December 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Col. Eric D. Beaty, U.S. Army
Barbara L. Pitts, PhD*
Melissa R. Wolfe, PhD
The culture of assessments outlined in the Army People Strategy has been operationalized using a career-long model to assess and improve the effectiveness of Army leaders. This article focuses on developmental assessments in programs such as Athena and predictive assessments through the Command Assessment Program.
Article published on: 20 December 2023
Lt. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr., U.S. Army
Excerpt of a speech given by Lt. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr. to the Harding Project Writing Workshop on 30 November 2023.
Article published on: 14 December 2023
Capt. Christopher H. Slininger, U.S. Army
The Army must modernize how it conducts professional development and take a holistic approach to retaining and recruiting Army talent.
Article published on: 14 December 2023
Lt. Col. Doug Livermore, North Carolina National Guard
A Special Forces officer explains how personnel reductions among special operations forces will greatly affect niche specialties and negatively impact U.S. Space Force and U.S. Cyber Command strategic effects.
Article published on: 14 December 2023
Chief Warrant Officer 5 Douglas D. Megenity, U.S. Army
Army intelligence officers do not understand the technical inner workings of their trade, and they are provided only a very narrow view of the intelligence warfighting function by the officer education system and are encumbered with the severely limiting realities of the officer key development system.
Article published on: 12 December 2023
November 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Maj. John Dzwonczyk, U.S. Army
Maj. Clayton Merkley, U.S. Army
The Army needs a useful definition of large-scale combat operations (LSCO) because without one, we risk learning the wrong lessons from history and being unprepared for the next war. Without a definition, LSCO cannot be professionally analyzed.
Article published on: 28 November 2023
Col. Travis Jacobs, U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Gregg Buehler, U.S. Army, Retired
Michelle Pressler
Sarah Shibles
The Army’s Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention (SHARP) program is transforming into a professional installation workforce model, and SHARP training and education is changing to meet the needs of an evolving workforce, but commanders are still the center of gravity for execution of the SHARP program.
Article published on: 27 November 2023
Glenn Corn
There are interesting parallels between the Russia Civil War and the current war between Russia and Ukraine regarding the Isthmus of Perekop, which has been the center of battles between armies fighting for control of Crimea for centuries.
Article published on: 21 November 2023
Lt. Col. Michael Kim, U.S. Army
The phases of a chess match can provide a useful analogy to explain multidomain operations, specifically the concept of convergence.
Article published on: 17 November 2023
Lt. Col. Mohamed B. Massaquoi, U.S. Army
In this DePuy writing contest entry, the author questions the appropriateness of a maritime chapter in the primarily land-focused doctrine publication FM 3-0. Operations.
Article published on: 17 November 2023
Maj. McLeod William Wood, Australian Army
An Australian officer cleverly uses a vignette to explain concepts associated with multidomain operations.
Article published on: 15 November 2023
Dr. Omer Dostri
An Israeli scholar describes the measures Hamas took to launch a 7 October 2023 surprise attack on Israel and delves into Israel’s initial and continued responses as well as those of other actors.
Article published on: 07 November 2023
Lt. Col. Darin S. Elgersma
Threats and limited applications of force affect behavior in some circumstances but are less effective in others. Given how frequently nations rely on deterrence and compellence calculations, it is vital to understand how these strategies interact.
Article published on: 02 November 2023
October 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Maj. Robert G. Rose
Before Russia invaded Ukraine, many analysts saw Russian military doctrine as “clear, precise, well evidenced and conceptually elegant.” They believed Russia posed a threat to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Article published on: 23 October 2023
Glenn Corn
Ukraine can learn many lessons from Azerbaijan’s highly successful military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Azerbaijanis never gave up their quest to return Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control, and the Ukrainians should never accept Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory.
Article published on: 19 October 2023
Bilal Y. Saab
If properly designed, security cooperation can leverage, strengthen, and expand America’s network of global allies and partners—its biggest competitive advantage— in support of U.S. and collective security interests.
Article published on: 19 October 2023
Lt. Col. Peter Kilner, U.S. Army, Retired
The author states that ethical, proactive leadership can prevent or mitigate war-related moral injuries. The actions leaders take before, during, and after combat deployments will reduce the prevalence and magnitude of their soldiers’ moral injuries.
