Strategic Command Academic Alliance

Purpose

Develop an academic community of interest focused on research and analysis of deterrence, assurance, and associated
strategic level national security themes in a rapidly changing, multi-domain global threat environment.

Goals

» Advance deterrence and assurance thinking beyond Cold War era narratives.

» Stimulate rigorous academic research into deterrence, assurance, and other concepts of strategic thought for the 21st Century.

» Promote collaboration among academic and military Alliance members.

» Encourage development of national security professionals to meet future research, analytic, and decision-making requirements.


Click to Contact USSTRATCOM Academic Alliance.

 

 

Future and Recent Events

Recent Events


2022 UK Deterrence and Assurance Academic Alliance Conference

31 May - 1 June 2022 | The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET)

"Deterrence and Escalation in an Era of Systemic Competition" is the theme of the UK Deterrence and Assurance conference, to be held in partnership with the Defence Nuclear Organisation and King’s College London.

Topics for this conference will include:

-    Deterrence and strategic culture, both theory and practice.
-    Deterrence methodologies.
-    Deterrence and society.
-    Considerations for space and cyber.
-    The impact of evolving technologies.

To register, click here.  For conference inquiries contact daaa@dstl.gov.uk


2022 United States Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium

July 27 – 28, 2022 | La Vista, NE | La Vista Conference Center

Registration is now open for the 13th Annual U.S. Strategic Command Deterrence Symposium.  This is an UNCLASSIFIED event. The theme, Evolving Deterrence:  Adapting to the Dynamic Global Threat Environment, will feature seven panels and three keynote speakers comprised of U.S. and international speakers to discuss current and future strategic deterrence trends and challenges. Attendees will include a wide range of government, military, academic, and industry practitioners and experts in the field. 

To attend, visit the symposium website for details and registration information. 

Points of Reference for the Conduct of
21st Century Deterrence and Assurance Research

 

Deterrence and Assurance are abstract political-military concepts.   They are also conditions attained in the minds of deterrees and assurees, achieved only at their respective discretion, and only in nuanced context of their unique decision spaces.  Activities undertaken to achieve deterrence and assurance goals comprise planning and execution of a strategy, an equally abstract concept requiring similar research consideration.  Simply stated, research involves gaining understanding of both the nature of a given deterrence and assurance problem, and how to address it.

With these themes in mind, new thinking in deterrence and assurance is not exclusively adversary and/or military in scope.  It calls for research into topics that go beyond consideration of adversary military capabilities and attendant U.S./Allied means to countervail them.  Topics include (but are not limited to) local, regional, and international political and economic factors; socio-cultural and decision-making dynamics; as well as psychological lines of inquiry, all of which are geared toward informing policies pursuant to tailored deterrence and allied assurance objectives.

While better understanding into how objectives might be achieved vis-à-vis a given deterrence and assurance problem set remains a central focus, equally as pertinent is appreciating the mechanics of how objectives are to be achieved.  Such research involves understanding the political, fiscal, and bureaucratic aspects of marshalling limited national resources into coherent deterrence and assurance strategies.  Underlying all of this is the need to understand the nature of the term strategy itself.

While not exhaustive, researchers are encouraged to consider the following alphabetized list of references selected with each of these themes in mind as they pursue efforts to add to the literature.

 


 

UNDERSTANDING NATIONAL INTERESTS: 


NATIONAL SECURITY STRATEGIC POLICY GUIDANCE: 


DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE RESEARCH: 


THINKING ABOUT STRATEGY: 


THINKING ABOUT THREAT:


THINKING ABOUT DETERRENCE AT THE “STRATEGIC” LEVEL: 


THINKING ABOUT DETERRENCE AT THE “OPERATIONAL” LEVEL:


TAILORED DETERRENCE: 


EXTENDED DETERRENCE:


DETERRENCE SUCCESS AND FAILURE:


ARMS CONTROL AND DETERRENCE:


UPDATING DETERRENCE EDUCATION:


ASSOCIATED RESEARCH CATEGORIES: 

Strategic Intelligence


Strategic Culture


Decision-Making Dynamics


Behavioral Dynamics


Legacy Deterrence Theory


Deterrence in the “Second Nuclear Age”


Deterring Terrorism


History


ONLINE DIGITAL RESEARCH RESOURCES:


VIDEO RESOURCES:

