This article was originally published at Divergent Options. Many thanks to the Andrew W. Marshall Foundation for inviting me to review this book. Phil Walter is the founder of Divergent Options. Divergent Options’ content does not contain information of an official nature nor does the content represent the official position of any government, any organization, or any … Continue reading Assessing “Reflections on Net Assessment” by Andrew W. Marshall, Edited by Jeffrey S. McKitrick and Robert G. Angevine
Category: Written by Others
A Fictional Speech Worth Contemplating
Andor, Episode 10, One Way Out -- Luthen Rael's speech. Lonnie: "And what do you sacrifice [for the Rebellion against the Empire]?" Luthen Rael: "Calm, kindness, kinship, love. I've given up all chance at inner-peace, I made my mind a sunless space. I share my dreams with ghosts. I wake up every day to an … Continue reading A Fictional Speech Worth Contemplating
Competitive Strategies – An Approach Against Proliferation
Chapter 15, "Competitive Strategies: An Approach against Proliferation," by David J. Andre is part of a larger study. Though this chapter focuses on proliferation specifically, there are many general concepts that are of value. competitive-strategies-an-approach-against-proliferationDownload
Crossing the straight – china’s military prepares for war with taiwan
This PDF, specifically chapter 4, "Firepower Strike, Blockade, Landing: PLA Campaigns for a Cross-Strait Conflict" by Michael Casey, is worth a read. crossing-the-straitDownload
Cost-Imposing Strategies – A brief primer – By Thomas G. Mahnken
I bet you are using the phrase "Cost Imposition" incorrectly. Read the attached PDF, specifically pages 9-11 on the page or 11-13 in your PDF reader to correct yourself. cost-imposing-strategies-a-brief-primer-1Download
Possible Outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian War and China’s Choice
"Possible Outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian War and China’s Choice" Written on March 5, 2022. Translated by Jiaqi Liu on March 12, 2022. Original Article: https://uscnpm.org/2022/03/12/hu-wei-russia-ukraine-war-china-choice/ Hu Wei is the vice-chairman of the Public Policy Research Center of the Counselor’s Office of the State Council, the chairman of Shanghai Public Policy Research Association, the chairman of … Continue reading Possible Outcomes of the Russo-Ukrainian War and China’s Choice
A QuIck Thought on the Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China
A Word Cloud of the "Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable Development" On February 4, 2022, the Russian Federation (RF) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) released their "Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the … Continue reading A QuIck Thought on the Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China
GENERALS VERSUS THE PRESIDENT: Eisenhower and the Army, 1953-1955
"Generals Versus The President: Eisenhower and the Army, 1953-1955" was required reading when I attended the U.S. Army War College. The document is valuable both as a look at civil-military relations and how a vision of national security is implemented within the U.S. Armed Services. You can download the PDF by clicking here.
NSC 68
If you have never read “National Security Council Report, NSC 68, United States Objectives and Programs for National Security,” April 14, 1950, you should. And, if someone invokes NSC 68 during a conversation, you should ask them if they have actually read it or if they are parroting an interpretation of it. You can download … Continue reading NSC 68
Crafting National Interests in The 21st Century by Alan G. Stolberg
This article does an outstanding job in categorizing national interests and describing their intensity level. This article is extremely useful as a basis for group discussion to make sure everyone is speaking the same language.
300 Word Strategic Education By Matt Cavanaugh
I recently reached out to Matt Cavanaugh to get a copy of this excellent reference he did for the War Council as while I had it in paper I didn't have it as a PDF. Print it, put it into a document protector, hang it in your cubicle, and don't forget these precepts when thinking … Continue reading 300 Word Strategic Education By Matt Cavanaugh
Chief of Mission Authority as a Model for National Security Integration by Christopher J. Lamb and Edward Marks
I am attaching this PDF as I think it is valuable enough to share.
Give War a Chance by Edward N. Luttwak
I have downloaded this PDF copy of Edward N. Luttwak's article "Give War a Chance," which was published in the July / August 1999 edition of Foreign Affairs, at least two dozen times over the years. I think it is now time to store it here for future use. You can download the article by … Continue reading Give War a Chance by Edward N. Luttwak
Policy of War: American Armed Conflict and Baron De Jomini
For the first time, I am publishing the work of others on my personal website. My good friend Melissa Blake wrote her thesis for Johns Hopkins University looking at why America claims to go to war and where these claims intersect with why Baron De Jomini believed countries go to war (see below). In 2017, … Continue reading Policy of War: American Armed Conflict and Baron De Jomini