Table of Contents
Download the PDF 
2018 General William E. DePuy Writing Competition
Contest opens 1 January 2018 and closes 16 July 2018
Geoeconomics
Col. John F. Troxell, U.S. Army, Retired
The author offers a detailed discourse on the importance of geoeconomics, specifically as it applies to competition between China and the United States, based on a review of War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft by Robert D. Blackwill and Jennifer M. Harris.
Human Terrain System is Dead, Long Live … What? Building and Sustaining Military Cultural Competence in the Aftermath of the Human Terrain System
Maj. Ben Connable, PhD, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired
Cultural competence will be lost to the U.S. military unless comprehensive, long-term, low-level, low-cost cultural training, education, and intelligence are integrated across the Department of Defense and the services.
The Neglected Role of Brideprice in Catalyzing Instability and Violent Conflict
Valerie M. Hudson, PhD
Hilary Matfess
In an excerpt from “In Plain Sight: The Neglected Linkage between Brideprice and Violent Conflict,” originally published in International Security, the authors discuss how certain cultural aspects of male-female relationships not only subjugate women, but they can also destabilize nations by incentivizing violence and facilitating recruitment into insurgent groups.
The Pagonis Effect: A Doctrinal Future for the Support Area Command Post
Brig. Gen. Michael R. Fenzel, U.S. Army
Capt. Benjamin H. Torgersen, U.S. Army
Commanders must apply appropriate leadership and resources to the division support area so that they can remain focused on the fight in front of them or their battle plans will become unhinged. The support area command post concept may provide the necessary support area security.
Prospective Strategy for Baltic Defense: The Russian Public and War Termination in the Baltic States
Lukas Milevski, PhD
Discussion of the defense of the Baltic States against Russian aggression must also include consideration of what a successful end state would look like should a war be fought in the region, as well as how to take advantage of Russia’s self-identified weakness—its own public.
Fixing Army Doctrine: A Network Approach
Capt. James Tollefson, Alaska Army National Guard
The author discusses the importance of doctrine and the problems with the way current Army doctrine is structured. He recommends a network approach that would dramatically improve the navigability and intellectual coherence of the Army’s doctrine. (Second place, 2017 General William E. DePuy Writing Competition)
An Alliance Divided? Five Factors That Could Fracture NATO
Lt. Col. Aaron Bazin, PsyD, U.S. Army
Dominika Kunertova
Arguably, NATO is one of the most successful alliances in human history, but without cohesion, it can and will fail. The authors discuss the nature of cohesion, the factors that contribute to it, and how NATO can maintain its own cohesion.
Readiness and Interoperability in Operation Atlantic Resolve
Lt. Col. Chad Foster, U.S. Army
Enduring partnerships between U.S. units and specific allied countries optimize the ability to carry out deployed missions such as those in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve while simultaneously maintaining sustainable readiness in the European theater.
The Army’s Role in the Future Pacific Theater
Emily Martin
Samantha Wooley
Two researchers associated with the Army Capabilities Integration Center argue that the Army will play a critical supporting role in the Pacific Theater if war breaks out against China or another near-peer adversary.
Why Alaska and the Arctic are Critical to the National Security of the United States
Col. Michael J. Forsyth, U.S. Army
There is a need to ensure our interests in the Arctic are sufficiently secured to ensure resolutions to territorial and resource claims remain peaceful. The author describes several things that the U.S. military can do to ensure the future security of Alaska and the Arctic region.
Cyber is the New Air: Domain Superiority in the Megacity
Maj. Austin G. Commons, U.S. Army
For the joint force to seize, retain, and exploit the initiative in a megacity environment, joint task force commanders must prioritize cyberspace superiority rather than air superiority as an operational prerequisite.
Letter to the Editor
Maj. John Wilson, U.S. Army Reserve, 90th Sustainment Brigade
Response to Capt. Jerad Hoffmann and Capt. Paul Holoye’s “Logistical Operations in Highly Lethal Environments”
Specialist Five James C. McCloughan - Medal of Honor Recipient
Michigan native James C. McCloughan was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Donald J. Trump in a 31 July 2017 White House ceremony for actions “of gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty” from 13 to 15 May 1969 during the battle of Battle of Nui Yon Hill in the Republic of Vietnam.