Wild Blue Yonder

June 8, 2020
COVID-19: China’s Chernobyl, China’s Berlin Airlift, or Neither?

Contemporary history shows a pattern of crises such as wars or pandemics leading to a shift in global power politics and realignment of power centers. Crises result in opportunities for countries to climb or fall on the global power scale. Will the current COVID-19 crisis be Beijing's Chernobyl,
June 8, 2020
Future Military Space: From Procurement to the Tactical Fight

Requirements for space systems are developed on a five to ten-year time horizon, which does not allow the development of systems that can be utilized on demand in an area of responsibility (AOR). New systems must be developed that can be deployed on demand to AORs and utilized by ground, sea, air,
June 8, 2020
So Just What Is a Killer Robot?: Detailing the Ongoing Debate around Defining Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems

This article will compare competing definitions of what ought to be considered a lethal autonomous weapon system (LAWS), presenting these definitions for consideration of their merits and differences. Whether a given definition would be considered “prominent” in this respect is largely dependent on
May 11, 2020
Turning Expert Assessments into High Quality Empirical Data

Given the challenges and limitations of the current risk-assessment process, there is a more effective, rigorous, useful alternative. This article offers organizations that rely on small numbers of subject-matter experts a set of tools and methodologies that can increase the rigor of assessments and
May 11, 2020
Cyber Underground: Overcoming Obstacles to Cyber in Subterranean Warfare

To gain insight into how to ameliorate the issues posed in the cyber domain for subterranean warfare, it is important to understand how this environment is defined and what types of advantages, limitations, and challenges characterize this environment.
April 27, 2020
Scenario Planning for the Twenty-first-Century Military Strategist

In what ways does scenario planning add value for the military? Completing the scenario planning process in its entirety requires dedicating anywhere from two weeks to upward of several months toward exhaustive attention in creating and analyzing plausible future narratives. This is an unrealistic
April 13, 2020
Airmen and Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: The Danger of Generalization

The present inquiry is motivated foremost by continuous developments in technology. As military systems incorporate ever more elements of autonomy, it is essential to assess their potential to become successfully integrated in existing force structures. Given that a human operator is projected to
March 30, 2020
Examining and Enhancing Deterrence Education for Future Leaders

This article examines educational gaps instructing the Joint Force on deterrence, proposes combatant commander recommendations, and suggests changes for services, increasing student learning. Without integrated and updated education, future leaders may miscalculate situations, leaving the US
March 16, 2020
Making a Moral Case for Nonconflict in Space: Expanding Strategic Norm to Taboo

To construct a moral case against kinetic space conflict in particular, one needs to demonstrate how and why it should be considered uniquely dangerous and reckless. Using space warfare’s similarity to nuclear conflict, this article proposes a moral case against conflict in space based on the amount
March 2, 2020
Whatever Happens, Happens: Deterring Russia’s Threat of Nuclear Weapons through Non-Nuclear Means

Deterring nuclear adversaries such as Russia will continue to provide challenges to the United States during the remainder of the twenty-first century. While the United States and Russia (formerly the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics or Soviet Union) signed multiple arms control and reduction