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221. Will a Military Withdrawal from the Middle East Leave a Vacuum?

Author:
Mark Perry
Publication Date:
07-2021
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft
Abstract:
• The Biden administration must not allow disputes among combatant commanders about resource allocation to dictate decisions concerning U.S. force posture. The White House has acknowledged that the Middle East is no longer as central a concern to our national security as it once was and that the U.S. must reshape its military presence in the region. • Fears that Russia or China might take advantage of a reduction in the U.S. military presence in the Middle East are exaggerated. China and Russia have both benefited from America’s willingness to shoulder the security burden of the Middle East. • Washington should complement its reduced military presence in the Middle East with greater diplomatic involvement. The objectives should be retaining influence and advancing U.S. interests in a peaceful and stable environment.
Topic:
Security, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, National Security, and Military
Political Geography:
Middle East

222. La industria española de defensa ante los nuevos conflictos: capacidades a aportar

Author:
Christian D. Villanueva
Publication Date:
11-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal on International Security Studies (RESI)
Institution:
International Security Studies Group (GESI) at the University of Granada
Abstract:
Conflictos como los de Nagorno-Karabaj, el Donbás, Libia, Siria o Yemen han demostrado que incluso en escenarios tan diferentes, la difusión de los avances clave que protagonizaron la Revolución en los Asuntos Militares de la Información, es un hecho. Es más, la mayor parte de dichos avances están tan consolidados, que ya son de uso cotidiano no solo por parte de numerosos Estados, sino por sus proxiese, incluso, por parte de grupos terroristas y criminales transnacionales. Este fenómeno está íntimamente asociado a la erosión de la superioridad militar estadounidense, país que ve cómo la República Popular de China o la Federación Rusa, pero también Corea del Norte o Irán son capaces de retar a la otrora superpotencia. En este escenario, conscientes de la necesidad de compensar los avances realizados por el resto de actores, los EE. UU. han lanzado una serie de iniciativas, como la Third Offset Strategy, encaminados a lograr nuevos desarrollos tecnológicos y armamentísticos susceptibles de desembocar en una nueva Revolución en los Asuntos Militares o, quizá, en una Revolución Militar en toda regla. En este complejo contexto, en el que confluirán conflictos librados con medios heredados, con las nuevas armas, sistemas y plataformas y con la entrada en servicio de desarrollos que todavía no imaginamos, la industria española de defensa deberá luchar por sobrevivir, sabiendo que su principal cliente -el Ministerio de Defensa de España-, se encuentra en una situación muy delicada de cara a afrontar esta nueva etapa.
Topic:
Science and Technology, Conflict, Strategic Competition, Defense Industry, and Military
Political Geography:
Global Focus

223. China Maritime Report No. 14: Chinese Views of the Military Balance in the Western Pacific

Author:
Eric Heginbotham
Publication Date:
06-2021
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
China Maritime Studies Institute, U.S. Naval War College
Abstract:
This report examines Chinese views about the military balance of power between China and the United States in the Western Pacific. It argues that while there is no single “Chinese” view on this topic, Chinese analysts tend to agree that 1) the gap between the two militaries has narrowed significantly in recent years, 2) the Chinese military still lags in important ways, and 3) Chinese military inferiority vis-à-vis the U.S. increases the further away it operates from the Mainland. In terms of specific areas of relative strength, the Chinese military has shown the greatest improvements in military hardware, but has farther to go in the area of jointness, training, and other military “software.” Nevertheless, despite continued criticism from senior civilian leaders, training quality has likely improved due to a greater focus on realism, and recent military reforms have, to a degree, improved the prospects for jointness.
Topic:
Armed Forces, Reform, Strategic Competition, Military, and Competitive Balance
Political Geography:
China, Asia, North America, and United States of America

224. Why Is Algeria Considering Changing its Military Doctrine?

Author:
Abdelkrim Dekhakhena
Publication Date:
06-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
Based on provisions of the new constitution draft released by the Algerian presidency, it will be possible for the Algerian army to act outside the country’s borders. Algeria has been under great pressure in recent years to involve its army in security and military tasks abroad, especially anti-terrorism missions in the region. Consequently, Algeria has found itself marginalized because of its refusal to let its army deploy outside its territorial borders in conformity with its non-interventionist policy. The Algerian political class and security experts are divided over this issue. The question is what prompted the thinking of changing the doctrine of the Algerian army? Why has it been expressly provided for in the new constitution? Is this the end of Algeria’s sacrosanct principle of military non-interference? Algeria appears to be trying, within a new regional landscape characterized by threats at the border, to relocate by deviating from its well-established principle of non-interference and preparing to become a relevant actor in managing multiple crises in the neighbourhood.
Topic:
Security, Constitution, Foreign Interference, and Military
Political Geography:
Algeria and North Africa

