Pronouncements For Defeating ISIS Dangerously Play Into Grand Strategy. Dr. Lawrence A. Kuznar is professor of anthropology at IPFW and has advised the US Department of Defense on global terrorism. He wrote this for The Journal Gazette on November 25, 2015. I have been part of a team of academic and government researchers who, for […]
Continue ReadingExecutive Order — Using Behavioral Science Insights to Better Serve the American People. Where Federal policies have been designed to reflect behavioral science insights, they have substantially improved outcomes for the individuals, families, communities, and businesses those policies serve – President Barack Obama, 2015 By Robert Popp On September 15, 2015 President Barack Obama released […]
Continue ReadingComprehensive Deterrence White Paper. Author | Editor: U.S. Army Special Operations Command. The emerging concept of Comprehensive Deterrence is an initial effort to broaden strategic options for our National leaders to meet current and emerging security challenges. Comprehensive Deterrence internalizes the challenge from then Secretary of Defense Hagel’s Defense Innovation Memorandum (15 November 2014) to […]
Continue Reading9th Annual SMA Conference: No War/No Peace…A New Paradigm in International Relations and a New Normal? Author | Editor: Canna, S., Popp, G. & Yager, M. (NSI, Inc). Background Since the end of the Cold War and with the advent of the new century, new geopolitical realities have emerged that have made classical wars with […]
Continue ReadingRussia and the Arctic. Author | Editor: Levis, A. & Elder, R. (GMU). The receding of the Arctic ice presents the Russian Federation with complex opportunities and challenges, both domestic and international. Russia is investing heavily in developing the infrastructure on its Arctic coastline to support both destination shipping in the Arctic and transit shipping […]
Continue ReadingPutin’s Information Warfare in Ukraine, Soviet Origins of Russia’s Hybrid Warfare. Author | Editor: Snegovaya, M. (Institute for the Study of War). Russia has been using an advanced form of hybrid warfare in Ukraine since early 2014 that relies heavily on an element of information warfare that the Russians call “reflexive control.” Reflexive control causes […]
Continue ReadingCountering Violent Extremism: Scientific Methods and Strategies (2015 Edition) Author | Editor: Fenstermacher, L. (Air Force Research Laboratory) [Note: 2011 edition available here] Why are we reissuing the paper collection, “Countering Violent Extremism: Scientific Methods and Strategies”? The answer is simple. Five years later, violent extremism is still an issue. In September 2014, President Obama […]
Continue ReadingISIL Influence and Resolve. Author | Editor: Astorino-Coutois, A. & Canna, S. (NSI, Inc). During FY 2014, the SOCCENT Commander requested a short-term effort to understand the psychological, ideological, narrative, emotional, cultural, and inspirational (“intangible”) nature of ISIL. As shown below, the SMA1 team really addressed two related questions: “What makes ISIL attractive?” or how […]
Continue ReadingDrivers of Conflict and Convergence in the Asia-Pacific Region in the Next 5-25 Years. Author | Editor: Bragg, B. (NSI, Inc). USPACOM requested that the Strategic Multi-layer Assessment (SMA) team conduct an “Examination of future political, security, societal, and economic trends to identify where US interests are in cooperation or conflict with Chinese and other […]
Continue ReadingOperating in the Human Domain 1.0. Author | Editor: U.S. Special Operations Command. Building on the vision of USSOCOM strategic guidance documents, the Operating in the Human Domain (OHD) Concept describes the mindset and approaches that are necessary to achieve strategic ends and create enduring effects in the current and future environment. The Human Domain […]
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