Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College

October 25, 2016

strategic-studies-institute-1

In Carlisle Barracks, PA, one of our nation’s oldest military installations prepares the next generation of senior leaders for a changing world. It’s called the U.S. Army War College—a place where a community of security and military minds convert issues into strategy.

The Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) is the “geostrategic and national security research and analysis” arm of the U.S. Army War College. They’re a little bit like the U.S. Army’s own think tank. SSI is filled with experienced research staff who develop strategic recommendations. Such independent analysis is often published in booklet form.

GPO makes available a wide range of SSI publications. Let’s take a quick look at two recent additions to the collection.

9781584877332The Pivot to Asia: Can It Serve as the Foundation for American Grand Strategy in the 21st Century?

In 2012, the Obama administration announced a “Pivot to East Asia” strategy designed to prioritize the deepening of bilateral relationships with emerging economies in the region. This SSI work places that policy in historical context and discusses “problems that the Obama team faced in its efforts to solicit the support of regional friends and allies.” It also provides analysis of how U.S. outreach efforts utilized a network of military partners as well as the role U.S.-China relations in the pivot campaign.

From Assistance to Partnership: Morocco and its Foreign Policy in West Africa

9781584877110Morocco lies at a geopolitical and cultural crossroads like no other country in Africa. Sustained economic growth and political stability are reshaping it into a bulwark of peace and counter-extremism in West Africa. This strategic study examines how Morocco is strengthening its position as a regional security provider in the region. It “aspires to…[be] a partner of choice for the United States and other organizations seeking to develop their interests in Sub-Saharan Africa. It’s learning how to savvily leverage “security cooperation, economic development, strengthening cultural ties, and capacity building” with partners inside and outside the region.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THESE MILITARY RESOURCES?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Blogger contributor Chelsea Milko is a Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Here’s Lookin’ at You, Hard Power

March 29, 2016

Since World War II, the worldwide presence of the United States has been reinforced by the allied military network it maintains. As a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the same can be said of U.S. security partners. In “A Hard Look at Hard Power,” thirteen U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute (SSI) expert contributors address the question: “is that bargain unraveling?”

Source: archive.defense.gov

Source: archive.defense.gov

This essay collection examines the “economy of force” and “collective security” that key allies bring to the American geopolitical board game. Coalition members provide “hard power” capabilities and share the burden of reduced military spending. A multilateral cooperative of “like-minded liberal governments confers a degree of legitimacy on such operations that unilateral action is short of.” But as the essayists point out, this defense arrangement is enfeebled.

Much of the analysis points to shrinking defense forces and budgets in countries like Italy, Australia, Germany, and Great Britain. Country-specific chapters show public support for increased social spending. Maintaining modern military readiness just doesn’t receive the same backing. Much of Europe and elsewhere seems in a state of “strategic ambivalence.” Soft power is the force majeure. Hard power is softening.

a hard look at hard power_coverThe book details examples of other allies who are experiencing war power evolution and shifting power balances. Poland is boosting its regional defense capabilities. South Korea faces the advancing North Korean threat at its doorstep. Taiwan postures itself in the direction of China. Japan is undertaking ambitious military reforms for a greater strategic role. All the while, the NATO alliance force-structure is evolving.

Editor Gary J. Schmitt frames the challenge as “the absence of military capabilities or the strategy to deploy them effectively [that] can create regional dynamics that invite instability.” For the U.S. to understand allied military capability, there must be a frank discussion about what must be done to get the right resources on the table and the right forces at the table. Hard power shortcomings are everywhere. The U.S. multilateral defense network needs its friends now more than ever.

HOW DO I OBTAIN THIS PUBLICATION?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

 Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: Our guest blogger is Chelsea Milko, Public Relations Specialist in GPO’s Public Relations Office.

Leave a Comment » | Army War College, Department of Defense, U.S. Army | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Trudy Hawkins

New Works from the U.S. Army War College: Rivalries, Resurgence and Security Implications in the Middle East

September 28, 2015

Several publications published by the U.S. Army War College, Strategic Studies Institute address issues relating to regional security, international relations, political science, and foreign policy in the Middle East and Central Asia.

008-000-01116-8The Resurgence of Al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq by Azeem Ibrahim

This text takes a look at Al-Qaeda’s loss of leadership and prominence as it pivoted from Afghanistan to Syria as well as the origins of ISIS in Syria. With ISIS holding strong in Syria, Al-Qaeda moved to Iraq for a resurgence in power until it met ISIS forces.

ISIS forces emerged in April 2013 under the leadership of Al-Baghdadi, who played a key role in establishing the Al NusrahFront and converging it with what later became the Islamic State in Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS).  Al-Baghadadi, who claims to be a descendent of the Prophet Muhammad, has been described as a “philosopher jihadi”—something quite different from other al-Qaeda leaders.