Concept of Deterrence


Practitioners of Deterrence


MUSEUMS:



Points of Reference for the Conduct of 21st Century Deterrence and Assurance Research in PDF

 

Curtis D. McGiffin, Associate Dean
School of Strategic Force Studies
curtis.mcgiffin@afit.edu

James C. Petrosky, Director
Nuclear Expertise for Advancing Technologies
james.petrosky@afit.edu

 

 

 

Todd Robinson, Assistant Professor
Military and Security Studies
Air University
todd.robinson.4@us.af.mil

 

 

 

John M. Wiest, Assistant Dean
College of Engineering
john.m.wiest@ua.edu

 

 

 

Sharon K. Weiner, Associate Professor
School of International Service

skweiner@american.edu

 

 

 

Zdzislaw Sliwa, Dean
Baltic Defence College

Zdzislaw.Sliwa@baltdefcol.org

 

 

 

Adriana Seagle, Program Director
Intelligence and Security Studies

aseagle@bellevue.edu

 

 

California State University

Mark Clark, Professor and Director
National Security Studies Program

mtclark@csusb.edu

Steven Childs, Associate Professor
National Security Studies Program

SChilds@csusb.edu

 

 

 

Christopher J. Ferrero, Assistant Professor
Intelligence and National Security Studies

cferrero@coastal.edu
 

 


 

Mark Deinert, Associate Professor
Department of Mechanical Engineering
mdeinert@mines.edu

 

 

 

Peter Harris, Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
peter.harris@colostate.edu

 

 


Command and General Staff College (CGSC)
 

Barry M. Stentiford, Director
Advanced Strategic Leadership
Studies Program (ASLSP)

barry.m.stentiford.civ@mail.mil

 

 

 

Howard W. Buffett, Associate Professor
International and Public Affairs

hwb2107@columbia.edu

 

 

 

Erika Moreno, Professor
Political Science and International Relations

erikamoreno@creighton.edu

Maorong Jiang, Associate Professor
History and Political Science
maorongjiang@creighton.edu

 

 

 

Colonel George R. Farfour, Commandant
Defense Nuclear Weapons School

george.r.farfour.mil@mail.mil

James M. Ragland, Coordination/Manager
Nuclear Enterprise Branch/Nuclear Weapons Instructional Museum

james.m.ragland.civ@mail.mil

 

 

 

Adam N. Stulberg, Professor
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

adam.stulberg@inta.gatech.edu

Jenna Jordan, Assistant Professor
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

jenna.jordan@inta.gatech.edu

Margaret E. Kosal, Associate Professor
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

margaret.kosal@inta.gatech.edu

Lawrence Rubin, Associate Professor
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

lawrence.rubin@inta.gatech.edu

Rachel Whitlark, Assistant Professor
The Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

rachel.whitlark@inta.gatech.edu

 

 

 

Matthew Kroenig, Associate Professor
International Relations Field Chair Dept. of Government

mhk32@georgetown.edu

 

 

 

Matthew Bunn, Professor
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

matthew_bunn@harvard.edu

 

 

Indiana University

Sarah Bauerle Danzman, Assistant Professor
Department of International Studies
sbauerle@indiana.edu

 

 

Maurice E. Dawson, Assistant Professor
Director, Center for Cyber Security and
Forensics Education

mdawson2@iit.edu

 

 

 

Mack Shelley, Department Chair
Political Science

mshelley@iastate.edu

Ellen Pirro, Lecturer
Political Science

ebpirro@iastate.edu

Steffen Schmidt, Professor
Political Science

sws@iastate.edu

Doug Jacobson, Professor
Electrical & Computer Engineering

dougj@iastate.edu

 

 

 

Jonathan Bierce, Strategic Architect
Supervisor, Operations and Threat Assessments Group

Jonathan.bierce@jhuapl.edu

Rob Vercher, Program Area Manager
Deterrence Analysis Prototyping & Development
Air Force Strategic Systems
Robert.vercher@jhuapl.edu

 

 


Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies
SAISMerrillCenter@jhu.edu

 

 

 

David Graff, Director
Security Studies

dgraff@ksu.edu

 

 

         Louisiana Tech Research Institute
 

Sumeet Dua, Associate Vice President for Research and Partnerships
Louisiana Tech University
sdua@latech.edu

