In the last few years, notions like 'asymmetric warfare, ' and, more recently, 'hybrid warfare' have become as common and pervasive as to appear like new orthodoxy in military thought. This U.S. Army War College International Fellow student author examines these theories through the lens of critical thinking and argues that these 'new' constructs are anything but original. Analyzing two historical case studies, the First Jewish-Roman War (66-73 CE) and the Philippine-American War (1899-1902 CE), he demonstrates that asymmetry and hybridism have been common characteristics of war through the ages since the very beginning of humanity.

The 'hybrid' theory of war set forth in this document is the result of combining the best aspects of existing war theories with the unique influences of the current strategic environment to produce a refined theory of war for the modern international arena. The foundation of all war theories stems from four basic questions: What is war? Why and by whom are wars fought? What constitutes the nature, character and characteristics of war? How are wars won?

The concept of the responsibility to protect not only the peoples of one's own state but also those people of another sovereign state should that state fail to protect its people has emerged into the national and international debate. Many states, multinational organizations and the UN have adopted this concept to varying degrees. The U.S. has increasingly incorporated this concept into its political rhetoric. Military guidance, the QDR, along with statements from political leaders continue to stress the expectation that the U.S. will face the need to protect citizens of other states from humanitarian suffering from natural or manmade atrocities. The lessons learned from previous humanitarian crises, such as Somalia, Rwanda, Kosovo, Darfur, and Burma have shaped the U.S.'s approach toward intervention. Trends and threats facing the nations of today have the potential to lead to destabilization of governments and threaten national, regional and global security.

Today's strategic environment on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia is volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous. One roadblock to peace in Northeast Asia is a territorial dispute over a piece of terrain called Gando, which is located between the Korean peninsula and Chinese Manchuria and was a Korean territory until 1909. China currently controls the territory, but the controversy over control of Gando will reemerge if or when Korea is reunified. Gando is of such significant geopolitical and geostrategic importance that it could ignite a crisis among the nations of Northeast Asia that could potentially affect world stability. Thus a peaceful resolution to this dispute is critical to both Korea and China.

Emerging China is undoubtedly one of the biggest future security concerns for both Japan and the United States. The friction between China and Japan has recently grown, especially over territorial issues such as Senkaku Island. The United States also has disagreement with China over several issues such as human rights, Taiwan, Tibet, North Korea, and economic matters including currency and trade. The bilateral relationship between Japan and the United States will be instrumental for both countries to cope with China in the future. However, there is also friction within the Japan-U.S. alliance, and there are concerns within both countries. U.S. military bases in Okinawa have become a highly controversial issue in Japan, and Japanese criticism of the alliance has grown in recent years. In the United States, some opine that the United States should strengthen its bilateral economic relationship with China, signifying a diminution of the Japan-U.S. alliance.

This AY2010 USAWC student research paper explores the impact of ongoing deficit spending in terms of future defense budgets, investor confidence and interest rates, the economic impact of competition for financing, implications for international influence and potential financial leverage of creditors, and our ethical responsibility to future generations. The views expressed in the document are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the U.S. Army War College, the U.S. Department of the Army, the U.S. Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.

This AY-10 student research paper discusses the strategic significance of dealing effectively with the American debt and deficit, by first describing the background of our current government approach to the economy, then examining the current projections for United States' spending from 2009 through 2019 and examining what the future might bring given anticipated American demographic changes. The author describes the economic labyrinth in detail and examines alternatives to address the challenges to America of the national deficit and debt. He concludes that while a number of alternatives are available today to address the problem of deficit financing and the associated debt and thereby strengthen the economy of the United States, three examples that are predicated on the synergistic benefits associated with small reforms provide the best chances for long-term success.

The State Partnership Program, a National Guard supported initiative, is one of the many Theater Security Cooperation programs available that the six Geographic Combatant Commanders use to meet their objectives. This AY-10 USAWC Resident Student author presents the foundations of the State Partnership Program to include its history, goals and objectives, and benefits achieved by using the program.

This US Army War College student author examines General Abrams' ethical leadership at all levels of the Army. He concludes that Abrams' ethical leadership was instrumental in the Army's successful handling of racial issues during the 1960's, in enabling the military to conduct an orderly withdrawal from Vietnam, in rebuilding the Army after the Vietnam War, and is still evident in Army organization and leadership today.

This US Army War College student author looks closely at Field Marshal Slim's ethical development and leadership during all phases of his long career. He argues that the examination shows the value of maintaing high ethical and moral standards, including how high standards can build an organizational bond between Soldiers that can prevail in the face of otherwise apparently insurmountable odds.

The Korean War Armistice Agreement (KWAA) was signed on 27 July 1953 between the military commanders of the United Nations Command, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, and the Korean People's Army of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Under the provisions of the KWAA, five Northwest Islands are specifically designated to remain under the control of the Commander-in-Chief, UNC.

