Military History Commons^™

Increasing Operational Access: A Strategy For The Western Pacific, Shaun F. Callahan

Joint Force Quarterly

This article presents a comprehensive argument for why the United States must enhance its military and strategic mobility in the Western Pacific to counter the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) growing regional assertiveness. The article contends that maintaining a Free and Open Indo-Pacific requires a whole-of-government approach to operational access, blending diplomatic outreach, economic engagement, strategic communication, and military posture. Current U.S. basing and access agreements, rooted in Cold War dynamics, no longer suffice for effective power projection in today’s contested environment. To enable integrated deterrence and flexible crisis response, the United States must expand distributed access points, deepen partnerships, …

T-Birrd: Transforming The Future Of Military And Humanitarian Logistics, Jacob R. Bright

Joint Force Quarterly

Terrestrial Based Inserted Rocket Resource Delivery (T-BIRRD), Also Known as “Rocket Cargo” or “Point to Point Delivery”, represents a significant leap in the field of logistics, leveraging the capabilities of large commercial rockets to enhance the responsiveness and effectiveness of military operations and humanitarian efforts. This paper delves into the strategic advantages, operational controls, and legal implications associated with the use of T-BIRRD, framing it as a critical evolution in logistical practices.

This paper refers to the capability of rocket cargo delivery as T-BIRRD, a name chosen for its specificity, and clear differentiation from existing systems using rockets to deliver …

Finding Deepfakes: A Tabletop Exercise About Ai, Decisionmaking, And Algorithmic Performance, Andrea Brennan, Gwyneth Sutherlin, Lisa Pagano-Wallace, Hermie Mendoza

Joint Force Quarterly

This article explores a first-of-its-kind tabletop exercise designed to expose U.S. military and national security professionals to the real-world challenges of using AI tools like deepfake detectors in high-stakes decisionmaking. Set in a fictional scenario involving a flawed AI system, participants confronted algorithmic bias, technical uncertainty, and ethical dilemmas, revealing how AI limitations can erode trust in intelligence products. Drawing from student and faculty reflections, the article highlights the importance of preparing future leaders to scrutinize and manage AI performance failures not only as technical bugs but as complex, systemic issues with social and operational consequences. The exercise underscored the …

The Philosophical Foundations Of The Civil-Military Relationship, John Mark Mattox

Joint Force Quarterly

This article reexamines civil-military relations through a philosophical lens, arguing that they are far more complex than simple military subordination to civilian authority. Drawing on foundational models from Hobbes, Plato, medieval Christendom, and Clausewitz, it reveals a recurring tripartite structure of society: rulers, warriors, and citizens bound together by mutual responsibility and moral obligation. From Plato’s emphasis on virtue and justice to Clausewitz’s "paradoxical trinity" of people, military, and government, the article shows that the strength of any state depends on trust and collaboration among all three. True civil-military relations, it concludes, must be understood as a dynamic moral partnership …

Building Strategic Lethality: Special Operations Models For Joint Force Learning And Leader Development, Spencer B. Meredith Iii

Joint Force Quarterly

This article examines how U.S. Joint Special Operations Forces (SOF), particularly through SAG-U and CJSOTF-10, have rapidly adapted to support Ukraine amid Russia’s full-scale invasion, offering a model for future joint force innovation. SAG-U emerged as a key logistics and coordination hub, integrating NATO and interagency partners to manage complex, high-stakes supply chains. Meanwhile, CJSOTF-10 and its subordinate SOTF-10.1 shifted from traditional training and advising roles to rapid tactical adaptation, virtual assistance, and technological integration to meet evolving battlefield demands. The creation of the Remote Advise and Assist Cell (RAAC) illustrates how remote support and real-time data can bridge operational …

From High Seas To Highlands: Framing U.S. Defense Strategy With Southeast Asia’S Geography, Caitlin P. Irby

Joint Force Quarterly

The 2022 United States National Security Strategy prioritized competing with China and this focus seems likely to continue with the new administration.[i] Southeast Asia’s growing economic relevance and proximity to China mean that the US can secure significant gains on numerous goals by focusing on this region. To support developing an appropriate strategy, this paper identifies what features make Southeast Asia relevant to the US, potential flashpoints for conflict, and outlines the characteristics of a potential conflict. With this information the author then proposes specific steps to ensure that the United States military maintains the capability to protect US …