Warren Ward, Chief of Staff and Director of Operations
Louisiana Tech Research Institute
wardwg@ltri.org

 

 

 

John P. Rose, Department Head
Department of Defense and Strategic Studies Program

johnprose@MissouriState.edu

Kerry Kartchner, Member, Distinguished Faculty
Department of Defense and Strategic Studies Program
KMKartchner@MissouriState.edu

 

 

Naval Postgraduate School
 

Wade Huntley, Senior Lecturer and Academic Director
School of International Graduate Studies

wlhuntle@nps.edu

 

 

Richard Evans, Interim Executive Director
National Strategic Research Institute
info@nsri.nebraskaresearch.gov

 

 

 

Paul Bernstein, Senior Research Fellow
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction

Paul.Bernstein@ndu.edu

Justin Anderson, Senior Policy Fellow
Center for the Study of Weapons of Mass Destruction

justin.anderson.civ@ndu.edu

 

 

Thomas Ambrosio, Professor 
Criminal Justice & Political Science

Thomas.ambrosio@ndsu.edu

 

 

Karen L. Hinkle, Professor  
Associate Provost for Research and Chief Research Officer

khinkle@norwich.edu

 

 

 

Bethany Goldblum, Founder & Director
Nuclear Policy Working Group

bethany@berkeley.edu

 

 

 

Przemyslaw Mazur
Institute of Security Studies

przemyslaw.mazur@up.krakow.pl

Rafal Kopec
Institute of Security Studies
rafal.kopec@up.krakow.pl

 

 

John Hodgson, Associate Director
Center for Security Research and Education

jgh161@arl.psu.edu

Darryl Farber, Assistant Teaching Professor
College of Engineering and School of
International Affairs
dlf112@psu.edu

 

 

 

Steve Cimbala, Distinguished Professor
Political Science

Sjc2@psu.edu

 

 

 

Rebecca Hersman, Director
Project on Nuclear Issues

rhersman@csis.org

 

 

Purdue University

Stacey L. Connaughton, Director
Purdue Policy Research Institute

sconnaug@purdue.edu

Daniel DeLaurentis, Professor
School of Aeronautics and Astronautics
ddelaure@purdue.edu

Sorin Matei, Associate Professor
Associate Professor, College of Liberal Arts
smatei@purdue.edu

 

 

Royal Danish Defence College

 

Carina Ann Meyn, Assistant Professor
Institute for Strategy
came@fak.dk

 

 

 

Amy B. Zegart, Co-Director
Center for International Security
and Cooperation

zegart@stanford.edu

 

 

 

Nicholas Taylor
United Kingdom Deterrence and Assurance

Academic Alliance
ntaylor@mail.dstl.gov.uk

 

 

 

Damon Coletta, Professor/Editor
Political Science/Space & Defense

damon.coletta@usafa.edu

 

 

 

Edward Kaplan, Dean
School of Strategic Landpower

edward.a.kaplan.civ@army.mil

 

 

 

LTC Michael Rosol, Director
International Affairs, Social Sciences Department
michael.rosol@westpoint.edu 

Thomas Sherlock, Professor
Political Science
Thomas.Sherlock@westpoint.edu

 

 


National Security, Political Science Department

 

 

 

CDR Daniel Post, Permanent Military Professor Fellow
Strategy and Policy Department
daniel.post@usnwc.edu

 

 

 

Matthew Fuhrmann, Director
Graduate Studies, Political Science

mfuhrmann@pols.tamu.edu

 

 

 

Roberto Furfaro, Associate Professor
Systems and Industrial Engineering

robertof@email.arizona.edu

 

 

 

Erik Gartzke, Director
Center for Peace and Security Studies

egartzke@ucsd.edu

 

 

 

Lewis Griffith, Lecturer and Director
Defense and Security Policy Lab
Josef Korbel School of International Studies
lewis.griffith@du.edu

Jill Schmieder Hereau, Associate Director
Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security and Diplomacy

Jill.SchmiederHereau@du.edu

 

 


 

Michael Denning, Director
Office of Graduate Military Programs
gmjdenning@ku.edu

Don Haider-Markel, Professor and Chair
Department of Political Science
prex@ku.edu

 

 

University of Miami

Brian D. Blankenship, Assistant Professor
Department of Political Science
bxb731@miami.edu

 

 