Article published on: 12 October 2023
September 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Capt. Elianna Esau, U.S. Army
Chinese influence in Africa has helped it dominate the field of the rare minerals and rare earth elements that are critical for producing clean energy and defense technology. As the United States prioritizes national security through clean energy options, it must address China’s outsized influence in Africa through comprehensive and integrated strategies to mitigate the risks of current power dynamics.
Article published on: 20 September 2023
Alan Cunningham
The U.S. military is seriously underprepared to deal with supply chain issues in times of direct action and during combat operations and years behind in maintaining an advantage in emerging technology like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and blockchain technology.
Article published on: 18 September 2023
Col. Todd Schmidt, PhD, U.S. Army
The editor in chief of Military Review discusses the hazards of holding up high-level military promotions and other government leadership appointments for political purposes.
Article published on: 14 September 2023
Dr. Kate Dahlstrand
The author discusses the CAC Gross-Generational Team, a new volunteer committee created by the CAC commanding general, to address workplace climate concerns identified on Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, investigate solutions to those concerns, and offer recommendations that would result in individuals given authority to make change happen.
Article published on: 12 September 2023
Maj. Tiarra J. McDaniel, U.S. Army
Yasmine L. Konheim-Kalkstein, PhD
In response to “Developing Leaders of Character: Whose Job Is It?,” published in April as a Military Review online exclusive, two authors from West Point argue that faculty, by nature of their role, do influence students’ character, even beyond the intellectual virtues.
Article published on: 01 September 2023
August 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Capt. Orlando Nieves III, U.S. Army
1st Lt. John Boyer, U.S. Army
Sgt. Feihrren Calhoun, U.S. Army
The U.S. Army must match the intensity of its adversaries regarding technology and the speed of data by focusing on its soldiers’ and civilians’ skill sets. It is critical that units do not wait for the Department of Defense, service headquarters, and senior leaders to order the participation in generalized data literacy programs. Rather, each unit must take charge of its own literacy in a way that is customized to its unique mission requirements.
Article published on: 25 August 2023
Maj. Gen. Curtis A. Buzzard, U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Thomas M. Feltey, U.S. Army
Lt. Col. John M. Nimmons, U.S. Army
Maj. Austin T. Schwartz, U.S. Army
Dr. Robert S. Cameron
It is premature to draw conclusions on the continued efficacy of tanks and armored formations based on recent conflicts. Tanks will continue to be a tremendous battlefield asset when employed properly.
Article published on: 17 August 2023
Maj. Gen. Brian S. Eifler, U.S. Army
Natalie M. Hardy
The 11th Airborne Division, reactivated in 2022, is capable of operating in the Arctic, in mountainous terrain, and in other extreme cold weather areas while maintaining readiness for global deployments.
Article published on: 08 August 2023
July 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Lt. Col. John Q. Bolton, U.S. Army
This article discusses observations and implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The most intense fighting in Europe since World War II provides insights that should inform defense doctrine, equipping, and training.
Article published on: 20 July 2023
June 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Alan Chase Cunningham
While conscription was a fact of life in many of the U.S. conflicts, the United States has still overwhelmingly been an all-volunteer force, which has been the dominant method of military recruiting for decades. Some believe a return to conscription is warranted to solve the Army’s current recruiting problems, but this short-term solution will weaken America’s defenses rather than strengthen them.
Article published on: 30 June 2023
May 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
James J. Valdes, PhD
Richard S. Potember, PhD
Diane M. Kotras, MS
Military missions require small energy-dense formulations to power future generations of miniature autonomous systems and satellites, and to provide sufficient destructive energy yields in small explosive payloads.
Article published on: 23 May 2023
Maj. Aaron Lawless, U.S. Army
The word “hooah,” according to at least one version of the legend, began life as the acronym H-U-A for “heard, understood, acknowledged.” Hooah, then, implies three steps of a four-step process: receive the message, process the message, acknowledge receipt of the message, and then act on the message. The recent Military Review article “We Hear You!” accomplishes the first step of this process.1 The article leads with a summary of senior captains’ published frustrations with command, indicating receipt of message. After summarizing, however, the article demonstrates that the full point is not completely understood.
Article published on: 16 May 2023
April 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Maj. Chris Adams, British Army
This author uses cooking as a tangible and easily understood analogy to help newly promoted field grade officers understand operational art. In doing so, it provides a model that explains tactics, strategy, operational approaches, ends, ways, means, and risk.