Rightsizing The Pla Air Force: Revisiting An Analytic Framework, Lauren Edson, Phillip C. Saunders

Joint Force Quarterly

This article evaluates the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) from 2007 to 2025 using the Saunders-Quam framework, which identifies four core trade-offs: changes in roles and missions, domestic versus foreign procurement, high-tech versus low-tech systems, and combat versus support aircraft. While the framework remains a useful analytical tool, it underestimated the Chinese Communist Party’s willingness to fund expensive modernization efforts and the rapid advancements in China’s defense industrial base. The article identifies key factors missing from the original framework such as doctrinal shifts, increased emphasis on counterintervention, maritime expansion, and the rise of unmanned systems. It …

Is Mobilization A Major Question?, Evan J. Ward

Joint Force Quarterly

The combination of the Supreme Court’s new Major Questions doctrine and its decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo threatens to hobble the Executive Branch’s ability to effect a major mobilization under the Defense Production Act. The Defense Production Act followed the War Powers Acts of WWII to consolidate and update the presidential powers that were so famously marshaled to mobilize the arsenal of democracy. The Department of Defense has long planned to rely on Defense Production Act authority to mobilize should the need arise, but the risk of litigation brought about by new legal developments means that the authorities the …

Executive Summary, William T. Eliason

Joint Force Quarterly

In this issue, JFQ Editor in Chief William T. Eliason reflects on the enduring value of joint professional military education (JPME) and the journal’s role in shaping informed national security leaders. He emphasizes the importance of history, critical thinking, and learning from past conflicts, principles rooted in Clausewitzian theory, as essential to preparing for future challenges. The issue’s Forum section tackles readiness for great power competition, especially with China, examining mobilization, PLA airpower, and Southeast Asia’s strategic geography. Additional features explore leadership development in special operations, civil-military relations, AI and deepfake threats, space-based logistics, Western Pacific access strategies, distributed medical …

Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 118, 3rd Quarter 2025, National Defense University Press

Joint Force Quarterly

This issue of Joint Force Quarterly addresses key strategic, operational, and doctrinal questions shaping the future of the joint force. Articles examine mobilization as a strategic imperative, PLA Air Force modernization, Southeast Asia’s geographic role in U.S. defense strategy, and leader development for strategic lethality. Contributions also explore AI’s role in detecting deepfakes, the civil-military relationship, and innovations in military logistics and cyber force design. A retrospective on the Joint Warfighting Concept and critical reviews of recent defense literature provide context and continuity. Collectively, these pieces offer insight into how the joint force must evolve to meet emerging challenges.

A More Perfect Peace: Can The Russia-Ukraine War End Justly?, Nathaniel B. Davis, Marlon A. Thomas

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that thinking creatively about war termination, both philosophically and politically, utilizing jus post bellum principles and counterintuitive political trade-offs, reveals an opportunity to achieve a sustainable peace that approximates justice. The article surveys how war aims among belligerents have changed, indicating that further change is possible, particularly at the point of war termination. Next, the article examines jus post bellum principles and their application to the Russia-Ukraine War. Finally, the article contends that Ukraine relinquishing Crimea and the Donbas in exchange for NATO membership might be the key to achieving a durable peace that addresses long-term security.

China’S Role In A Future Korean War, Jake Rinaldi

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

This article argues that China’s intervention in a Korean conflict will hinge more on North Korea’s ability to hold territory than on bilateral ties. Rather than treat Chinese intervention as a yes-or-no proposition, this study models three scenarios—full intervention, sustained support, and limited support—based on North Korean resilience. Using Chinese-language sources and scenario-based analysis, it assesses how each model would shape key functional areas such as ISR, cyber, materiel, and force posture. The findings offer US defense planners a framework for anticipating variable People’s Liberation Army involvement in a future Korea contingency.

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).

Book Reviews, Usawc Press

The US Army War College Quarterly: Parameters

No abstract provided.

