This reading of Southeast Asian countries attaining formal independence after 1945, with tacit assumptions that colonialism and nationalism exist in binary opposition, tends to ossify when the region’s history is viewed through the lens of U.S. defeat in Vietnam.

In contrast, …

Networks For Survival: North Korea’S Systematic Evasion Of International Sanctions, Kaeli Rasnake

Senior Honors Theses

This paper aims to address the evolution and methodologies of North Korea’s sanction evasion tactics. The nation’s ability to maintain its economy sustains its capacity to pose a threat to the United States and its allies. This paper has identified four major networks that North Korea utilizes to survive, which include sanctions evasion tactics, partnerships with China, Russia, and the Developing World. The study utilizes a qualitative research methodology to analyze and assess the behaviors and interactions at play. This paper concludes that foreign policy towards North Korea centered on sanctions is not enough, as North Korea has proven it …

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 …

Coercive Deterrence: Adapting Deterrence For Strategic Competition With China, Terry Tracy

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article proposes coercive deterrence as a core strategic concept to enable a whole-of-US- government approach to counter China through hybrid operations. For more than 80 years, deterrence theory has been characterized by the use of threats and force. In contrast, the article argues that deterrence can be achieved without either. A nation can exercise deterrence by choice—proactively shaping the environment to constrain the adversary to choices that do not threaten. The article examines deterrence theory, Chinese strategy, and case studies to offer practitioners a theory of victory in hybrid environments, synchronizing US interagency strategies through coercive deterrence.

Parameters Autumn 2025, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The Political Framing Of The 2024 China-Indonesia Joint Statement, Mahbi Maulaya

Global: Jurnal Politik Internasional

Political leaders always carefully choose what to say and how to state it, as all words count for influencing the public, explicitly or implicitly. Eventually, the ideas framed in a political statement are best understood contextually rather than merely textually. After Prabowo Subianto, the president of Indonesia, visited China in November 2024, both countries released a controversial joint statement. This article aims to analyse the political frames observable in the 2024 China-Indonesia joint statement with a discourse analysis method. The article found five political frames in the statement: 1) Indonesia agrees to China’s vision of global order; 2) China has …

Taming The Hegemon: Chinese Thinking On Countering U.S. Military Intervention In Asia, Joel Wuthnow

China Strategic Perspectives

This publication is by INSS Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow. The monograph uses internal PLA writings to examine recent Chinese thinking on countering U.S. intervention in Asia, and finds that PLA experts emphasize efforts to leverage nuclear, conventional, and informational (space, cyber, and cognitive warfare) tools to deter U.S. intervention, but also advocate preparing for asymmetric attacks against key targets in the U.S. military system in case the United States intervenes anyway.

China-Taliban Security Ties: A Reimagining Of South Asia's Security Discourse, Amit Kumar Mr., Veena Ramachandran

Journal of Strategic Security

This article examines how China constructs a distinct security discourse on terrorism through its engagement with the Taliban in Afghanistan. Moving beyond traditional materialist interpretations of security, the study draws on critical security studies to explore how China uses language, representation, and institutional practices to frame terrorism and project itself as a regional stabilizer. The Taliban’s return to power in 2021 has prompted China to expand its strategic presence in South Asia, particularly through economic diplomacy, intelligence cooperation, and regional multilateral and minilateral forums. Through qualitative discourse analysis of Chinese official statements, white papers, SCO documents, and state media narratives, …

The Next National Defense Strategy: Mission-Based Force Planning, Frank G. Hoffman

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

The Pentagon needs to embrace a new methodology called mission-based planning to size and shape the defense enterprise properly. This article critiques several proposals for reestablishing the long-standing two major theater war construct in the face of ongoing shifts in the strategic environment, including the nation’s $36 trillion debt and prospects of annual interest payments beyond $1 trillion. It presents a mission priority alternative focused on strategic prioritization based on the authors’ four decades of experience in strategy/force planning at the service, the department, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense levels. Strategic-level service planners and students of Joint …

From The Editor In Chief, Antulio J. Echevarria Ii

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Indo-Pacific Challenges, Russia-Ukraine Issues, and Historical Studies).

Strategic Narratives To Counter Global Threats, Jerry E. Landrum, Chase Metcalf, Michael M. Posey

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that the current National Security Strategy lacks the necessary coherence and fidelity to mobilize collective action against the emerging Russia-China axis. It merges multiple theoretical concepts to assert that the “rules-based order” theme is insufficient for mobilizing public support. Using textual analysis of the strategy compared with publicly available polling to determine levels of popular resonance, the authors find that the “rules-based order emphasis” does not resonate. This study’s conclusions will assist practitioners as they develop an updated National Security Strategy in the new presidential administration.

Parameters Summer 2025, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

Welcome to the Summer 2025 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Indo-Pacific Challenges, Russia-Ukraine Issues, and Historical Studies).

Technology In International Relations: A Theoretical Perspective On Understanding Us-Chinese Tech War, Ahmed Elbassoussy

Future Journal of Social Science

The massive technological boom that the international scene has witnessed recently has contributed to rearranging the structure of the international system, as the importance of the technological factor in the equation of the relative power of the state has increased. This has led to an increase in the intensity of competition between the major international powers, especially between the United States and China, which has prompted many analysts to restore the concept of the US-China technological war, or what Known as “Cold War 2.0). In this context, this paper seeks to develop a comprehensive framework that combines the theoretical and …

Chinese Military Diplomacy, Phillip C. Saunders, Melodie Ha

China Strategic Perspectives

Chinese military diplomacy serves both strategic and operational goals. The main strategic goals are supporting Chinese foreign policy and shaping the strategic environment; operational goals include supporting People’s Liberation Army (PLA) modernization and collecting intelligence on foreign militaries.

Breaking The Ice: China And Lawfare In The Arctic, Sophia Toner

Honors Theses

This thesis examines China's engagement with international legal frameworks in the Arctic through a lawfare lens, using a structured analytical framework to assess whether Chinese activities constitute lawfare. Focusing on two key cases—China's involvement in submarine cable infrastructure and its navigation of the Northern Sea Route—the research applies Andrea Beck's three-part definition of lawfare: "(1) the misuse of the law in order to, (2) achieve a military objective, and (3) undermine the legal framework." The analysis reveals that China's Arctic engagement does not fully constitute lawfare according to this definition. Rather than misusing legal frameworks, China operates within existing structures …