Wonders Never Cease

Lately, I’ve come across two surprising divisions within the Department of Defense: Defense Science Board and Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College. I’ve been surprised because the reports I’ve read seem to be quite clear-eyed about the world we face.

The Defense Science Board (http://www.acq.osd.mil/dsb/) issued the “Strategic Communications” report that has been in the news recently.

I’ve just subscribed to the monthly newsletter of The Strategic Studies Institute (http://www.carlisle.army.mil/ssi/) and am intrigued by the titles (and abstracts) of some of their

Publications:

Shadows of Things Past and Images of the Future: Lessons for the Insurgencies in Our Midst

Insurgency and Counterinsurgency in the 21st Century: Re-conceptualizing Threat and Response

Getting MAD: Nuclear Mutual Assured Destruction, Its Origins and Practice

Islamic Rulings on Warfare

Current and Future Challenges for Asian Nonproliferation Export Controls: A Regional Response

Civil-Military Cooperation in Peace Operations: The Case of Kosovo

Research:

Politics and the National Guard

The Information Element of National Power; Clarity at Last?

Conferences:

Beyond the U.S. War on Terrorism: Comparing Domestic Legal Remedies to an International Dilemma

The Rise and Fall of Empires

Building Regional Security in the Western Hemisphere

You wonder whether the higher-ups in DOD pay any attention to what their underlings are doing. If they did, maybe things would be better.