The Defense Strategy and Planning project studies the role of military force and operational art in modern great power competition. Our team conducts rigorous research and analysis on the ways, means, and ends of military operations conducted by the U.S., China, and other major powers to achieve foreign policy objectives short of war. Our work highlights the evolving role of military force in the post-Cold War era, including in gray zone conflict.
By combining military and diplomatic history with data-driven analysis, we identify and assess the historical, environmental, and political characteristics that have shaped the modern use of military force, and provide tools and analysis to decision-makers to help inform choices on how to more effectively use the U.S. military across domains and into the future.
Christopher Preble outlines five recommendations for a better U.S. foreign policy
January 25, 2024
A new foreign policy agenda that sets priorities and shares burdens with other global actors can lead to a more credible grand strategy
January 25, 2024
It is time for the United States to rethink how it engages with the rest of the world
January 25, 2024
Assumption: China’s military buildup and “gray-zone” coercion means it will be more effective in dominating its neighbors and achieving its goals
December 19, 2023
Examining China’s use of its armed forces for coercion in the 21st century
November 17, 2023
Ankara has legitimate security concerns, but the alliance should firmly reject Erdogan’s transactional diplomacy when it comes to Swedish accession
February 3, 2023
The best way Europe can support the U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy is by shoring up European security – and freeing the U.S. to focus on providing security in the Indo-Pacific
February 2, 2023
China’s use of Military Operations Other Than War (MOOTW) is essential to understanding how Beijing views the utility of military force in the 21st century.
October 3, 2022
Copyright The Henry L. Stimson Center