Digital Commons @ NDU National Defense University
Not a member yet
916 research outputs found
Sort by
The New NATO Policy Guidelines on Counterterrorism: Analysis, Assessments, and Actions
No full textThe history of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will say that the first, and so far only, time NATO has called upon its Article 5 collective defense clause was on September 12, 2001, following a terrorist attack on one of its members. Yet, until the agreement by NATO Heads of State and Government on the new policy guidelines on counterterrorism on May 20, 2012, NATO did not have an agreed policy to define its role and mandate in countering terrorism.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/inss-strategic-perspectives/1029/thumbnail.jp
Next Steps in Syria
No full textNearly 3 years since the start of the Syrian civil war, no clear winner is in sight. Assassinations and defections of civilian and military loyalists close to President Bashar al-Asad, rebel success in parts of Aleppo and other key towns, and the spread of violence to Damascus itself suggest that the regime is losing ground to its opposition. The tenacity of government forces in retaking territory lost to rebel factions, such as the key town of Qusayr, and attacks on Turkish and Lebanese military targets indicate, however, that the regime can win because of superior military equipment, especially airpower and missiles, and help from Iran and Hizballah. No one is prepared to confidently predict when the regime will collapse or if its opponents can win.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/strategic-forums/1029/thumbnail.jp
Critical Technology Events (CTEs) that Support the Rationale for Army Laboratories Based on Science and Technology Functions Performed
No full textThis report, part of the “Project Hindsight Revisited” series of DTP publications, provides a retrospective look at 58 Critical Technology Events (CTEs) in DoD R&D investment, logically divided across 10 separate categories. The authors demonstrate the continuing relevance of Army laboratories in the development of critical weapons systems. Using specific examples, the study articulates the importance of maintaining quality staff and managers, ensuring the relevance of S&T program investments, and integrating servicemen and women with the larger scientific community to forecast technology trends.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/defense-tech-papers/1004/thumbnail.jp
Organizational Analysis of the TIDES Project and the STAR-TIDES Network using the 7-S Framework
No full textThis paper gives an in-depth organizational analysis of STAR-TIDES, a special project of CTNSP. STAR-TIDES is an open-network, global organization, a form that is increasingly common in the digital age. This report identifies the core “7-S” factors in STAR-TIDES (Strategy, Structure, Systems, Staffing, Skills, Style, and Shared values), with recommendations for improved performance. Results provide a template for how to conduct a 7-S organizational analysis.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/defense-tech-papers/1007/thumbnail.jp
PRISM Vol. 4, No. 3
No full textThis volume pens with remarks by U.S. President Barack Obama at the National Defense University, addressing key issues in national security. The featured articles examine topics such as the evolving role of secret intelligence, the unique challenges faced by military and global leaders, and the transformation of Special Operations Forces (SOF) within global networks. Further discussions include the complexities of stabilization and reconstruction, shifting U.S. strategies in Central America’s Northern Triangle and the Asia-Pacific region, and a proposed taxonomy of military structures worldwide. The From the Field section highlights the role of Joint Deployable Training Teams, while the Lessons Learned section reflects on strategic responses to a decade of conflict. An exclusive interview with former Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair offers perspectives on U.S. security policy. The volume concludes with a review of The Insurgents, a book examining General David Petraeus’s influence on modern U.S. military strategy.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/prism-full-issue/1014/thumbnail.jp
Preparing the Pipeline: The U.S. Cyber Workforce for the Future
No full textIn 2008, the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative listed “expanded cyber education” as one of its key recommendations. In 2009, the Partnership for Public Service produced a report stating that the current pipeline of cybersecurity workers into the government was inadequate.1 In the same year, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates stated that the military was “desperately short of people who have the capabilities [to operate in cyberspace].”2 And in 2011, the Inspector General of the Federal Bureau of Investigation reported that 35 percent of the special agents investigating national security cyber-intrusion cases lacked necessary training and technical skills.3 Nonetheless, the U.S. Government and private sector still seek to increase their online operations and dependency in spite of these shortcomings. An expert at the Atlantic Council of the United States sums up this problem: “cyber workforce management efforts resemble a Ferris wheel: the wheel turns on and on . . . we move, but around and around, never forward.”4https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/defense-horizons/1012/thumbnail.jp
Trust, Engagement, and Technology Transfer: Underpinnings for U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation
No full textOn the eve of the January 1, 2011, inauguration of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the State Department noted that the United States “is committed to deepening our relationship on a wide range of bilateral, regional and global issues with Brazil’s government and people.” President Rousseff herself declared shortly thereafter, “We will preserve and deepen the relationship with the United States.” During President Barack Obama’s March 2011 visit to Brazil, both leaders cited “the progress achieved on defense issues in 2010” and stated their commitment to “follow up on the established dialogue in this area, primarily on new opportunities for cooperation.” While these rhetorical commitments are important, will they lead to greater cooperation on defense issues and improve U.S.-Brazil ties?https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/strategic-forums/1033/thumbnail.jp
Sino-American Strategic Restraint in an Age of Vulnerability
No full textFor all their power, both the United States and China are increasingly vulnerable. Each faces a range of strategic dangers, from nuclear weapons to disruption of critical computer networks and space links. Because their relationship is at once interdependent and potentially adversarial, the United States and China are especially vulnerable to each other: interdependence exposes each to the other, while the potential for conflict impels each to improve strategic capabilities against which defenses can be futile. Strategic vulnerability cannot be eliminated, only mitigated.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/strategic-forums/1039/thumbnail.jp
Grand Strategy and International Law
No full textGrand strategy is, or should be, the “calculated relationship of means to large ends.” Interrelated strategic and legal dimensions provide a leitmotif to the modern history of relations among powerful states. States employ an array of means to achieve their large ends—military power, as well as diplomatic, informational, economic/financial, and legal tools and influence. They differ in effectiveness and precision. In the web of interactions that shape contemporary international relations, the legal dimension as a framework and guide to choices is more often overlooked than particular legal instruments that might be invoked in the belief, or more often the hope, that they will serve policy and strategic objectives.https://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/strategic-forums/1035/thumbnail.jp
Joint Force Quarterly 66 (3rd Quarter, July 2012)
No full texthttps://digitalcommons.ndu.edu/jfq-full-issue/1047/thumbnail.jp