The 12th annual competition is intended to stimulate new approaches to coordinated civilian and military action from a broad spectrum of civilian and military students. Essays address U.S. Government structure, policies, capabilities, resources, and/or practices and to provide creative, feasible ideas on how best to orchestrate the core competencies of our national security institution.
First Place
Captain Kapil Bhatia, Indian Navy
U.S. Naval War College
“Coercive Gradualism Through Gray Zone Statecraft in the South China Seas: China’s Strategy and Potential U.S. Options”
Second Place
Major Craig W. Thomas II, USMC
Marine Corps Command and Staff College
“The Casualty of Truth”
Third Place
Lieutenant Colonel Cory Brown, USAF
Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy
“Strategic Optionality for Defense Acquisition: An Alternative Management Approach for Major Defense Acquisition Programs”
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Essay Competition
This annual competition, in its 37th year in 2018, challenges students at the Nation’s joint professional military education institutions to write research papers or articles about significant aspects of national security strategy to stimulate strategic thinking, promote well-written research, and contribute to a broader security debate among professionals.
Strategic Research Paper
First Place
Sergeant First Class Daniel P. McGarrah, USA
College of International Security Affairs
“Military Medicine: The Gender Gap in Trauma Training”
Second Place
Colonel Robert Ellison Croft, USA
U.S. Army War College
“Understanding Uncertainty: Incorporating the Unknown into Military Estimates”
Third Place
Lieutenant Colonel Jason Glynn, USAF
U.S. Naval War College
“Is the Arctic a Blind Spot in U.S. Strategy?”
Strategy Article
First Place (Tie)
Major Edwin Y. Chua, Singapore Army
Marine Corps Command and Staff College
“Political Warfare with Other Means: 2017 Cyber Attacks on Qatar”
First Place (Tie)
Lieutenant Colonel Michael P. Wagner, USA
U.S. Army War College
“Peacekeepers in the Donbas”
Second Place
Matt Butram
College of International Security Affairs
“The NotPetya Attack as a Harbinger: How Cyber Attacks Create Risk to Strategic Mobility”
Third Place
Colonel Sean C. McMahon, USA
U.S. Army War College
“The Constitutional Divide between Covert Action and Traditional Military Activity”
Joint Force Quarterly Maerz Awards
In its third year, the JFQ George C. Maerz Awards, chosen by the staff of NDU Press, recognize the most influential articles from the previous year’s four issues. Five outstanding articles were chosen for the Maerz Awards, named in honor of Mr. George C. Maerz, former writer-editor of NDU Press.
Forum
James M. Davitch
“Open Sources for the Information Age: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Unclassified Data,”
JFQ 87 (4th Quarter 2017)
JPME Today
Joan Johnson-Freese and Kevin Kelley
“Meaningful Metrics for Professional Military Education,”
JFQ 84 (1st Quarter 2017)
Commentary
Darryl Williams
“Forensic Vulnerability Analysis: Putting the ‘Art’ into the Art of War,”
JFQ 85 (2nd Quarter 2017)
Features
Gregory C. McCarthy
“Are There Too Many General Officers for Today’s Military?”
JFQ 87 (4th Quarter 2017)
Recall
Phillip S. Meilinger
“Time in War,”
JFQ 87 (4th Quarter 2017)
Distinguished Judges
Twenty-nine senior faculty members from the 15 participating PME institutions took time out of their busy schedules to serve as judges. Their personal dedication and professional excellence ensured a strong and credible competition.
Front row, left to right: Mr. Robert Orr, National War College; Dr. Kristin Mulready-Stone, U.S. Naval War College, Dr. Richard DiNardo, Marine Corps Staff College; Dr. Benjamin (Frank) Cooling, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy; Dr. Kenneth Johnson, Air Command and Staff College; Dr. Trevor Albertson, Air Command and Staff College; Dr. Margaret Sankey, Air War College; Ms. Bonnie Calabria, College of International Security Affairs; Dr. Kathryn Fisher, College of International Security Affairs; Dr. Larry D. Miller, U.S. Army War College. Back row, left to right: Ms. Andrea Connell, NDU Press; Ms. Joanna E. Seich, NDU Press; Commander Jeffrey Stebbins, USN; Captain Bill Marlowe, USN (Ret.), Joint Forces Staff College; Dr. William T. Eliason, Editor in Chief, Joint Force Quarterly; Dr. Brian McNeil, Air War College; Dr. Ryan Wadle, Air Command and Staff College; Dr. James Kiras, School of Advanced Air and Space Studies; Dr. Naunihal Singh, U.S. Naval War College; Mr. Jeffrey Turner, Joint Forces Staff College; Dr. Jim Chen, College of Information and Cyberspace; Dr. Jeffrey D. Smotherman, NDU Press; Dr. Charles C. Chadbourn III, Naval War College.
Not pictured: Dr. Robert Baumann, Command and General Staff College; Mr. Ray Damm, Marine Corps Command and Staff College; Mr. Jay Hatton, Marine Corps War College; Dr. Carl “CJ” Horn, College of Information and Cyberspace; Dr. Rebecca Johnson, Marine Corps War College; Dr. Wray Johnson, Marine Corps School of Advanced Warfighting; Dr. Sorin Lungu, Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy; Dr. Stephen Mariano, National War College; Dr. Nicholas Sarantakes, U.S. Naval War College.