Download the Full Issue of Parameters | Winter 2024–2025
C. Anthony Pfaff
Welcome to the Winter 2024–25 issue of Parameters. This issue consists of an In Focus special commentary, three forums (Indo-Pacific, Security Cooperation, and Historical Studies), and the regular Civil-Military Relations Corner installment.
Keywords: Whig history, New History, American Historical Association, US military history, Society for Military History, North Korea, South Korea, Goldwater-Nichols reform, National Defense Strategy, force structure, China, arms exports, military assistance, geopolitical interests, strategic competition, Philippines, United States, Taiwan, South China Sea, great-power competition, Ukraine, Asia-Pacific Four, NATO Strategic Concept, Partnership for Peace, US policy in Africa, global order and power dynamics, strategic insights for policymakers, Russia-China relations in Africa, proxy conflicts and diplomatic maneuvers, post–Cold War, Federal Republic of Germany, South Korea, partnerships, defense industry, Cold War, United States–Chile military relations, foreign policy, political indoctrination, declassified documents
IN FOCUS
The American Way of Studying War: What Is It Good For?
Michael P. Ferguson
Academic military historians, government institutions, and defense practitioners have unique purposes for advancing the study of war that influence the way they consume and produce history. Although there is substantial scholarship covering how the discipline of military history has changed since the late nineteenth century, the literature surrounding why it changes and how it is used is less plentiful. Using primary and secondary sources to contextualize debates between historians, this study traces major developments in military historiography, considers the US Army’s relationship with its history, and explores potential connections between a history’s purpose and its use for military professionals.
Keywords: Whig history, New History, American Historical Association, US military history, Society for Military History
INDO-PACIFIC
Korea: The Enduring Policy Blindspot
Justin W. Malzac and Rene A. Mahomed
The threat posed by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is a neglected and under prioritized problem across the US government, requiring a dramatic change of approach. Most proposals for Goldwater-Nichols reform focus on geography, either increasing or decreasing the number of geographic commands. Based on our personal experience as Joint military planners at strategic-level headquarters, we argue that the change needs to go further, focusing on global national security problems instead of geography. This article’s analysis and conclusions will provoke conversation across the national security enterprise about how the United States competes with multiple global threats.
Keywords: North Korea, South Korea, Goldwater-Nichols reform, National Defense Strategy, force structure
Weapons of Influence: Unpacking China’s Global Arms Strategy
Jake R. Rinaldi
This article explores the strategic motivations behind China’s arms sales and uses Chinese-language analyses from influential party and military institutions to identify five main interests driving Chinese arms exports: protecting economic investments, gaining influence in conflict zones, enhancing partner military capabilities, building diplomatic relationships, and offsetting research and development costs. The article integrates primary sources to reveal how arms sales advance Beijing’s geopolitical aims. The findings highlight how China’s arms trade shapes partner and adversary military capabilities and underscore the need for the United States and its allies to compete in the arms trade to mitigate China’s growing influence.
Keywords: China, arms exports, military assistance, geopolitical interests, strategic competition
The Philippines’ Security in the Face of China's Rising Threats
Shang-Su Wu
This article contends that the United States has insufficiently acknowledged the extent of the Philippines’ vulnerability and its importance in preserving the balance of power. While many scholars have focused on Taiwan’s strategic importance, few have considered the state of the Philippines’ military capabilities in maintaining the region’s status quo. This article traces the modern history of the Philippines’ military and defense capabilities and examines the current state of the country’s defenses and the likely outcomes of different military scenarios. It concludes by providing practical recommendations on how the United States can help the Philippines within the constraints of its existing commitments.
Keywords: Philippines, United States, China, Taiwan, South China Sea
SECURITY COOPERATION
Reforming and Enhancing Partnerships to Strengthen NATO’s Strategic Posture
Nicolò Fasola
This article contends that NATO’s current partnership policies, procedures, and mechanisms inadequately address the Alliance’s evolving mission. The world’s heightened state of competition should prompt NATO to reevaluate partner engagement to fulfill its strategic goals more effectively. Alongside a critical examination of NATO’s cooperative security policy evolution, this article identifies six major challenges and proposes three bold yet actionable solutions. Enriched by interviews and the author’s experience in the field of partnerships, this article also outlines ways NATO can reform existing partnership tools.
Keywords: great-power competition, Ukraine, Asia-Pacific Four, NATO Strategic Concept, Partnership for Peace
US Relations with Africa and the New Cold War
Hamid Lellou
As a key battleground in the global struggle between democracy and authoritarianism, Africa offers US policymakers insights to navigate competing interests and power dynamics. For a comprehensive view of this competition, this article analyzes Chinese, French, Russian, and American geopolitical strategies; employs a geopolitical analysis of current events, diplomatic maneuvers, and historical lessons; and uses policy documents, expert opinions, and case studies of geopolitical engagements. It then provides actionable policy recommendations for fostering stable, long-term US relations in Africa and offers strategic perspectives on managing the global power competition applicable to broader national security and diplomatic contexts.
Keywords: US policy in Africa, global order and power dynamics, strategic insights for policymakers, Russia-China relations in Africa, proxy conflicts and diplomatic maneuvers
HISTORICAL STUDIES
Korea, Germany, and the Arsenal of Democracy
Michael Fitzpatrick
In the 1970s, the United States and West Germany developed a vital transatlantic partnership focused on new military doctrines and technology that met the challenges of the late Cold War. Due to domestic politics and strategic concerns, the United States never recreated this type of relationship with countries in the Indo-Pacific region—specifically with South Korea. Using a unique synthesis of American, German, and Korean sources, this article argues that another partnership is required in Asia today. Rather than fall back on European partners, Washington should collaborate with Seoul to develop a new generation of doctrine and technology.
Keywords: post–Cold War, Federal Republic of Germany, South Korea, partnerships, defense industry
Allies, Partners, or Puppets?: American and Chilean Armies, 1961–69
Hugo Harvey-Valdés
This article examines the multifaceted exchanges between the American and Chilean armies from 1961 to 1969, asserting that they were strictly professional, devoid of political indoctrination, and aligned with both nations’ foreign policy interests. Utilizing declassified diplomatic and military documents, this research diverges from prior works by integrating an in-depth understanding of military codes and culture with global, regional, and national contexts. It challenges the politicized narratives of the Cold War in Latin America, especially in Chile. This research offers insights into the actual impacts of international military policies on future military exchange programs.
Keywords: Cold War, United States–Chile military relations, foreign policy, political indoctrination, declassified documents
CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS CORNER
The Military and Democratic Transition: Paradoxes of the Democratic Ethos
Carrie A. Lee
This article argues that existing attempts to define the democratic ethos fall short. The article examines different scholars’ definitions of the democratic ethos vis-a-vis the military, their positions on maintaining it, and the paradoxes inherent in these conceptions of the democratic ethos.
Keywords: presidential elections, military endorsements, civil-military relations, Democrats, Republicans