The German Defense-Industrial Zeitenwende: Implications For Transatlantic Security, Brett Swaney

INSS Strategic Perspectives

The Zeitenwende, or “watershed moment”—announced by Chancellor Olaf Scholz in February 2022, days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—outlined a set of policy shifts, including the development of Germany’s first-ever National Security Strategy, that appeared to signal a greater role for Germany in the defense and security of Europe. The German National Security Strategy draws a clear connection between the need for a robust defense-industrial base and the foundation for the capabilities needed to meet North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defense and deterrence commitments, support Ukraine, and provide for the recapitalization of allies and partners. To date, however, there has been …

Selected Artificial Intelligence Provisions In U.S. Fiscal Year 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

The 2025 Fiscal Year National Defense Authorization Act contains multiple provisions relating to artificial intelligence (AI). These congressionally mandated provisions direct various sections of the Department of Defense (DOD) and individual U.S. armed service branches to execute congressional intent for AI policymaking. Examples of such intent include identifying and planning DOD's AI workforce, demonstrating AI biotechnology applications for national security, improving the human usability of AI systems, and establishing an AI security center. This presentation will note that reports on these initiatives must be prepared for relevant congressional oversight committees, and, in many cases, are in many cases, publicly released …

Thompson’S Rifle Battalion: The Original Unit Of The Army Of The United Colonies (Now The United States Regular Army), John A. Bonin

Books, Monographs & Collaborative Studies

©2025 John A. Bonin

Although 1775 is indisputably the birth year of the US Army, two events occurred on June 14 of that year to which the Army can credit its birthday. One is the adoption by the Continental Congress of the collective militia forces from several colonies outside Boston to form a Continental Army, of which Congress appointed George Washington the commander in chief on June 15, 1775. In addition, the US Regular Army officially dates its beginning to June 14, 1775, when the Second Continental Congress directed 10 companies of expert riflemen to be raised immediately in Pennsylvania, …

The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, And The Burden Of Power, Thomas F. Lynch Iii

Joint Force Quarterly

This book review assesses Robert D. Kaplan’s The Tragic Mind: Fear, Fate, and the Burden of Power, a reflection on leadership, war, history, and the consequences of using military force. Drawing on Kaplan’s experiences reporting from conflict zones and his engagement with classical and modern thinkers, the review highlights the book’s central argument that political and military leaders must approach the use of force with humility, prudence, and an awareness of unintended consequences. Kaplan presents the “tragic mind” as a way of thinking that recognizes the tension between order and tyranny, the limits of human control, and the danger …

War In Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, And The Return Of A Fractured World; The War For Ukraine: Strategy And Adaptation Under Fire; A Call To Action: Lessons From Ukraine For The Future Force, Frank Hoffman

Joint Force Quarterly

This book review considers three recent works on the war in Ukraine: War in Ukraine: Conflict, Strategy, and the Return of a Fractured World, edited by Hal Brands; The War for Ukraine: Strategy and Adaptation Under Fire by Mick Ryan; and A Call to Action: Lessons from Ukraine for the Future Force, edited by John A. Nagl and Katie Crombe. The reviewer argues that the three books provide complementary perspectives on the conflict at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels while highlighting the difficulty of drawing firm lessons from an ongoing war. The review discusses strategic decisionmaking and …

Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare And Strategic Competition In The 21st Century, Joseph J. Collins

Joint Force Quarterly

This book review assesses Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century by Rebecca Patterson and coauthors. The book presents irregular warfare as a broad form of strategic competition that relies on military, economic, informational, diplomatic, and resilience-based tools to advance national objectives short of conventional war. The review highlights the authors’ comparison of U.S. strategic culture with the more integrated approaches to competition employed by authoritarian states, particularly China and Russia, and their use of Cold War political warfare as a historical reference point. It also discusses the book’s treatment of economic statecraft, information activities, …

Movement And Maneuver At Leyte, October 1944, Michael M. Trimble, Douglas W. Burkman, Michael L. Simmons

Joint Force Quarterly

This article uses Operation King II, the October 1944 campaign to seize Leyte and begin the liberation of the Philippines, as a case study in joint movement and maneuver. The authors argue that the operation offers enduring lessons for today’s joint force, particularly in multidomain operations conducted in a maritime theater. They trace the strategic context, planning, command relationships, and execution of the Leyte operation, including the convergence of U.S. land, sea, and air forces and the challenges created by divided command arrangements. The article highlights the importance of integrated planning, clear communication between supported and supporting commanders, timely intelligence, …

Both Joint And Not: Medical Support At Okinawa, 1945, Sanders Marble

Joint Force Quarterly

In 1945, the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps invaded Okinawa. Heavy casualties were projected, and medical planning was thorough and multi-layered. Medical support was as joint as anything the period could offer, although quite different from today. In a dispersed, low-bandwidth environment, planners did not try to increase "jointness" but had services work in parallel and opted to reduce overlap.