225. Major General Nathanael Greene: A Study in Leadership Culminating at Guilford Courthouse

Author:
Gerald Krieger
Publication Date:
06-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
This manuscript argues that Major General Nathanael Greene's adaptive leadership style demonstrated an effective use of irregular forces, allowing him to achieve strategic victory in the southern theatre of the American Revolution. Greene’s understanding, of what is now considered, the operational environment, helped him solve complex wicked problems. Greene coined the term, “fugitive war,” to capture the core of his tactics in the Carolinas, which focused on augmented capabilities of his European-styled traditional Continental army. His keen recognition of the importance of the environment and logistics during the campaign leading up to the Guilford Courthouse (March 15, 1781) was superb, highlighting his strengths as a military leader. Greene’s previous tenure as quartermaster solidified his understanding of logistics, while his awareness of the value of boats, vice horses, demonstrated his ability to think in unconventional ways. Greene understood the precarious state of his army in the face of a superior force. The situation dictated patience to attrite slowly the British army under Cornwallis. Greene needed time to recruit an American army, while also waiting for the British to make a tactical error that he could exploit. This submission differs from other scholarship on the topic because it focuses on Greene's thorough understanding of the operational environment, providing unique insights from the past, which are helpful today. His novel use of irregular forces, allowed him to use his conventional Continental army to great effect. Past battles highlight leadership skills, emphasizing unique solutions to complex problems, to apply to modern tactical challenges. This study will help future leaders and students of military history grasp the value of novel approaches to complex problems. This paper utilizes historical narrative while highlighting leadership characteristics that would be useful to emerging senior leaders as a study of adaptive and original approach to a remarkably contemporary complex problem set. It also demonstrates enduring links among strategy, operations, and tactics.
Topic:
History, Armed Forces, Leadership, and Military
Political Geography:
North America and United States of America

226. Syria – A Hybrid War Case Study

Author:
Meredith Jones and Sascha Dov Bachmann
Publication Date:
10-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
The purpose of this paper is to apply the concept of hybrid warfare to the Syrian conflict. It is the position of this paper, that Syria is a hybrid war employing all strategies contained within the wider hybrid warfare classification, such as irregular warfare, asymmetric warfare, and compound warfare. The paper first reflects on the concept of hybrid warfare, before attempting to unpack the complexities of the Syrian conflict. The second part then engages in critical analysis of how each of the hybrid warfare strategies is illustrated within this all-encompassing war through the use of various strategies and battlespaces. Ultimately, this paper aims to add valuable academic consideration to the growing body of literature surrounding the Syrian conflict, to highlight that unless consideration is given to Syria as a hybrid war, encompassing several operational strategies and numerous conflicts all contained in a single territory, there will be no successful outcome for this enduring resolution.
Topic:
Armed Conflict, Hybrid Warfare, Military, and Asymmetric Warfare
Political Geography:
Middle East and Syria

227. Changing Participation in War: Is a Paradigmatic Shift Underway?

Author:
Ash Rossiter
Publication Date:
10-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Military and Strategic Studies
Institution:
Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies
Abstract:
Conflict today is defying traditional conceptions about the conduct of war and, more specifically, who makes up its identifiable contestants. This article examines how the established practice of warfare is undergoing radical change partly as a consequence of a tremendous shift in participation. Better understanding who might participate in war and, as a corollary, the particular tools and methods used to carry out violence (in pursuit of political goals), is of acute importance for those charged with figuring out how best to employ destructive and/or disruptive force. The aim of this article is to therefore make a contribution to this broad debate. It advances the argument that a major shift in warfare’s participation is happening; and, that it is both a consequence of wider changes in warfare as well as a cause of change itself.
Topic:
War, Conflict, and Military
Political Geography:
Global Focus

