Publications

Engagement is a pillar and guiding principle of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy. At the beginning of Obama’s presidency, the United States faced a global public widely angry at America and dis...chevron_right

The employment of private contractors in future American conflicts is here to stay. The system within which this contracting takes place has not caught up with the new reality. To adapt, the US gover...chevron_right

In the 21st century, the security of nations will depend increasingly on the security of natural resources, or “natural security.” Countries around the world rely on the availability of potable water...chevron_right

US Special Operations Forces (SOF) are currently experiencing their most extensive use and greatest transformation. In playing direct and leading roles in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in the broad...chevron_right

A new era of US-Indonesia relations is beginning. Geopolitical and personal forces are aligned, presenting a historic opportunity to establish a robust and enduring partnership built on mutual interes...chevron_right

The United States retains broad security interests and a dedication to global progress, but its strained resources should oblige a pragmatic re-examination of how the country pursues its ambitious aim...chevron_right

President Barack Obama took office determined to fight terrorist networks such as al Qaeda more effectively by moving away from the most visible symbols and rhetorical framework of former President Ge...chevron_right

The United States and Japan have a historic opportunity to renew their 50-year-old alliance. With a new Japanese prime minister in place and an agreement on the contentious relocation of a U.S. milita...chevron_right

The purpose of this paper is to provide an initial template for how to influence the strategic choices of actors within the Afghan government. This paper starts with an overview of sources of US and a...chevron_right

As the US military responds to the national security implications of climate change, the regional combatant commands will make the operational and tactical level decisions about how to adapt. Climate ...chevron_right

At a time when U.S. ground forces must wage two protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, design overarching visions for future needs and plan and equip accordingly, analyzing how climate change might ...chevron_right

Addressing the dual pressures of climate change and energy analyzed in this report will require the Department of Defense, US armed services and combatant commands to explore how they might plan and a...chevron_right

Through extensive research and personal interviews with US Navy and Air Force officials, this working paper synthesizes how America’s air forces are considering climate change in their near- and long-...chevron_right

National security leaders now recognize that global climate change is a matter of national security and may even be a defining security challenge of the 21st century. Nonetheless, policy makers and sc...chevron_right

America's strategy in Afghanistan is predicated on a belief that sustainable security there and in the broader region requires a sovereign Afghan state that meets its internal responsibilities to prot...chevron_right