War Strategies Gathering for Class of 2006 - November 2018
In November 2018, the Class of 2006 War Studies Conference took place at the United States Military Academy at West Point, bringing together representatives from the private sector, government, academia, think-tank community, and joint military services. The conference, hosted by our website, aimed to explore the issue of next-generation warfare and potential disruptors to the "American way of war."
The three-day event featured a diverse group of panelists, including experts from the United States Military Academy, United States Air Force Academy, US Army, US Air Force Air University, and Northwestern University. The keynote speakers included authors such as Robert Kaplan, author of The Revenge of Geography, and Garry Kasparov, author of Deep Thinking.
The conference discussed several potential disruptors to the traditional U.S. approach to warfare. These disruptors reflected emerging challenges and changes in the strategic, technological, and operational environment that could fundamentally alter how the U.S. conducts warfare.
- Technological Advances
- Rapid development and integration of artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber warfare capabilities, and advanced missile technology were seen as transformative forces that could undermine traditional U.S. military advantages.
- Great Power Competition
- The resurgence of peer and near-peer competitors such as China and Russia, who employ asymmetric tactics and hybrid warfare approaches alongside conventional military modernization, challenge the U.S. dominance and traditional warfighting concepts.
- Information and Cyber Domains
- The expanding role of cyber operations and information warfare as front-line domains disrupts the American reliance on superiority in traditional kinetic battlespaces, complicating situational awareness and decision-making.
- Changing Nature of Alliances and Coalitions
- The evolving political and strategic alignment of U.S. allies and partners can both complicate coordination and force adaptations in U.S. operational approaches.
- Irregular and Hybrid Warfare
- Non-state actors and irregular warfare tactics—including insurgencies, terrorism, and hybrid warfare—challenge conventional force structures and the ability to achieve clear, decisive victories.
- Political and Strategic Constraints
- Increasing political hesitancy, legal limits, and public scrutiny can restrict the U.S. military’s freedom of action, making traditional warfighting approaches less feasible.
These disruptors collectively suggest a need for the U.S. military to rethink doctrine, force design, and strategic concepts to maintain effectiveness in future conflicts. The conference highlighted both the risks associated with these changes and the opportunities for adaptation and innovation.
The conference also included panel discussions on topics like "Of Bits, Bots, or Battalions? What 'Next-Generation Warfare' Looks Like", "Fake News, Real War: How to Manage a Complex IO Landscape", "Beyond 'Slaughterbots': Reimagining War with No Soldiers", "Rage against the Machine Learning: Debating AI in Modern War", and "Beyond the Horizon Scenarios with our Near-Peer Adversaries".
Videos of keynote speakers and panel discussions, conference program, post-conference report, descriptions of each panel discussion, and a list of conference participants are available on our website for those interested in learning more about the discussions and findings from the event.
- The rapid advancement of technology, such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, cyber warfare capabilities, and advanced missile technology, poses a significant threat to national security by potentially undermining traditional U.S. military advantages.
- The resurgence of great power competitors like China and Russia, who employ asymmetric tactics and hybrid warfare approaches, challenge the U.S. dominance and traditional warfighting concepts, requiring a reevaluation of military defense strategies.
- The increasing role of cyber operations and information warfare as front-line domains could disrupt the American approach to warfare by complicating situational awareness and decision-making, necessitating a shift in focus towards effective defense strategies in these domains.
