Carlisle, PA

Monday, March 29, 2010

Who says it's 'war' -- and, why does it matter?

The Army War College 21st annual Strategy Conference explores "Defining War for The 21st Century," April 7 – 8 in Carlisle, Pa

Since 2001, 'war' has taken new meaning and new shape. The Strategic Studies Institute at the Army War College is hosting a public forum to consider multiple views on the meaning of warfare. What it is -- and what it is not -- influences planning and resourcing for policy, participants [police or military], and leader development for war. 

The world's foremost experts on the changing nature of warfare -- scholars and practitioners alike --  will grapple with how war has changed and whether national security leaders and developing leaders are focused on the likely wars of the next few decades.

Leader development is contingent upon developing needed leader capacity – to be flexible, adaptable, conceptual. Do they plan for hybrid war? Traditional state-on-state war? Conflict among peoples vs among military forces?

Featured speakers are Dr. Martin van Creveld and retired Maj Gen Robert Scales – both notable scholars about warfare's history and its future. Van Creveld's works include The Transformation of War about 4th-generation war. Scales has explained the nature of war to media audiences, and authored books on Future Warfare.

Panelists will expore the changing nature of warfare --

• How do we know that we are at war? [Michael Vlahos, Peter Leahy, James Carafano, Peter Dombroski]

• How do we know when a war is over? [Jeremy Black, Andrew Bacevich, William Nash]

• Who participates in war?  [Robert Cassidy, Paul Kan, Thomas X. Hammes, Michael Klare]

• What rules govern war?  [Albert C. Pierce, Martin Cook, Richard Pregent, Deane-Peter Baker, Douglas Lovelace]

• Why does it matter? [John Troxell, Nathan Freier, Thomas Mahnken, Steven Metz]

Media representatives can contact media POC Carol Kerr --

Carol Kerr

Public Information Officer

U.S. Army War College

Carlisle, PA

717-245-4389