The Saudi-Iranian Rivalry and the Future of Middle East Security by W. Andrew Terrill

008-000-01076-5Our allies within Saudi Arabia play a key role to the stability of the Gulf states and the Middle East writ large.  In this effort, Saudi Arabia has its challenges with neighboring Iran.  Saudi Arabia is a conservative Sunni Muslim Arab state while Iran is the leading Shi’ite state. The rivalry between Riyadh and Tehran is reflected in how the two powers exercise political influence and defend their interests in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Bahrain, and beyond. The 2011 wave of pro-democracy and anti-regime protests, known as the “Arab Spring,” introduced new considerations for both Saudi Arabia and Iran within the framework of their regional priorities. The Saudi-Iranian rivalry therefore is likely to intensify as a central feature in the Middle Eastern security landscape, expanding into both the Gulf region and the Arab-Israeli theater.

Turkey’s New Regional Security Role: Implications for the United States by Richard Weitz

008-000-01120-6This book provides a historical view of the U.S.-Turkey bilateral relationship.  America keeps a watchful eye on Turkey and its dealings in Iran’s nuclear position, Israeli-Palestine relations, and trade agreements between both countries.

All of these books may appeal to political scientists, and students writing research papers for public policy, history, military science, international relations, and global studies classes at the high-school level and above.

 

 

How do I obtain these publications?

Shop Online Anytime: You can buy eBooks or print publications —with FREE Standard Shipping worldwide— from the U.S. Government Online Bookstore at http://bookstore.gpo.gov.

Shop our Retail Store: Buy a copy of any print editions from this collection at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday–Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., except Federal holidays, Call (202) 512-0132 for information or to arrange in-store pick-up.

Order by Phone: Call our Customer Contact Center Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:30 pm Eastern (except US Federal holidays). From US and Canada, call toll-free 1.866.512.1800. DC or International customers call +1.202.512.1800.

Visit a Federal depository library: Search for U.S. Government publications in a nearby Federal depository library. You can find the records for most titles in GPO’s Catalog of U.S. Government Publications.

About the author: This week’s blog contributor is Maureen Whelan, Senior Marketing Team Leader for GPO’s Publication and Information Sales program office in Washington, DC. Maureen oversees print and digital content dissemination strategy and manages third party free and paid content distribution through platforms and vendors, such as Apple iBookstore, Barnes and Noble.com, Google Play eBookstore, Ebscohost databases, Overdrive, and more.

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Posted by Trudy Hawkins

Social Security Facts and Figures

September 10, 2012

Guest blogger, GPO Public Relations Specialist Emma Wojtowicz, reviews a new publication giving the “Fast Facts & Figures” about the U.S. Social Security System.

The Federal Government offers many publications to educate and inform the public. If there is a topic that interests you or that you want to learn more about, Government publications are a great resource. Not all publications are long, dense and written as legal briefs.

Fast Facts & Figures About Social Security, 2011 is a 36-page booklet that accomplishes what the title suggests – providing readers with fast facts and figures about Social Security.

Social Security is always a hot topic with election-year fact checkers, and this annual publication does a good job breaking down the information so the reader can understand and better grasp this important topic.

The introduction describes the publication as a “chartbook” which it is with at least one chart, graph, or table on each page. This is a smart way to present the information because it allows the reader to gain a lot of knowledge from just scanning each page.

Like most Government-related publications there are many acronyms that readers are not familiar with, luckily, this publication includes a list of abbreviations and acronyms on the second page which is helpful for understanding the content, such as OASI which stands for Old-Age and Survivors Insurance.

The data focuses on Social Security programs for retired workers and their dependents, disabled workers and their dependents, and survivors of a deceased worker, which benefits or assists over 59.2 million Americans.

Here are some of noteworthy Social Security facts and figures for 2011:

  • Of all adults receiving monthly Social Security benefits, 44% are men and 56% are women.
  • The recipients of Social Security benefits are  64% retired workers, 15% disabled workers, 12% survivors of decreased workers, and 9% dependents of a retired or disabled worker.
  • The average Social Security benefit for a worker who retires at full retirement age is $1,176 per month, and the maximum Social Security benefit a worker who retired at full retirement age can receive is $2,366 per month.
  • The average Social Security benefit for the children of a deceased worker is $750 per month.
  • Social Security is financed from three sources: 82% from payroll taxes, 15% from interest earned on Government bonds held by trust funds, and 3% from income taxes on Social Security benefits.
  • For 73% of single elderly (nonmarried aged) beneficiaries (and 54% of elderly couples receiving benefits) in 2011, Social Security provided at least 50% of their total income. Social Security benefits make up over 90% of the total income for 43% of single elderly recipients (and 22% of elderly couples), making Social Security benefits a critical source of monthly income for them to live on (See image below).

The one downside to this publication is that is does not thoroughly explain how Social Security benefits are calculated for recipients; there is a benefit formula, but it is not easy to understand. Despite that negative, the publication provides thorough data in an easy to read format that helps familiarize readers with Social Security.

HOW MAY I OBTAIN “Fast Facts & Figures About Social Security, 2011”?

  • Buy it online 24/7 at GPO’s US Government Online Bookstore.
  • Buy it at GPO’s retail bookstore at 710 North Capitol Street NW, Washington, DC 20401, open Monday-Friday, 9am to 4pm, except Federal holidays, (202) 512-0132.
  • Find it in a library.

4 Comments | Social Security Administration (SSA) | Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Michele Bartram, U.S. Government Online Bookstore

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