Asymmetric Warfare

Gaza Strip

commentary
The West's Incoherent Critique of Israel's Gaza Strategy
The battlefield geography of Gaza means that any operation there would turn into a bloody, highly destructive ground operation, with a lot of civilians caught in the crossfire. While Israel can mitigate some of these effects, neither Israel nor any other military can prevent them entirely. In this war, there is no happy medium.
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Nov 16, 2023
Foreign Policy
Raphael S. Cohen

Israel

commentary
Why the Oct. 7 Attack Wasn't Israel's 9/11
There are some basic strategic lessons to be learned from the U.S. response to 9/11 that are applicable to Israel's unfolding operation in Gaza. But in many key ways, the two conflicts couldn't be further apart.
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Nov 13, 2023
Lawfare
Raphael S. Cohen
Military Strategy

commentary
Winning the Irregular World War
If the United States hopes to prevail in an asymmetrical world war, it must upgrade its abilities to provide self-defense and resistance support to its allies and partners, and better coordinate its disparate efforts to counter Russia and China across departments and agencies.
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Nov 6, 2023
Newsweek
Alexander Noyes @alexhnoyes, Daniel Egel
Gaza Strip

commentary
What Israel's Ground Offensive Can—and Cannot—Accomplish
Weeks after terrorist attacks left 1,400 Israelis dead, Israel has started its much-anticipated ground offensive in Gaza. But what can such an operation hope to achieve, and why launch such a campaign now?
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Nov 6, 2023
Fox News Channel
Raphael S. Cohen
Military Strategy

commentary
Inflection Point: How to Reverse the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence
U.S. military forces no longer enjoy the kind of comprehensive superiority that was the foundation of victories over adversary states. Re-establishing a credible posture against aggression by highly capable adversaries will call for sustained, coordinated efforts by the United States, its allies, and its key partners to rethink their approaches to defeating aggression and to recast important elements of their military forces and postures.
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Nov 3, 2023
War on the Rocks
David A. Ochmanek, Andrew R. Hoehn @AndyHoehn
Gaza Strip

commentary
Sparing Civilian Lives in Gaza
How do you protect innocent civilians while conducting effective urban military operations against an enemy who is integrated into the civilian population and entrenched in a location's infrastructure? Despite the ferocity of the Hamas attack and the Israeli response, the moral obligation to reduce civilian harm cannot be ignored.
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Oct 21, 2023
USA Today
Karen M. Sudkamp
Unmanned Maritime Vessels

commentary
Revive the Ram
In the face of aggressive maneuvers by Chinese vessels, the U.S. Navy can brandish ramming unmanned surface vessels as a capability to inhibit threats while limiting the risk of escalation. These relatively simple, inexpensive vehicles could be used alongside a variety of nonlethal weapons to manage confrontations, giving commanders more options.
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Jun 22, 2023
RealClearDefense
Scott Savitz
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

commentary
What the Drone Strikes on the Kremlin Reveal About the War in Ukraine
False flag, special op, or fizzled attack—it may not be possible to get to the bottom of who launched drones at the Kremlin and why any time soon. But the incident and reactions it has elicited from the war's major players reveal just how important weaponized, long-range drones have become in this conflict.
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May 4, 2023
The Atlantic
Brynn Tannehill
Military Strategy

commentary
Maximizing the Potential of American Irregular Warfare in Strategic Competition
It is time that the United States develop the concepts and associated doctrine, commands, field operating agencies, and personnel to maximize the potential of American irregular warfare in strategic competition.
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Apr 3, 2023
The Hill
Charles T. Cleveland, Daniel Egel, et al.
Military Strategy

commentary
A Tale of Two Wars and the Pitfalls of Success
Russia's war in Ukraine once again poses questions about how the United States prepares for conflict—not only which weapons it buys, but also how it envisions great-power wars in the 21st century. If the United States does learn the lessons of this war, then it may secure the U.S. military's edge for decades to come.
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Feb 2, 2023
Foreign Policy
Raphael S. Cohen, Gian Gentile
Asymmetric Warfare

commentary
Preparing for Strategic Competition: The Need for Irregular Warfare Professional Military Education
The Department of Defense does not provide the irregular warfare professional military education necessary for success in competition and conflict in the 21st century. This is not a new problem, but it is one that may deserve new attention from Congress and the Pentagon.
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Feb 1, 2023
The Hill
Charles T. Cleveland, Daniel Egel, et al.
Taiwan

