Strategy Central

STRATEGY CENTRAL Proudly Presents The Must-Read Book Recommendations for 2024! In an era marked by rapid political shifts and technological advancements, grasping the complex interplay between diplomacy, information, military strategy, and economics (DIME) is essential. This knowledge is invaluable for anyone seeking to understand the forces that drive national and military strategies. The books from each DIME category offer critical insights into the elements that shape global power dynamics and security, making one or a selection from each a vital source for navigating today’s international landscape. https://lnkd.in/g5q4fQCR

Archduke Ferdinand, blah, blah, blah…What Really Started WWI? Lessons in Great Power Competition From July to August 1914 In the final days of July 1914, Europe teetered on the edge of an abyss. The assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary on June 28 ignited a crisis that grew from a regional dispute into a global catastrophe. Despite frantic diplomatic efforts to avert war, the Great Powers of France, England, Germany, and Russia ultimately found themselves hurtling toward conflict. Their collective failure offers a sobering lesson in how competing national interests, inflexible alliances, and miscalculations can lead to disaster.   While the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand is often cited as the trigger for the war, significant events in the lead-up to the fighting are crucial for understanding today's great power competition. The widely acclaimed, The Guns of August, will be a key source and highlighted in particular passages throughout the article. This article examines how nations, despite arming for war, sought to avoid conflict before World War I began. July of 1914 screams a cautionary tale to modernity, and we should listen. https://lnkd.in/etTEBhud

Privatizing Veteran Health Care is a Betrayal, Not A Solution Pete Hegseth and his compatriots of DOG-E have taken aim at a group they purport to revere: America’s veterans. Hegseth, a Fox News regular and perennial advocate for privatizing government services, has been vocal about his disdain for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), suggesting that veterans “ask for too much” and that privatization is the solution to the VA’s woes. Of course, this push for "choice" in healthcare masks a broader agenda: dismantling the VA system and shifting costs onto veterans while fattening the pockets of private insurers.   Hegseth and his allies claim their crusade is about empowering veterans. In reality, their efforts would unravel the very fabric of a system designed to meet veterans’ unique needs. The VA isn’t perfect—what massive organization is?—but its integrated care model is unmatched in addressing service-related injuries like PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and complex prosthetic needs. College and vocational skills funding and the VA home loan are staples that have given generations of veterans a leg-up, not a handout. The primary concern in this article is health care. Privatizing these services would not only cost more but would also leave veterans scrambling to find care in a fragmented system ill-equipped to handle their challenges. https://lnkd.in/eMwawhNW

Irregular Warfare Lessons From the Cold War Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union relied on a complex blend of irregular warfare techniques to spread communist influence, subvert Western-aligned governments, and counter the influence of the United States. This strategy was a cornerstone of the Soviet doctrine, built on ideological fervor and a careful understanding of global geopolitics. Unlike the United States, which often employed direct intervention and overt counterinsurgency, the Soviet approach sought to capitalize on asymmetric opportunities and exploit the political fault lines of vulnerable regions. While this method yielded notable successes, it also led to remarkable failures, ultimately shaping the dynamics of modern irregular warfare. https://lnkd.in/gTMApDUS

Blending AI with Human Judgment Man, Machine, and the Battlefield in Modern Warfare Artificial intelligence is on the verge of revolutionizing modern warfare's speed, scale, and complexity, surpassing the human mind's capabilities. AI promises to solve this problem—helping to sift through data, recognize patterns, and make multi-domain decisions in real-time. But as the U.S. military increasingly looks to AI to address tactical and strategic challenges, a fundamental question looms: How do we blend AI’s computational power with human moral and professional judgment? It is not enough to build smarter systems; those systems must serve human ethics and law, particularly concerning lethal force. https://lnkd.in/eFn7ymvB

Forging the Offensive The U.S. Military's Remarkable Recovery After Pearl Harbor   The attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, catapulted the United States into World War II and set in motion an unprecedented mobilization of military and industrial resources to counter the Japanese threat. Over the course of the following year, the U.S. military transformed from a defensive posture to an offensive force capable of projecting power across the Pacific. This article explores the military actions, logistical challenges, strategic decisions, and achievements of the United States between December 1941 and December 1942, as well as plans for 1943. It evaluates whether the strategy and decisions were effective. https://lnkd.in/ewmD839U

The Lonely “I” In DIME How the U.S. Can Address the Information Challenge of Our Time In the realm of national power, the United States has traditionally excelled in diplomacy, military strength, and economic influence, as encapsulated in the DIME framework. However, the often undervalued and underutilized "I" or informational element now represents a critical vulnerability. The digital age has amplified the potency of information as a tool for shaping perceptions, influencing public opinion, and advancing strategic goals. Yet, this democratization of information has also exposed new weaknesses, with adversaries exploiting open societies through disinformation and propaganda. Perhaps even more importantly, the totality of information in all its various forms is even more important to see as a diverse whole found in academia, science, military, industry, government, and personal spheres deserving of protection and continued access. This article examines the United States' neglect of its informational power and argues for a revitalized approach that prioritizes education, strategic coordination, and the creation of an empowered institution capable of addressing the multifaceted challenges of the information age. https://lnkd.in/evuD4gvt

Governed & Ungoverned Spaces:  What They Have Taught Us About Counterterror Strategy The desire for self-determination has fueled political uprisings, secessionist movements, and conflicts across the globe. Various groups, often marginalized and dispossessed, have sought independence or greater autonomy through a range of means, including violent insurgencies, peaceful protest, and diplomatic negotiation. Among these are the Irish Republican Army (IRA), the Basque separatists in Spain, the Kurds in Iraq and Turkey, the Palestinians, and the Hong Kong independence movement. Although their contexts differ widely, their struggles share a common thread: an enduring pursuit of self-rule against what they perceive as oppressive governance. This article examines why various groups have pursued independence, the strategies they have employed, the successes of these efforts, and the lessons that can be learned in both independence movements and counterterrorism. Additionally, insights from the relationship between governance and independence suggest what is possible and what is not achievable in ungoverned spaces. https://lnkd.in/efiJ6Cn6

Time to Eliminate the Houthi Threat The Red Sea is one of the world's most vital maritime trade routes, connecting the Indian Ocean with the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal, and providing a crucial artery for global commerce. It accounts for approximately 15 percent of the world's trade, a staggering statistic that underscores its geopolitical significance. Unfortunately, the security of the Red Sea is increasingly at risk due to the escalation of attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels, a group heavily backed by Iran and supported indirectly by both Russia and China. This alarming nexus of interests and alliances demands an urgent response from the international community if the stability of the Red Sea and the global economy is to be preserved.   https://lnkd.in/e8iCh4MY

How Best to Rule The World? Regime Type & Great Power Competition The ideological dynamic that profoundly shaped the Cold War is not as pronounced in the current geopolitical moment of great power competition.  The heavy use of words like “revanchist” and “malign actors” in U.S. national security and academic circles obscures the fact that political ideologies remain very much in play. If setting the rules for global order is the prize in great power competition, then understanding the alternative systems of order becomes an essential tool in the national security toolbox. This analysis explores the state of international order, the common systems of governance, and what impact the evolving regime types may have on national security approaches.  To get there, it will be necessary to explore governance types, compare their definitions, highlight their differences, and examine each regime type's influence on foreign policy. https://lnkd.in/ecDxAKHq