In an environment in which the United States is the dominant conventional military power, many theorists argue that future wars will be unbalanced or asymmetrical. This USAWC AY-10 resident student author argues that in that circumstance, Sun Tzu's indirect or battle avoidance theory is relevant to United States war strategy in the twenty-first century. Colonel Wilcoxon elaborates on Sun Tzu's theories and explains why they are so viable and applicable in contemporary strategic environment. He concludes that to counter current national security threats, twenty-first century United States' strategists should rely on Sun Tzu as their primary theorist because his writings are as pertinent today as they were thousands of years ago.

The modern American approach to developing and implementing war strategy has not achieved coherence and unity of effort and has thus far proved insufficient in the wars of the 21st Century. The approach suffers from insufficient interagency dialogue, excessive hierarchy, redundancy, complexity, and flawed practices. Such defects pervade grand and military strategy, and are most pronounced in the attempts to develop strategy for Afghanistan and Iraq. This multidimensional problem is compounded by the pervasive forces of the political-military-industrial complex, legislative incongruity, the mutating character of war, military transformation, and flaws in the War Powers Resolution.

What must senior security leaders know about cyberspace to transform their organizations and make wise decisions? How does the enduring cyberspace process interact with and transform organizations, technology, and people, and, in turn, how do they transform cyberspace itself? To evaluate these questions, this essay establishes the enduring nature of the cyberspace process and compares this relative constant to transformation of organizations and people. Each section discussing these areas provides an assessment of their status as well as identifies key issues for senior security leaders to comprehend now and work to resolve in the future. Specific issues include viewing cyberspace as a new strategic common akin to the sea, comparing effectiveness of existing hierarchies in achieving cybersecurity against networked adversaries, and balancing efficiency and effectiveness of security against the universal laws of privacy and human rights.

The Caribbean island of Hispaniola is host to two countries which stand-out because despite their geographic proximity the Dominican Republic and Haiti have evolved and occupy widely different tiers of the economic spectrum. Haiti is not only the least developed country in the Americas. It also has a history of political dictatorships and social turmoil that have caused the international community to intervene on a regular basis.

After World War II the United States Congress wrote laws to prohibit homosexuals from openly serving in the military. The rationale was based on unit cohesion and fear that allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly could negatively impact recruiting and retention. President Clinton was responsible for the updated policy in effect today known as "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT), now almost 15 years old. This USAWC resident student paper provides the historical background and then examines the DADT policy in light of current research findings with respect to: changes in society, emerging doctrine, impact on college campuses and recruiting, impact on foreign militaries for which the ban has been lifted, and in police and fire departments where no ban exists.

This USAWC AY09 resident course Strategy Research Project (SRP) paper examines the successes and failures of U.S. strategy and policy as related to the changing global and regional context of Afghanistan from the Cold War to the end of the George W. Bush administration. Issues investigated particularly focus on the changing levels of interest in Afghanistan and the consequences of the United States government actions or inactions as associated with changing strategy and policy.

Within the North American community the hybrid threat of crime, terrorism and insurgency is an understudied area in terms of policy, strategy, and doctrine. In an effort to begin to address this area, and exploring those ideas in the particular context of Mexico, The George Washington University Homeland Security Policy Institute together with the U.S. Army War College's Center for Strategic Leadership co-convened a symposium on the subject in Washington D.C. in October 2011. This report on the symposium is a compilation of those proceedings, including the presentations that helped inform and generate the discussions.

The U.S. Army War College Information in Warfare Group Information Operations Primer for Academic Year 2012 includes new sections dedicated to U.S. International Strategy for Cyberspace, DoD strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, the Department of State Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications, the DoD Chief Information Officer, and the U.S. Army Cyber Command.

Cross-cultural awareness is especially important in a complex, globalized environment. Because each culture has different priorities in its basic values and beliefs, collisions can occur. This AY-09 USAWC Resident Student author identifies the cross-cultural awareness gaps between South Korea and the United States. Two feasible Korean unification policy options -'status quo' and 'collapse to be absorbed' - are used as a case study in U.S.-Korean cross-cultural awareness. The author then analyzes the perception of the Korean people of these two policies in order to minimize the cultural misperceptions between the United States and South Korea. The paper concludes with strategic recommendations for supporting Korean reunification.

This strategy research project defines hybrid threats, examines the emergence of hybrid warfare, postulates reasons why hybrid warfare will be the dominant form of warfare that most sovereigns will apply in the twenty-first century, and analyzes U.S. Joint and Service hybrid warfare doctrine. The U.S. Army War College student author then recommends changes in strategy and doctrine to ensure the US military is prepared to counter this dangerous, growing threat for the next 25 years.