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The New Fire: War, Peace, and Democracy in the Age of AI
No full textΙn November 2023, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Officer of the Department of Defense (DOD), Craig Martell, stated, “Technologies evolve. Things are going to change next week, next year, next decade. And what wins today might not win tomorrow.” This sense of rapid technological change and disruption echoes what Ben Buchanan and Andrew Imbrie have written in The New Fire. The authors are deeply steeped in the world of cyber and AI. Buchanan is the former Director of the CyberAI Project at Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), currently Special Advisor for AI at the White House, and the author of The Hacker and the State: Cyber Attacks and the New Normal of Geopolitics (Harvard University Press, 2020). Imbrie is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Gracias Chair in Security and Emerging Technology at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Service, a former fellow at CSET, and the author of Power on the Precipice: The Six Choices America Faces in a Turbulent World (Yale University Press, 2020). The authors bring their considerable experience to bear across 10 thematically arranged chapters in The New Fire as they examine the risks and opportunities of AI and the implications of abusing the AI “fire” in programs that claim to not only protect society but also empower autonomous systems to act against humans. It is a risk that could quickly grow out of control, especially in autocratic states
From Peril to Partnership: U.S. Security Assistance and the Bid to Stabilize Colombia and Mexico
No full textRecent scrutiny from Congress on U.S. military aid to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan has stimulated among both scholars and practitioners an increased interest in the topic of security assistance. One book that neatly bridges the gap between these two communities is Paul J. Angelo’s From Peril to Partnership. In this comprehensive and detailed account, Angelo conducts a comparative historical analysis of two multibillion-dollar security assistance initiatives—Plan Colombia in Colombia from 2000 to 2011 and the Mérida Initiative in Mexico from 2007 to 2016—to assess the effects of security-sector reform in different domestic contexts
Jointness as Virtue: Increasing the Value of Joint Qualification to the Joint Force and Services
No full textΙn “Balancing Nonresident Joint Professional Military Education With Military Life,” Commander Doug Morea makes the salient point that the current joint professional military education (JPME) process fails the individual joint warfighter in preparing for the challenges of serving in combatant commands and other joint forces.1 As joint educators, we agree with Commander Morea’s premise and offer that the current JPME model not only fails the individual joint warfighter but is also wholly inadequate for what the joint force requires both today and in an uncertain future. From the start, the Goldwater-Nichols Department of Defense (DOD) Reorganization Act of 1986 enshrined JPME and the joint qualification process as a forcing function to reduce unhelpful parochialism and achieve unified action. Even today, a compromised system still exists, lacking standardization across the enterprise and persistently delivering educated officers too late and short in supply at all echelons of the joint force
The Chairman on Trust
No full textΙn the early 1940s, the world stood on the edge of a massive geopolitical shift, with escalating tensions and the onset of global conflict. As he oversaw a 40-fold expansion of the Army ahead of the United States’s entry into World War II, General George Marshall told his Director of Civil Affairs: “[The American armed forces] have a great asset, and that is that our people, our countrymen, do not distrust us and do not fear us. . . . This is a sacred trust. . . . We are completely devoted . . . the sole purpose of which is to defend the republic.
The Implications of the New Security Environment on the National Health Systems Enterprise
No full textThis article explores the strategic integration of military and civilian health systems in response to large-scale conflicts, emphasizing the critical role of civil-military cooperation. NATO\u27s experience with the war in Ukraine highlights the importance of interoperable health systems across the Euro-Atlantic region, while the Asia-Pacific presents unique challenges due to its geographic dispersal and alliance structures. The U.S. National Disaster Medical System, strengthened by lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic, is positioned to manage medical evacuations and casualties in future contingencies. The article advocates for the U.S. military health system to be considered as strategically vital as the defense-industrial complex, underscoring the need for greater civil-military health coordination at both national and international levels to prepare for potential health emergencies
The Genesis Machine: Our Quest to Rewrite Life in the Age of Synthetic Biology
No full textEmerging biotechnologies have captured the imagination, interest, and concerns of the world. Scenarios once relegated to science fiction movies and novels are now potentially within the grasp of bioengineering. The purposeful design of biology can enable novel ways to meet a variety of societal needs—from the biomanufacturing of commodities to gene therapies and the recreation of once-extinct organisms. This biological revolution, or “bioeconomy,” has the potential to address important issues such as climate change, sustainable energy, and food production, as well as improved medicines and quality of life for all. But with this capability comes dual use (that is, not only for commercial/military use but also by good actors/bad actors) as well as profound ethical concerns, making The Genesis Machine a timely volume
Winners of the 2024 Essay Competitions
No full textThe 2024 Essay Competitions, hosted by NDU Press, saw a wide array of thought-provoking submissions across three categories, emphasizing civilian-military coordination and national security strategy. The competitions included the Secretary of Defense National Security Essay Competition, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Strategic Essay Competitions, and the Joint Force Quarterly Maerz Awards. Winners explored topics like U.S. military logistics in the face of Chinese threats, modern blockade tactics, and military recruitment challenges in the digital age. The awards continue to foster innovative ideas and strategic thinking within professional military education institutions
Joint Force Quarterly, Issue 114, 3rd Quarter 2024
No full textJoint Force Quarterly 114 explores the evolving dynamics of great power competition, military innovation, and the future of joint force effectiveness. The issue opens with insights from senior leadership, setting the stage for discussions on the trajectories of global power shifts, civilian harm mitigation, and the viability of the all-volunteer force in modern warfare. Contributions to joint professional military education (JPME) highlight the need to balance career development with military obligations, enhance joint qualification value, and address logistics challenges in contested environments. Commentary pieces examine the strategic direction of the Marine Corps, the future of noncombatant evacuation operations post-Afghanistan, and proposals for a reimagined Army Air Force. Feature articles focus on cognitive warfare’s role in digital competition, the intersection of information and power in contemporary strategy, and the impact of engineering civic assistance projects on global influence. Additionally, a joint doctrine piece advocates for a dedicated information warfare commander to enhance operational effectiveness
Confronting Irregular Warfare in the South China Sea: Lessons Learned from Vietnam
No full textThis short article by Dr. Kim Cragin examines irregular warfare activities of the Chinese maritime militia and Vietnam\u27s response, drawing lessons learned for the U.S. military
After Afghanistan: The Need for a New Noncombatant Evacuation Operation
No full textWith the noncombatant evacuation operation (NEO) in Afghanistan almost 3 years past and a NEO in South Korea an ever-present possibility, it is time to reevaluate the framework that governs the roles and responsibilities of Federal agencies in these life-and-death operations. What the Afghanistan NEO demonstrated—and what conflict on the Korean Peninsula bodes—is that the present framework buckles, if not collapses, under pressure. The United States must rethink the way it conducts NEOs if it is to properly protect noncombatant U.S. persons and allies in the increasingly unstable geopolitical terrain. This article argues that it is time for a new executive order that designates the Department of Defense (DOD) instead of the Department of State (State Department or State) as the lead agency in what could be called extraordinary NEO events