Digital Commons @ NDU National Defense University
Not a member yet
916 research outputs found
Sort by
A Persistent Fire: The Strategic Ethical Impact of World War I on the Global Profession of Arms
No full textThe profession of arms in the 21st century is at significant risk of losing its status as a profession due to several salient factors. Because of the rapid development of technology in relation to warfare, for instance, there are growing questions as to how much control human beings will retain of future combat, particularly given the speed of decisionmaking required for victory on the modern battlefield. As well, with the rise of new geopolitical and military coalitions, many are concerned as to how much war will remain an act of and in accordance with the political interests, values, and histories of individual nation-states, especially considering the thornier problem of developing the same for coalitions or allied forces. Furthermore, amid an increase in value-neutral societies (and the concomitant lack of personal moral formation of individual citizens), it may rightly be asked whether values-based institutions such as professional militaries can be adequately shaped to reflect any coherent national ethical consensus.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/books-and-book-chapters/1003/thumbnail.jp
Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms
No full textChina’s current military reforms are unprecedented in their ambition and in the scale and scope of the organizational changes. Virtually every part of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) now reports to different leaders, has had its mission and responsibilities changed, has lost or gained subordinate units, or has undergone a major internal reorganization.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/books-and-book-chapters/1004/thumbnail.jp
Joint Force Quarterly 92 (1st Quarter, January 2019)
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/jfq-full-issue/1021/thumbnail.jp
Five Conundrums: The United States and the Conflict in Syria
No full textFor the past 8 years, two U.S. administrations, the United Nations (UN), and numerous foreign governments have sought to end the catastrophic war in Syria and reach a negotiated political settlement to the conflict. Their efforts have repeatedly been complicated, even thwarted, by the highly contested and violent politics underlying the conflict, the sheer number of conflict actors inside and outside of Syria, and those actors’ diverse and often irreconcilable objectives.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/inss-strategic-perspectives/1011/thumbnail.jp
Finding Ender: Exploring the Intersections of Creativity, Innovation, and Talent Management in the U.S. Armed Forces
No full textCurrent national-level strategic documents exhort the need for creativity and innovation as a precondition of America’s continued competitive edge in the international arena. But what does that really mean in terms of personnel, processes, and culture? This paper argues that an overlooked aspect of talent management, that of cognitive diversity, must be considered when retooling military talent management systems. Going one step further, talent management models must incorporate diversity of both skill set and mindset into their calculus. Specifically, the Department of Defense (DOD) needs to recruit, retain, and utilize Servicemembers and civilians with higher than average levels of creativity and a propensity for innovative thinking. It needs “enders.”https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/inss-strategic-perspectives/1012/thumbnail.jp
A Strategic Overview of Latin America: Identifying New Convergence Centers, Forgotten Territories, and Vital Hubs for Transnational Organized Crime
No full textThis paper outlines a number of critical strategic challenges in Latin America for U.S. policymakers, which were directly identified in the December 2017 National Security Strategy. However, despite this recognition, these issues are seldom featured in policy discussions about the region.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/inss-strategic-perspectives/1014/thumbnail.jp
El Salvador’s Recognition of the People’s Republic of China: A Regional Context
No full textIn January 2016, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) abandoned an 8-year truce in its war with the Republic of China (ROC) over diplomatic recognition around the world and subsequently moved to aggressively woo traditional Taipei allies. This paper centers on the PRC’s recent successful push into Latin America, and particularly in Central America—historically a primary area of influence for the United States. Through a concerted effort—and often in exchange for promises of mega investments and financial aid—the PRC increasingly receives a warm welcome across the Latin American continent.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/inss-strategic-perspectives/1013/thumbnail.jp
Thucydides’ Other “Traps”: The United States, China, and the Prospect of “Inevitable” War
No full textThe notion of a “Thucydides Trap” that will ensnare China and the United States in a 21st century conflict—much as the rising power of Athens alarmed Sparta and made war “inevitable” between the Aegean superpowers of the 5th century BCE—has received global attention since entering the international relations lexicon 6 years ago. Scholars, journalists, bloggers, and politicians in many countries, notably China, have embraced this beguiling metaphor, coined by Harvard political science professor Graham Allison, as a framework for examining the likelihood of a Sino-American war.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/ndu-case-studies/1005/thumbnail.jp
Joint Force Quarterly 94 (3rd Quarter, July 2019)
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/jfq-full-issue/1019/thumbnail.jp