228. China and America: A New Game in a New Era

Author:
William Overholt
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
China and the United States are in a different game than the rising power/established power conflicts of the past. Most analyses of such rivalries are based on pre–World War II history and fail to notice that the game changed radically after World War II. Sometimes when alterations are made in the rules or implements of a game, the risks and the optimal strategies change. Leading scholars and strategists tend to misread the lessons of the past for Sino-American conflict because they fail to recognize that these radical changes constitute a new game. Disciplinary silos favor an overemphasis on political-military relationships and enable political scientists and historians to ignore decisive economic issues. Those leaders responsible for managing the U.S.-China relationship arrive at the same over-emphasis on the military because in peacetime our national allocation of resources is determined by Congressional lobbying, where the military-industrial complex has an overwhelming advantage. I will begin and end with the problems of understanding and playing the right game, while addressing other crucial issues in the relationship. The key messages are; military conflict is far from inevitable; we have serious conflicts with China, but also enormous common interests that are currently being neglected; China is not a demon and our allies are not angels; we need to live in the world as it is, not as we wish it to be; and, above all, to continue as a world leader, Americans must play the new game.
Topic:
Bilateral Relations, Geopolitics, Strategic Competition, and Military
Political Geography:
China, Asia, North America, and United States of America

229. The Military in the Time of COVID-19: Versatile, Vulnerable, and Vindicating

Author:
Nina Wilén
Publication Date:
03-2021
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
PRISM
Institution:
Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), National Defense University
Abstract:
Since the eruption of the world’s latest pandemic, COVID-19 in December 2019, militaries throughout the world have taken on a variety of unfamiliar domestic tasks—an arena which is usually reserved for internal security forces. In Peru the military called upon 16,000 reservists to help fight the pandemic—an exceptional move that did not even occur during the fight against the rebel group Sendero Luminoso in the 1980s.1 The Italian military found itself driving truckloads of deceased COVID-19 victims to mortuaries,2 provoking questions about possible post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). In Spain, the military has also drawn international attention, not only for its assistance in imposing national lockdowns, but moreover for the revealing uniforms, with deep v-neck shirts and leather suspenders. This prompted both comments from mainly female writers, reflecting on the physical attraction of the male soldiers, and a deeper and more critical discussion on the role of the Spanish military during the civil war and the succeeding dictatorship.3 The increased visibility, unfamiliar tasks, and closer cooperation with the civilian world have driven civil-military relations to new ground while at the same time suggesting questions about which domestic tasks should be allocated to the military. In this article, I explore these developments from a global perspective, then zoom in on select states for empirical examples. I identify what types of tasks militaries have performed during the current crisis and critically analyze how these tasks may impact civil-military relations and the military institution more broadly in the short and long term. This leads to probing fundamental military sociology questions concerning the apolitical nature and role of the military in society, especially in liberal democracies. Drawing on a literature review of academic articles, “gray” literature, media articles, and informal discussions with military personnel from different countries, I identify three trends with regard to militaries in the time of COVID-19 and analyze the potential challenges that these present for the future. First, the pandemic exposes the military’s own vulnerability to health risks due to its close living and working conditions, while at the same time implying a risk of military personnel spreading the virus to the civilian population. Second, the pandemic has so far only marginally impacted the operational capacity of militaries, yet there are likely negative long-term effects if the COVID-19 situation persists for more than a year, related to strains on logistical, operational, and human resource capacities. Third, the higher visibility and closer connection with the civilian population during the current pandemic has confirmed the last two decades’ development of military institutions toward being highly versatile organizations with increasingly important domestic roles.4 This is likely to alter civil-military relations, invoking questions related to the military’s apolitical character.
Topic:
Crisis Management, COVID-19, Military, and Versatility
Political Geography:
Global Focus

230. Hostage on the Red Sea – The Yemen Review Summer Edition, July-August 2020

Author:
Sana'a Center for Strategic Studies
Publication Date:
09-2020
Content Type:
Commentary and Analysis
Institution:
Sana'a Center For Strategic Studies
Abstract:
The Yemen Review Launched in June 2016, The Yemen Review – formerly known as Yemen at the UN – is a monthly publication produced by the Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies. It aims to identify and assess current diplomatic, economic, political, military, security, humanitarian and human rights developments related to Yemen. In producing The Yemen Review, Sana’a Center staff throughout Yemen and around the world gather information, conduct research, hold private meetings with local, regional, and international stakeholders, and analyze the domestic and international context surrounding developments in and regarding Yemen. This monthly series is designed to provide readers with a contextualized insight into the country’s most important ongoing issues
Topic:
Security, Economy, Conflict, and Military
Political Geography:
Middle East, Yemen, and Red Sea