Article published on: 19 April 2023
Lt. Col. Matthew L. Jamison, U.S. Army
The author provides an alternative view of the problems with junior officer retention from what is discussed in “We Hear You!” by Lt. Gen. Milford Beagle Jr. et al.
Article published on: 13 April 2023
Brig. Gen. Mark A. Holler, U.S. Army
A general officer shares his insights and some of the lessons he learned over his career and discusses the importance of subordinate leader development by senior leaders.
Article published on: 13 April 2023
Dr. Stephen J. Finn
The author argues against the concept that faculty instructors at both West Point (and Service Academies in general) are responsible for the character development of cadets through attempted integration of character development measures into the curricula of the specialized fields of study they teach (e.g., integrating character development into math and physics courses). The author acknowledges and briefly outlines the concerns causing debates on this issue and then offers a possible solution to both sides by recommending that a department specializing in character development be established with a core mission of fostering character development through focused course work and other directed activities.
Article published on: 06 April 2023
March 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Lt. Gen. Milford “Beags” Beagle, U.S. Army
Brig. Gen. Jason C. Slider, U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Matthew R. Arrol, U.S. Army
To fight and win on the modern battlefield in large-scale combat operations, Army command posts must become more flexible, agile, and resilient while not sacrificing effectiveness.
Article published on: 28 March 2023
Lt. Gen. Milford H. Beagle Jr., U.S. Army
Lt. Col. Michael Soyka, U.S. Army
Maj. Lasherdo Harris, U.S. Army
Capt. Sean Robishaw, U.S. Army
The Combined Arms Center commander and three other officers address the dissatisfaction voiced by junior officers concerning careers, the challenges of command time, and shortfalls in professional military education. The authors provide insights from their experiences on how an Army career evolves and how to reframe experiences across that career.
Article published on: 27 March 2023
Maj. William L. Woldenberg, U.S. Army Reserve
The Army Distributed Learning Program fails to meet the shared vision established in 2020 by the Joint Chiefs of Staff because of insufficient course design and counterproductive policies and doctrine, damaging the quality of education experienced by both Active and Reserve Component officers.
Article published on: 27 March 2023
Kathryn Elliott
Thomas P. Sheehy
with Ambassador David C. Miller Jr., Retired
The uniformed services conduct war games of various scales and varieties as an integral part of training their personnel, but there is no equivalent that allows civilians to practice winning the peace. The Peace Game can address that shortcoming.
Article published on: 17 March 2023
Col. Timothy Teague, U.S. Army, Retired
Maj. Duncan E. Braswell, U.S. Army
Given the complexity of the current global environment and the expanding, holistic capabilities of our competitors, particularly the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Russia, the United States must approach deterrence in a new way.
Article published on: 06 March 2023
Dr. Robert F. Baumann
Numerous Russian bands and rock stars are using their music to protest Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Like in the United States during the Vietnam War, antiwar music has become their principal medium of political protest against the actions of the regime.
Article published on: 03 March 2023
February 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Karl G. Feld
E. Lee Hill
Victoria A. Leoni
The Defense Media Activity seeks to employ surveys, focus groups, and other applied social science methods to generate new data to inform the organization’s strategic initiatives and improve its services to the DOD public affairs enterprise.
Article published on: 17 February 2023
Aleksandr Perendzhiev
Translated and Foreword by Ray Finch
A Russian educator provides the Russian perspective on and justification for that country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Article published on: 06 February 2023
January 2023 Online Exclusive Articles
Capt. Andrew J. Baer, U.S. Army
A junior officer provides insights from his time as a member of a security force advise and assist team in Afghanistan.
Article published on: 25 January 2023
Maj. Jamie Critelli, U.S. Army Reserve
Capt. Gustavo Ferreira, PhD, U.S. Army Reserve
Many lessons have been learned from the ongoing war in Ukraine to include the growing awareness of the need for resilient civil societies that are prepared to deal with shocks and will likely bounce back after a crisis.
Article published on: 19 January 2023
1st Lt. Kyle K. Rable, U.S. Army Reserve
Vietnamization, the process of shifting combat operations in Vietnam from U.S. to South Vietnamese forces, negatively impact the conventional units in the field and the psychological operations mission in particular.
Article published on: 09 January 2023