Modern War Institute Editor

"Forward positioning therefore strengthens deterrence not by eliminating strategic ambiguity but by making that response sufficiently credible that China must account for it in its planning." mwi.westpoint.edu/strength-v…

Would European materiel distribution, support, resupply, repair, and recovery function in the event of a war with Russia? Nobody knows, because the systems have not been comprehensively tested. mwi.westpoint.edu/every-road…

The US defense procurement enterprise is a complex and remarkably effective way of managing the way the government buys all of the materiel that underpins US combat power. It's also completely ill-suited to the current operational environment. mwi.westpoint.edu/i-saw-ukra…

US bases in the Pech and Korengal valleys made sense—until the Afghanistan War's operational campaign plan changed. There are lessons there for US decision-making about where to base combat power in future wars. mwi.westpoint.edu/when-a-goo…

"These zones forced both Chinese and Japanese forces to fight around them rather than through them, shaping avenues of approach and limiting options to outflank or reposition." mwi.westpoint.edu/shanghai-1…

Don't miss the latest episode of the MWI Podcast! We look back on the effort to bring sweeping reforms to the Defense Department forty years ago this month. mwi.westpoint.edu/mwi-podcas…

What would be the actual effects of consolidating US combat power in the Pacific solely in the second island chain? mwi.westpoint.edu/strength-v…

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Andre Rivier joins Charlie Faint on this episode of THE SPEAR for a discussion about the role of Army foreign area officers in combat and in peacetime operations. mwi.westpoint.edu/podcast-th…

I Saw Ukraine’s Rapid Adaptation Cycle in Action, and This is What the US Military Should Learn from It mwi.westpoint.edu/i-saw-ukra…

Five years before the Battle of Stalingrad, another urban battle took place, involving a million troops, that foreshadowed the not only Stalingrad but all of the major urban battles of the twentieth century. mwi.westpoint.edu/shanghai-1…

"The critical sections of this [logistics] chain will run through Germany and Poland. Testing whether this system can operate under repeated pressure should be an essential part of Europe’s war planning." mwi.westpoint.edu/every-road…

When a Good Base Becomes a Bad One: Battlefield Disposition and the Operational Campaign mwi.westpoint.edu/when-a-goo…

"In contrast to Xi’s self-serving argument, historical experience provides little support for the proposition that provocation through position is itself the primary cause of war." mwi.westpoint.edu/strength-v…

Shanghai, 1937: An Urban Warfare Project Case Study mwi.westpoint.edu/shanghai-1…

"We write a requirement, give it to industry, and then judge the final product against that same requirement.... That approach may work for predictable procurement. It does not work for war." mwi.westpoint.edu/i-saw-ukra…

Podcast: The Spear – retired Lieutenant Colonel Andre Rivier, former infantryman and foreign area officer mwi.westpoint.edu/podcast-th…

China argues that the US military presence in the first island change is provocative and risks escalating tensions toward war. Don't fall for it. mwi.westpoint.edu/strength-v…

"When we started, we did not have the votes, because of the opposition of the Pentagon, the particular opposition of the Navy and the Marine Corps, so we had to figure out a legislative strategy." mwi.westpoint.edu/mwi-podcas…

Last November, a Polish rail line used to move materiel to Ukraine was sabotaged. In the event of a larger conflict, NATO would face the same challenges—but on an entirely different scale—and preparing for those challenges should begin now. mwi.westpoint.edu/every-road…

"The value of Khe Sanh changed as the division adopted a more mobile way of fighting. The Marines had developed other ways to reach, support, and maneuver forces in western Quang Tri, reducing how much the campaign depended on the base." mwi.westpoint.edu/when-a-goo…