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The Variables of OPCON: The History of the ‘Control Rod’ Logic
No full textThis article, the first in a series for The Diplomat by Dr. Clint Work, examines the transition of wartime operational control (OPCON) from the United States to the Republic of Korea (ROK), a long-debated and complex aspect of the U.S.-ROK alliance. Focusing on the “control rod” logic, which underscores U.S. leadership to deter North Korean aggression and moderate South Korean responses, the analysis explores historical and contemporary factors that have advanced, delayed, or complicated the transition. By tracing developments from post–World War II arrangements through the Korean War, Cold War command structures, and 21st-century strategic adjustments, the study highlights the persistent tensions between U.S. influence and South Korean autonomy, offering insight into alliance modernization and regional security dynamics
Foreign Terrorist Fighters: A Threat in Stasis
No full textThis article examines the historical trajectory of “foreign terrorist fighters” associated with the Islamic State and its antecedents, al-Qa`ida and the Arab Afghans. The article argues that the threat of foreign fighters today is best understood as being in stasis. Foreign fighters continue to pursue external operations against the West. They also transfer new tactics, techniques, and procedures between conflict zones. These patterns are not new. Beyond these historical patterns, foreign terrorist fighters have become increasingly adept at reaching out to new sympathizers and serving as interlocutors between Islamic State affiliates in conflict zones and their sympathizers. FTFs also have utilized end-to-end encryption technologies, generative artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrencies to magnify their impact. Nevertheless, it is not yet time for alarm. Countries have strengthened their laws, intelligence-sharing, and law enforcement coordination over the past decade. If governments continue to build on this collective effort and devote resources toward mitigating foreign fighter flows, the threat should remain in stasis
Evaluating Anomalous Health Incidents Of The Havana Syndrome: The Case For A Structured Qualitative And Quantitative Symptom Assessment Instrument
No full textAnomalous Health Incidents (AHIs) of the colloquially termed “Havana Syndrome” represent a challenging constellation of subjective and objective neurocognitive, vestibular, and autonomic features, with potential links to directed energy exposure. Diagnostic efforts have been hindered by heterogeneity in symptom reporting and the absence of standardized assessment tools. This paper proposes the development of an Anomalous Health Incident Symptom Questionnaire (AHISQ), modeled in part upon the McGill Pain Questionnaire, to facilitate structured, multidimensional characterization of symptom phenomenology. Integrating qualitative descriptors with quantitative metrics, the AHISQ would support reproducible data collection, epidemiological modeling, differential diagnosis, and forensic analysis. The paper details proposed domains of assessment, including sensory, cognitive-affective, functional, temporal, and contextual parameters, and advocates for digital integration, adaptive questioning, and multimodal validation incorporating neuroimaging, physiological, and biometric data. The AHISQ is presented as a tool to inform causal inference frameworks such as the Bradford-Hill criteria and PECOTS model, while addressing ethical imperatives for rigorous, inclusive, and hypothesis-neutral assessment. Ultimately, this approach aligns with a precision neurophenomenological paradigm, bridging subjective experience with objective analysis, and fostering improved diagnostic fidelity, patient care, and national security readines
China’s exploitation of overseas ports and bases
No full textThis paper, authored by T.X. Hammes of the INSS Center for Strategy and Military Power, analyzes how the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) could leverage its expanding network of overseas ports and bases to challenge U.S. maritime dominance in a conventional conflict. The study identifies three primary security concerns associated with Chinese port ownership and control. First, these facilities provide extensive opportunities for intelligence collection and surveillance of global maritime activity. Second, control over key ports could enable the PLA to disrupt U.S. and allied logistics or shipping operations during wartime. Third, the port network could be used to pre-position military assets, resupply naval forces, or establish anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) nodes near critical maritime chokepoints. Collectively, these capabilities would allow China to contest the sea control essential to U.S. operational success, underscoring the strategic significance of global port access in modern warfare and great-power competition
China\u27s Overseas Bases & the Transition to War
No full textThe People’s Republic of China continues to expand its already well-established contestation of ownership, access, and control of ports throughout the world. They have done this in parallel with building the world’s largest navy and a diverse set of military capabilities clearly designed with one purpose—defeating the U.S. military in the Indo-Pacific. Dr. T.X. Hammes, Distinguished Research Fellow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) Center for Strategy and Military Power, joins Midrats to discuss this and related topics
A New Step in China’s Military Reform
No full textJoel Wuthnow, a senior research fellow in NDU’s Institute of National Strategic Studies, discusses the current state of military reform in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). In April 2024, Xi Jinping launched a sweeping military reorganization aimed at enhancing the PLA\u27s ability to achieve information dominance and conduct integrated joint operations. The reform dismantled the Strategic Support Force, introduced a new Information Support Force (ISF), and placed key support elements under Xi’s direct control—marking the PLA’s most significant structural change in five years. Motivated in part by lessons from Russia’s failures in Ukraine, the changes aim to boost PLA readiness for potential conflict scenarios, particularly over Taiwan. This article analyzes the reform’s components, assesses its impact on operational effectiveness, and explores how it may influence Chinese leadership’s calculus in future military actions. It also calls attention to the need for the U.S. to consider these shifts in updating its Joint Warfighting Concept
China\u27s Quest for Military Supremacy
No full textDr. Phillip Saunders and Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow in the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, discussed their new book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy on the podcast, Mapping Global China, hosted by Maria Carrai at NYU Shanghai.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/podcasts/1004/thumbnail.jp
Joel Wuthnow and Phillip Saunders on China\u27s PLA
No full textDr. Phillip Saunders and Senior Research Fellow Dr. Joel Wuthnow, in the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS), discuss their new book China’s Quest for Military Supremacy on the School of War podcast. The two join the show to discuss the origins, organization, and strategic outlook of China’s military.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/podcasts/1007/thumbnail.jp
Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative
No full textAaron Bateman\u27s Weapons in Space: Technology, Politics, and the Rise and Fall of the Strategic Defense Initiative provides a comprehensive history of the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), revealing its technological, political, and international complexities through newly declassified records. Bateman explores SDI’s origins, rooted in President Reagan’s vision to neutralize nuclear threats, and examines the challenges posed by its reliance on space-based technologies that blurred the line between missile defense and offensive space weapons. The book details the entanglement of SDI with arms control efforts, European allies’ concerns over space militarization, and logistical hurdles like the reliance on NASA’s shuttle program. It also highlights how SDI’s legacy continues to shape modern U.S., Russian, and Chinese views of space as a contested domain in today’s era of great power competition. Bateman’s study is a valuable resource for understanding how the technological and strategic dilemmas of SDI remain relevant to contemporary debates about space militarization and missile defense
What Would OPCON Transfer Mean for the UN Command in Korea?
No full textThis article in The Diplomat by Dr. Clint Work, in the INSS Center for Strategy and Military Power, examines the implications of wartime operational control (OPCON) transition from the United States to the Republic of Korea (ROK) for the U.S.-led United Nations Command (UNC) on the Korean Peninsula. While OPCON transition shifts wartime leadership from the U.S.-led Combined Forces Command to a ROK-led Future Combined Forces Command, it does not alter the UNC’s continued U.S. leadership or its core responsibilities, including armistice enforcement, coordination with UNC Sending States, and access to UNC-Rear bases in Japan. Drawing on historical analysis and expert perspectives from U.S., South Korean, and Japanese specialists, the article assesses how persistent misunderstandings of the UNC’s legal authorities have fueled its politicization within South Korea’s sovereignty and alliance debates. It argues that effective OPCON transition and regional stability depend on defining the roles of the UNC, the Future Combined Forces Command, and U.S. Forces Korea