Faculty Publications

Even if the United States has fallen into decline in absolute economic and military terms, China may have crested early and plunged into yet steeper decline. In that case, the margin between the contestants would widen even if both countries were on the wane. If that’s how Xi Jinping & Co. size things up, they might order the People’s Liberation Army into action while China stands its best chance of success. There is ample precedent.

Under what conditions does the US public support the domestic use of different institutions of coercive state power? We theorize how the type of situation, the type of actor, the mission, and the type of intervention influence public support for such missions.

They’re responsible for propping up dictators, carrying out the bidding of military juntas, and supporting coups. They leave death and destruction in their wake, accused of massacring populations and exploiting local communities. What is the infamous Wagner Group?

In today’s digitized world, our lives inexorably intertwine with cyberspace. We are exposed to damaging cyberattacks by foreign actors, local criminal gangs, and other nefarious entities. U.S. Naval War College’s Derek Reveron and Brown University’s John E. Savage join Doorstep co-hosts Nick Gvosdev and Tatiana Serafin to discuss their new book Security in the Cyber Age and how we can protect ourselves online.

Cost increases and some schedule slips surrounding the missile program are unfortunate but should be expected, especially on a program of this magnitude.

Zumwalt will be pushing ten years old once its hypersonic weapons are installed, assuming its current yard period wraps up on schedule. That’s a sizable share of its service life.

Retired US Army Colonel Crowther, Mil. Prof. Jahara Matisek & Prof. O'Brien contend that European troops should be sent to Ukraine due to an imbalance in power. Russian advances and damage to Ukrainian infrastructure is a growing cost that Europe will bear if they don't intervene sooner.

On April 13, Iran launched a massive missile and drone attack on Israel. Hezbollah and Houthi attacks took place contemporaneously. Israel, alongside forces from France, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Jordan, successfully neutralized most of these threats, with several Arab States providing indirect support. Widespread denunciation of Iran’s actions followed.

Every strategy, every operational design, every weapon system depends on assumptions. They have to. But Masters of the Air tacitly rebukes those who are too wedded to their assumptions. Better to cultivate a skeptical, scientific cast of mind and the mental dexterity that comes with it. The unexpected will happen in warfare. It’s crucial to hedge against it.

Recently, a journalist questioned Vice Adm. Brad Cooper of U.S. Central command about naval operations in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, “When was the last time that the U.S. Navy operated at this pace for a couple months?” The admiral’s response was telling: “I think you’d have to go back to World War II where you have ships who are engaged in combat.”

Warfare in the Pacific between the U.S. and China promises to be an all-service, all-domain, and allied endeavor. Waging it will demand the utmost not just from naval forces but from fellow services that operate from dry earth.

The Nigerien junta has called on US military units to pull out of the country. Meanwhile, Niger appears to be pivoting toward Russia, following the path of its neighbors Mali and Burkina Faso. Both partners will need to thoroughly consider the impacts of this decision before it is fully executed, given the implications for local and regional stability.

In the age of uncrewed vehicles and artificial intelligence, every ship of war could—and should—be an “aircraft carrier” of some type or another. The U.S. Navy just might be on to something.

Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron created a stir among his European Union and NATO allies when he declared that the West should consider deploying troops to Ukraine. Though his remarks were immediately repudiated by several of his European counterparts, they reflect fears in Europe and the U.S. that Ukraine is losing the war against Russian aggression.