Nov. 18, 2019

Attacking Fielded Forces: An Airman's Perspective from Kosovo

The ability of air forces to attack ground forces has been disputed since airplanes first strafed enemy trenches in World War I. The controversy that arose over NATO’s Battle Damage Assessment after the joint air campaign in Kosovo in 1999 is a case study in the effectiveness of air forces directly attacking ground forces. This article takes the experience of an A-10 pilot who flew numerous combat missions over Kosovo and visited his strike sites eleven years later. The author highlights lessons learned for joint military leaders on the conduct of joint air operations against conventional ground forces.

Nov. 18, 2019

Why Normandy Still Matters: Seventy-Five Years On, Operation Overlord Inspires, Instructs, and Invites Us to Be Better Joint Warfighters

Operation Overlord took place seventy-five years ago. Operation Overlord was strategically audacious and required an amazing amount of intellectual capacity and organizational acumen to have any chance of success. Today it teaches valuable lessons concerning the difficulty of planning and conducting integrated, all-domain, joint and combined forced-entry operations against a lethal enemy whose anti-access and area denial preparations were immense. Though much has changed since June 1944, this article highlights the operational approach, all-domain planning, and synchronized integration of Operation Overlord and asks if today’s Joint Force is intellectually prepared to plan such an operation.

Nov. 18, 2019

America First ≠ America Alone: Morocco as Exemplar for U.S. Counterterrorism Strategy

On October 4, 2018, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the release of the new National Strategy for Counterterrorism, emphasizing the importance of diplomacy and the role of international partnerships. The first page of this strategy includes the statement “America First does not mean America alone,” indicating the essential role of key international partners. The US should highlight Morocco as an example for other countries in the region and capitalize on Morocco’s status as a net security exporter. Encouraging the success of countries like Morocco would reduce the threat of terrorism and give meaning to the America First concept.

Nov. 18, 2019

The Second Island Cloud: A Deeper and Broader Concept for American Presence in the Pacific Islands

In the early 20th century, visionary Marine officer Pete Ellis compiled remarkable studies of islands in the Western Pacific and studied the practical means for the seizure or defense of advanced bases. Ellis’s description of an island cloud (as opposed to an island chain) aptly captures the complexity and diversity of this geography and provides a framework for lasting and dispersed strength. A century after Ellis’s work, China presents new strategic and operational challenges to the US in Asia. Now is the time to develop a coherent strategy that will last another hundred years.

Nov. 18, 2019

Pakistan’s Low Yield in the Field: Diligent Deterrence or De-Escalation Debacle

Having fought three wars and numerous border clashes, the potential for future conflict between Pakistan and India remains high. This includes the future potential of a nuclear exchange. While the nuclear evolution of both countries trace back to the 1960s, this article focuses on developments since the formal declaration of nuclear weapons in 1998. The nuclear rivalry between Pakistan and India has produced several close calls though neither state has resorted to using nuclear weapons. While there is cause for concern, encouraging Pakistan and India to comply with international norms may defuse tensions and give us reason for hope.

Nov. 18, 2019

Winners of the 2019 Essay Competitions

NDU Press congratulates the winners of the 2019 Essay Competitions.

Nov. 18, 2019

Strengthening Mission Assurance Against Emerging Threats: Critical Gaps and Opportunities for Progress

The Department of Defense (DOD) 2012 Mission Assurance Strategy does not account for the risk that cyberattacks on critical infrastructure could degrade mission execution. Adversaries are rapidly improving their ability to attack such infrastructure by accessing industrial control systems and exploiting other cyber vulnerabilities. At the same time, US infrastructure systems are becoming increasingly interdependent, heightening the risk of cascading failures across multiple sectors on which the Department depends. The department must strengthen the culture of mission assurance, say the authors, by bringing cybersecurity into the heart of mission assurance and extending such initiatives to all overseas defense installations.

Nov. 18, 2019

Maximizing the Power of Strategic Foresight

Strategic Foresight is an interdisciplinary skillset concerned with identifying signals of change in uncertain environments. This article argues first that national security professionals need this skillset in this era of ambiguity and unpredictability. In addition, the author identifies several areas where Strategic Foresight can be improved. First, shift analytic focus from technology-focused futures to a more integrated vision of future environments. Second, use lessons from systems thinking to evaluate more accurately the global system. Third, provide more instruction on complexity thinking. Fourth, introduce foresight thinking early in professional development. Fifth, create a unified lexicon of the concepts and terms.

Nov. 18, 2019

Strategic Army: Developing Trust in the Shifting Landscape

Warfare in the information age is a new battleground. The disinformation campaigns of our adversaries undermine trust across the Joint Force and degrade the legitimacy of liberal democracies. The Australian Army serves as a case study of building trust domestically, regionally and globally in order to strengthen the entire rules-based global order. Trust is a strategic asset, say the authors, which strengthens our defense capabilities and can diminish the power of our adversaries. In order to realize a truly strategic army, force design and force structure should complement high quality combat capability.

Nov. 18, 2019

Executive Summary

Our world is in constant motion. If you have a setback or loss, you would be wise to do as the unofficial slogan of the U.S. Marine Corps suggests: improvise, adapt and overcome. Former Secretary James Mattis asked our professional military education (PME) institutions to develop their critical thinking skills and push their intellectual limits. To that end, in the pages of Joint Force Quarterly, we examine past and present conflicts to help you become a better leader. And we offer new ideas to help you maintain your intellectual advantage and keep the Joint Force moving forward.