 
 

Tyler White, Director
National Security Program

twhite4@unl.edu

Elsbeth J. Magilton, Executive Director
Space, Cyber, and Telecommunications
Law Program, College of Law

elsbeth@unl.edu

 

 

 

Chuck M. Rowling, Associate Professor
Department of Political Science

rowlingcm@unk.edu

 

 

 

Michelle Black, Assistant Professor
Political Science

michellblack@unomaha.edu

Lana Obradovic, Assistant Professor
Political Science

lobradovic@unomaha.edu

 

 

 

Evan Renfro, Assistant Professor
Political Science

evan.renfro@uni.edu

 

 

 

Michael Desch, Director
Notre Dame International Security Center

Michael.Desch.4@nd.edu

 

 

 

Phil Williams, Director
Matthew B. Ridgway Center
for International Security Studies

ridgway1@pitt.edu

 

 

 

Ashley Townshend, Director
Foreign Policy and Defence

Ashley.townshend@sydney.edu.au

 

 

 

Russel Hirst, Associate Professor and
Managing Editor

International Journal of Nuclear Security

rkh@utk.edu

 

 

 

Moriba K. Jah, Associate Professor
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics

moriba@utexas.edu

Alan J. Kuperman, Associate Professor
Coordinator, Nuclear Proliferation Prevention Project

akuperman@mail.utexas.edu

 

 

 

Jeannie Johnson, Founding Director & Associate Professor
Center for Anticipatory Intelligence

jeannie.johnson@usu.edu

Matt Berrett, Cofounder & Professional Practice Faculty
Center for Anticipatory Intelligence
matthew.berrett@sdl.usu.edu

Briana Bowen, Cofounder & Associate Director
Center for Anticipatory Intelligence
briana.bowen@usu.edu

 

 

 

Shale Horowitz, Professor
Department of Political Science

shale@uwm.edu

 

 

David Dorondo, Associate Professor
Department of History
dorondo@email.wcu.edu

 

 


 

Nuno Monterio, Associate Professor
Department of Political Science

nuno.monteiro@yale.edu

Ian O. Johnson, Lecturer
Department of History
Associate Director, Brady-Johnson Program in Grand Strategy

ian.johnson@yale.edu

Research Topics

USSTRATCOM Analytic Agenda 2023 Research Questions
 

 

Understanding and anticipating change in the environment and impacts to deterrence strategies:

  • What are useful new models for understanding the relationships among multiple nuclear-armed actors?
  • What are strategies for deterring two nuclear-armed peer/near-peer competitors simultaneously?
  • What impact does two nuclear-armed peer/near-peer competitors have on extended deterrence and assurance?
  • How can deterrence be restored? Is a nation’s first response its best opportunity to do so?

 

Understanding the changing deterrence mission and how to accelerate adaptation:

  • What are ways to operationalize integrated deterrence across the whole of government?
  • How can we shape deterrence of non-nuclear attacks that employ multi-domain and simultaneous effects rising to the strategic level?
  • How might the methods by which we deter nuclear use need to be adapted after nuclear use by an adversary?
  • How do non-state entities taking actions in a crisis or conflict impact escalation and deterrence?
  • What is the risk (probability and consequence) that strategic deterrence will fail given a set of relevant independent variables? 

 

Understanding the requirements of strategic competition and improving the competitive posture of the U.S. and its allies:

  • Is strategic stability possible in a tripolar long term competition?
  • How does strategic competition, crises, and/or conflict impact extended deterrence? Conversely, how can extending deterrence impact great power competition?      
  • How has the use of economic warfare and sharp power impacted great power competition?
  • How might the U.S. enhance its resilience to counter nuclear coercion? What policies, postures, and/or capabilities could prevent us from being deterred?
  • What integrated deterrence lessons learned can be drawn from the Ukraine crisis?

 

U.S. Strategic Command Academic Alliance 2022-2023 Academic Year Research Topics in PDF
U.S. Strategic Command Academic Alliance 2021-2022 Academic Year Research Topics in PDF
U.S. Strategic Command Academic Alliance 2020-2021 Academic Year Research Topics in PDF
U.S. Strategic Command Academic Alliance 2018-2019 Academic Year Research Topics in PDF
U.S. Strategic Command Academic Alliance 2017-2018 Academic Year Research Topics in PDF