June 1, 2009

DTP-065: The Active Denial System: A Revolutionary, Non-lethal Weapon for Today’s Battlefield

This paper explains and describes the advantages to ADS (Active Denial Systems) and how they can provide troops a capability they currently do not have, the ability to reach out and engage potential adversaries at distances well beyond small arms range, and in a safe, effective, and non-lethal manner.

May 1, 2009

Breaking the Yardstick: The Dangers of Market-based Governance

In the middle of the last century, America became a superpower. It happened, in part, because of a well-balanced technological partnership between the Federal Government and commercial sector. After winning a world war against fascism, this public-private alliance went on to cure infectious diseases, create instant global communications, land humans on the Moon, and prevail in a long Cold War against communism. This, and more, was accomplished without bankrupting the Nation’s economy. The partnership’s record of service to the American people and the world has been remarkable.

May 1, 2009

DTP-062: Directed Energy Weapons – Are We There Yet?

The purpose of this paper is to examine the barriers to deployment of directed energy weapons and suggest a strategy for an initial deployment that addresses these issues. This strategy will focus on current high-priority threats against which DEW would provide the best alternative for the military.

April 1, 2009

Cyberpower and National Security

Cyberpower and National Security frames the key issues concerned and identifies the important questions involved in building the human capacity to address cyber issues, balancing civil liberties with national security considerations, and developing the international partnerships needed to address cyber challenges. With more than two dozen contributors, Cyberpower and National Security covers it all.

April 1, 2009

DTP-061: Social Software and National Security: An Initial ‘Net Assessment’ by Mark Drapeau and Linton Wells II

This research paper as an initial net assessment of how social software interacts with government and security in the broadest sense.1 The analysis looks at both sides of what once might have been called a “blue-red” balance to investigate how social software is being used (or could be used) by not only the United States and its allies, but also by adversaries and other counterparties.

March 1, 2009

A 21st-century Concept of Air and Military Operations

The evolution of 21st-century air operations is unfolding under the impact of a new generation of fighter aircraft and a significant shift in the role of air operations in support of ground and maritime forces. So-called fifth-generation aircraft often are mistakenly viewed as simply the next iteration of airframes: fast, stealthy replacements of obsolescent legacy platforms. In fact, the capabilities of fifth-generation aircraft, and their integration into a network-centric joint force, will change the roles of manned fighter aircraft in air, ground, and maritime operations. These changes are so far-reaching that the Services face the challenge of crafting a new concept of 21st-century air operations, indeed, of all combat operations.

March 1, 2009

DTP-059: Perspectives from Former Executives of the DOD Corporate Research Laboratories

It is the purpose of this paper to document the thoughts and opinions of individuals who have led research activities at each of the following CRLs (Army, Navy, and Air Force corporate research laboratories): the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) in Adelphi, MD; the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) in Washington, DC; and the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) in Dayton, Ohio respectively. These individuals are: John Lyons (ARL), Timothy Coffey (NRL), and Vincent Russo (AFRL).

March 1, 2009

DTP-060: Operation Anaconda: Lessons for Joint Operations

This study is not an official history of Anaconda but an analysis of lessons that can be learned from that battle and applied to future joint operations. This study’s intent is not to criticize, but instead to offer observations for joint operations, multinational operations, and expeditionary warfare in austere settings.

Feb. 1, 2009

Alliance Reborn: An Atlantic Compact for the 21st Century

Alliance Reborn: An Atlantic Compact for the 21st Century is a major policy report with fresh, independent ideas and analysis on the future roles and missions of the NATO Alliance. It calls for a reinvigorated Atlantic partnership to tackle global challenges and a new structure for NATO that rebalances its “home and away missions,” forges a fuller partnership with the European Union and other institutions, reorients Alliance military capabilities, reforms command arrangements, and changes decision-making, spending, and management practices. It also proposes urgent shifts in NATO strategy in Afghanistan and relations with Russia In fall 2008, four U.S. think tanks – the Atlantic Council of the United States; the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) at the National Defense University (NDU); and the Center for Transatlantic Relations (CTR) at the Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) – launched the Washington NATO Project to spark debate before and after NATO’s 60th anniversary summit in April, 2009. The Washington NATO Project seeks to generate new ideas and thinking about the transatlantic community’s role in a changing global security environment.

Feb. 1, 2009

DTP-058: Strengthening Technical Peer Review at the Army S&T Laboratories

The paper recommends that the Army require peer review of the technical quality of its laboratories and proposes a set of norms that must be met. The principal recommendation is that reviews be performed by independent experts who visit the laboratory for two or more days, looking at the technical projects and the strength of the technical staff, equipment, and facilities.