US Army War College Press (USAWC)
Not a member yet
3570 research outputs found
Sort by
Book Review: The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century
Get PDFAuthor: Barbara Emerson
Reviewed by Dr. Whitney Grespin, Irregular Warfare Initiative fellow
An instructive historical case study and strategic diagnostic, The First Cold War: Anglo-Russian Relations in the 19th Century, clearly distills complex dynamics, reminding readers that to deal with Russia, the United States must remember Russia\u27s motives and fears.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1096/thumbnail.jp
Responsibly Pursuing Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for the War Fighter
No full textThis special commentary argues that the US Army must adopt a sober and methodical approach to integrating GenAI into military decision-making processes. Drawing parallels to the historical introduction of tanks and airplanes, the authors caution against both underutilizing the technology and being misled by oversold capabilities. Using the GenAI system Donovan as a case study, the commentary highlights critical deficits in current systems, such as a lack of computational and geospatial reasoning and points to procurement challenges that hinder improvement. The authors contend that simply using GenAI to speed up legacy processes will waste its potential. Instead, they advocate for using war gaming and experimentation within professional military education as a stress test to define requirements properly, manage cognitive loads on personnel, and guide the private sector to develop solutions that are truly aligned with the war fighter’s needs, ultimately enhancing military decision making
A Hybrid Deterrence Model for Countering China
No full textThis article argues that the United States deterrence-by-denial strategy is insufficient to deter China from attempting forcible unification with Taiwan, due to its neglect of ideological and psychological drivers in the Chinese Communist Party’s decision-making calculus. Unlike existing military-centric models, it introduces a hybrid deterrence framework that integrates denial and punishment across domains, coordinated by a Joint Interagency Organization. The article offers a practical model for deterring ideologically motivated adversaries through synchronized, multidomain planning based on coercion theory, behavioral deterrence literature, and strategic documents from US and Chinese sources
From the Editor in Chief
No full textWelcome to the Winter 2025–26 issue of Parameters. We open with an In Focus commentary: “Responsibly Pursuing Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) for the War Fighter” by A. Blair Wilcox and C. Anthony Pfaff. The issue also features two forums (Indo-Pacific Deterrence and Considerations for Modern Warfare) and the inaugural Strategic Competition Corner
A Case for Military Proportionality: Disabling Nuclear Plants
Get PDFThis special commentary argues that striking nuclear and other hazardous civilian infrastructure is often militarily counterproductive and should be avoided not just for legal and moral reasons but because strikes can defeat achieving one’s war aims. Unlike most commentaries, which treat proportionality as an abstract legal constraint, this article shows how proportionality can serve as a concrete tool for winning wars and maintaining alliances. The article draws on military history, current targeting doctrines, and recent war games. The analysis gives military planners practical guidance for how and why to disable certain civilian targets without undermining their own operations
Ukraine’s Not-So-Whole-of-Society at War: Force Generation in Modern Developed Societies
Get PDFThis article argues that Ukraine offers a cautionary tale regarding the two main modern models of force generation. Neither the professional high-tech war model, favored by Western militaries, nor the whole-of-society war approach, said to have saved Ukraine in 2014 and 2022, proved successful formulas for Ukraine. Considering that Ukraine is fighting for survival, with Russian forces inside the country, the failure of both models in action has serious implications for NATO member states as they deliberate their choices regarding future force generation
Book Review: Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI
Get PDFAuthor: Ethan Mollick
Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Zachary E. Griffiths, Special Assistant to the Chief of Staff of the Army
Zachary E. Griffiths’ review of Co-Intelligence: Living and Working with AI, portrays Ethan Mollick’s book as a concise, easy-to-read tour of artificial intelligence—a user’s guide of sorts. With insightful information about how to use AI, Mollick’s work also covers the history of artificial intelligence and ethical and legal issues that come with using large language models. In his review, Griffiths recommends all Army officers read this book.
©2025 Zachary E. Griffithshttps://press.armywarcollege.edu/parameters_bookshelf/1079/thumbnail.jp
Cognitive Defense: 2024 Homeland Defense Symposium
Get PDF©2025 Mark R. Landahl – Chapter 1
©2025 George M. Schwartz – Chapter 3
The US Army War College hosted the inaugural annual Homeland Defense Symposium from February 6 to 8, 2024, at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania. The conference, entitled “Reestablishing the Sanctuary,” featured plenary presentations on defending critical infrastructure, contested deployment, and cognitive defense by experts from military, academic, and government organizations.
As highlighted in the conference theme, attendees recognized the homeland does not provide the sanctuary it once did, and our society is already under attack. Using disinformation and social media means, our adversaries are engaged in cognitive warfare in the homeland, seeking to shape the attitudes and behaviors of citizens by negatively influencing and disrupting their cognitive processes, thus weakening our society’s political will and degrading national resilience.
Using contemporary examples to show how disinformation and malinformation undermine trust in government institutions, the authors of these conference papers provide insights and offer solutions for the cognitive defense of the homeland. These papers from the first Homeland Defense Symposium inform policymakers and practitioners on what to expect as we compete internationally and how to prepare for a possible large-scale conflict.https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1974/thumbnail.jp