commentary
'Strategic Ambiguity' May Have U.S. and Taiwan Trapped in a Prisoner's Dilemma
For its proponents, the idea of strategic ambiguity seems to have become an end in itself that has not adapted, and logically cannot adapt to the disruptive growth in Beijing's military power. The conditions under which the policy worked seem to have evaporated with China's rise. Strategic clarity may offer a way out of this dilemma.
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Jan 18, 2023
Foreign Policy
Raymond Kuo @Kuorum1
Asymmetric Warfare

commentary
Mastering Irregular Warfare
The U.S. military has failed to master irregular warfare above the tactical level. This is not a new problem, and it is one that has been recognized by leaders at the most senior echelons of government. There are several steps that the DoD and U.S. Congress might consider to develop the mastery of irregular warfare that the United States needs.
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Dec 14, 2022
The Hill
Charles T. Cleveland, Daniel Egel, et al.
Unmanned Maritime Vessels

commentary
The Age of Uncrewed Surface Vessels
A new age of naval warfare has been inaugurated in the Black Sea, defined by an emerging weapon. Uncrewed surface vessels could become a centerpiece of naval warfare in the coming decades, one that navies may ignore at their peril.
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Nov 15, 2022
The RAND Blog
Scott Savitz
Military Education and Training

commentary
The Congressionally Authorized Irregular Warfare Functional Center Is a Historic Opportunity: Will the Department of Defense Capitalize on It?
The U.S. Department of Defense may be facing a once-in-a-generation opportunity to fix a critical gap in its national security arsenal. Congress has authorized the creation of an institution dedicated to the study and research of irregular warfare. Unfortunately, initial indications are that this opportunity might not be realized.
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Nov 7, 2022
The Hill
Charles T. Cleveland, Daniel Egel, et al.
Military Strategy

commentary
Beware the Explosive Vessels
The initial explosion that damaged the Kerch Strait Bridge may have come from an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). If it was indeed caused by a USV, it could be a portent of future warfare. Military and homeland security authorities may need to anticipate the potential use of USVs by adversaries or terrorists.
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Oct 20, 2022
RealClearDefense
Scott Savitz

Page 1 of 5

Quoted

The COP decisionmaking process reflects its members' consensus views. And therein lies the problem. The Paris Agreement should have achieved the socially better outcomes of binding emissions control to finance and binding each country to its target of emissions and finance.…That it did not do so was because the coalitions' views prevailed rather than the social good.

Rafiq Dossani

Director, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

Source: United Press International

Women have fought in wars for as long as humans have waged them. Yet that long history has been either lost or purposefully hidden, complicating efforts to expand women's military roles even as we have steadily gained greater equality in other fields.

Kayla M. Williams

Senior Policy Researcher

Source: Association of the U.S. Army

Using AI to Identify Youth Suicide Risk: What Does the Evidence Say?

Disrupting the Chinese Military in Competition and Low-Intensity Conflict

North Korea's Satellite Launch: Part of a Bigger Problem for Kim Jong-un?

Displaced in Gaza: The Least-Bad Option

Preventing Domestic Violent Extremism: Insights from RAND Research

The Policy Currents Podcast

Developing Strategies for Summer Learning

Improving Psychological Wellbeing and Work Outcomes in the UK

Planning for the Rising Costs of Dementia

Helping Coastal Communities Plan for Climate Change

Asymmetric Warfare

The West's Incoherent Critique of Israel's Gaza Strategy

Why the Oct. 7 Attack Wasn't Israel's 9/11

Winning the Irregular World War

What Israel's Ground Offensive Can—and Cannot—Accomplish

Inflection Point: How to Reverse the Erosion of U.S. and Allied Military Power and Influence

Sparing Civilian Lives in Gaza

Revive the Ram

What the Drone Strikes on the Kremlin Reveal About the War in Ukraine

Maximizing the Potential of American Irregular Warfare in Strategic Competition

A Tale of Two Wars and the Pitfalls of Success

Preparing for Strategic Competition: The Need for Irregular Warfare Professional Military Education

'Strategic Ambiguity' May Have U.S. and Taiwan Trapped in a Prisoner's Dilemma

Mastering Irregular Warfare

The Age of Uncrewed Surface Vessels

The Congressionally Authorized Irregular Warfare Functional Center Is a Historic Opportunity: Will the Department of Defense Capitalize on It?

Beware the Explosive Vessels

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