This article looks at the medical planning and how medical support unfolded. Medical care was good, as good as possible in the period. Medical and surgical patients received plenty of care, but psychological patients could receive less care, although …

Toward A 21st-Century Medical Offset Strategy, George A. Barbee, Benjamin J. Ingram

Joint Force Quarterly

This article argues that the joint force needs a medical offset strategy designed for large-scale combat operations and contested multidomain environments, where casualty volumes, evacuation constraints, dispersed operations, and attacks on medical support may overwhelm approaches that proved effective during the post-9/11 wars. The authors propose three complementary medical offset strategies: far-forward intervention, technology and innovation, and allies and partners. Far-forward intervention emphasizes early treatment, hemorrhage control, blood administration, austere care, and flexible casualty evacuation. The technology and innovation offset focuses on artificial intelligence–assisted patient movement, predictive and additive logistics, unmanned evacuation and sustainment systems, novel therapies, and improved medical …

Developing Alternative Manning Strategies To Maintain The Combat Effectiveness Of The Joint Force, Shawn M. Cook, Andrew Hall, Todd Spanton

Joint Force Quarterly

The U.S. military faces a shrinking pool of eligible and willing recruits, driven by declining physical and mental health eligibility, lower propensity to serve, and reduced confidence in military institutions. This article considers three approaches to sustaining the combat effectiveness of the joint force under these conditions: improving the fitness and readiness of the recruit population, adapting military standards and expectations to the available population, and maintaining a smaller force augmented by advanced technology. The authors argue that broad efforts to change population health and behavior are costly and difficult to sustain, while simply lowering standards could reduce military capability. …

Protecting Ace: Air Defense And Agile Combat Employment, Ian D. Richardson

Joint Force Quarterly

The United States Air Force’s Agile Combat Employment concept intends to complicate adversary targeting through rapid maneuver between dispersed airfields. However, the concept lacks a flexible approach to implement an added layer of air defense protection at these sites. This article offers the Army’s Multi-Domain Task Force Short Range Air Defense capabilities as a viable solution to this gap, and explores the impacts to organization, doctrine, and training associated with implementing such a solution. This analysis contributes to the ongoing development of both Air Force and Army operational concepts against near-peer adversaries.

Defusing Weaponized Interdependence: A New Approach To Measuring Country Reliability, Michael F. Harsch, Shaun Lee

Joint Force Quarterly

Global supply chain disruptions, U.S.-China trade competition, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the risks created by economic interdependence and dependence on potentially unreliable suppliers. This article introduces the Measure of Country Reliability (MCR), a framework for assessing the reliability of prospective U.S. economic and supply chain partners. The measure combines countries’ voting behavior in the United Nations General Assembly, used as an indicator of past geopolitical alignment with the United States, with Freedom House Global Freedom Scores, used to estimate likely future reliability. The authors apply the MCR to the 1973 oil embargo and to …

Solving The Crisis: A Partnership Approach For Safe, Affordable Military Housing, Michael Kittrell, Michael Borders

Joint Force Quarterly

This article examines the critical housing shortage at Cannon Air Force Base (CAFB) and proposes a collaborative, community-driven approach to solving the crisis. It highlights the structural issues behind the shortage—ranging from military retention challenges to nationwide housing market pressures—and details the strategic formation of the “House Hunters” team to develop innovative, interim solutions. The authors advocate for leveraging intergovernmental partnerships and public-private initiatives, such as apartment leases and university collaborations, to address dormitory deficits ahead of delayed military construction. The article calls for bold policy changes and agile financing strategies to ensure safe, affordable housing for military personnel in …