The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the US and Xi Jinping’s China

March 2022 No Comments

Speaker: Honorable Kevin Rudd (President & Chief Executive Officer, Asia Society; 26th Prime Minister of Australia) Date: 29 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with The Honorable Kevin Rudd (President & Chief Executive Officer, Asia Society; 26th Prime Minister of Australia) as part of its SMA NDU (INSS/PRISM) Speaker Series. It is important for […]

Continue Reading

Escalation Management in Gray Zone Crises: A Proposed Toolkit

March 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Ellis, D. (University of Maryland); Elder, R. (George Mason University); Astorino-Courtois, A. (NSI) Date: 22 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Devin Hayes Ellis (University of Maryland), Lt Gen (Ret) Robert Elder, PhD (George Mason University), and Dr. Allison Astorino-Courtois (NSI) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Gray zone conflict—which […]

Continue Reading

Special Forces in Great Power Competition

No Comments

Speaker(s): Watling, J. (Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)) Date: 16 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Jack Watling (Research Fellow, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI)) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series. Special operations forces (SOF) have historically been at the center of US military actions, especially at the beginning […]

Continue Reading

Defense Strategy and a Strategy of Denial?

February 2022 No Comments

Speaker: Elbridge Colby (The Marathon Initiative) Date: 3 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Elbridge Colby (The Marathon Initiative) as part of its SMA NDU (INSS/PRISM) Speaker Series. US grand strategy for contesting China’s potential aggression in the Asian Pacific, but also more broadly, must be redefined. Following the collapse of […]

Continue Reading

Stabilizing Great Power Rivalries

February 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Mazarr, M. (RAND); Charap, S. (RAND) Date: 2 March 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Michael Mazarr (RAND) and Dr. Samuel Charap (RAND) as part of its SMA EUCOM/INDOPACOM Speaker Series. Ensuring stability between geopolitical rivals can strengthen overall international security and deescalate potentially world-changing conflicts. For a rivalry to be […]

Continue Reading

Russia’s Ambitions in the Arctic Towards 2035

February 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Gustafsson, P. (Swedish Defence Research Agency [FOI]) Date: 15 February 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Dr. Pär Gustafsson (Swedish Defence Research Agency [FOI]) as part of its SMA EUCOM Speaker Series.  Russia is coveting the Arctic Circle’s wealth of undiscovered natural resources and the control of future Northern Sea trade routes […]

Continue Reading

Theater Information Advantage Element: A Construct To Gain Advantage Against Near-Peer Adversaries in Great Power Competition

January 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Hancock, B. (G9, 79th Theater Sustainment Command); Sleevi, N. (Military Analyst, Irregular Warfare Proponent, Mission Command Center of Excellence, US Army TRADOC); Gaines, J. (Public Affairs Officer, Cyber National Mission Force) Date: 27 January 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a panel discussion with MAJ Brian J. Hancock (G9, 79th Theater Sustainment Command), COL […]

Continue Reading

Integrating Deterrence Across the Gray—Making It More Than Words

January 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Crombe, K. (US Army Strategist & Director, US Special Operations Command Central J5 Strategy, Plans, and Policy Division); Ferenzi, S. (US Army Strategist & Special Forces Officer, US Special Operations Command Central J5); Jones, R. (Principal Strategist, Donovan Integration Group, US Special Operations Command) Date: 20 January 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a […]

Continue Reading

The Operational Environment (2021-2030): Great Power Competition, Crisis, and Conflict

January 2022 No Comments

Speaker(s): Leverich, Gerald (Director, OE Integration, TRADOC G2) Date: 11 January 2022 Speaker Session Summary SMA hosted a speaker session with Mr. Gerald Leverich Jr. (Director, OE Integration, TRADOC G2) as part of its SMA General Speaker Series.  For the first time in twenty years, the US armed forces are shifting from mostly carrying out counter-insurgency […]

Continue Reading

Evaluating China’s Road to Cyber Super Power

January 2022 No Comments

Author: Dr. Brandon Williams (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory) This publication was released as part of the SMA project “Risk of Strategic Deterrence Failure.” For more information regarding this project, please click here. Questions of Focus [Q5] How do US escalation management capabilities compare with those of our nuclear-armed competitors? How do relative non-kinetic capabilities (e.g., cyber […]

Continue Reading