Our Lines of Effort

• Air and Space Power and the Joint Force in a Multi-Domain World
• Defense Institutional Effectiveness: Organizational and Cultural Adaptation
• Wargaming as Professional Development
• Great Power Competition: Strategic Foresight for the Future Fight

• Nuclear
• Conventional Warfare
• Unconventional Warfare (Irregular/Asymmetric war, Hybrid Warfare, Gray Zone Conflict/Competition, etc.)
• Civil Wars, Insurgencies, and Counterinsurgencies (COIN)
• Terrorism and Counterterrorism (CT)
• Deterrence
• Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
• War Fighting Domains
  • Air, Space, Cyber, Land, Sea, Human, Civil Society
• Military Theories (Clausewitz, Douhet, Mahan, Gerasimov, Sun Tzu, etc.)
• Regional Threats (Rogue states, Terrorist networks, Transnational criminal organizations)
• Global Problems (humanitarian, climate change, disasters)
• (Grand) Strategy, Operations, Tactics, Doctrine, Training, Leadership, Laws, Battlefield Disasters
• Military Cultures (organization, institutions, policies)
• Military Force Composition (Gender, Race, Religion, Identity, etc.)
• Technology, Innovation, and Future Warfare
• Logistics
• Civil-Military Relations (CMR)
• Foreign Militaries
  • comparative analysis, defense institution building (DIB), security force assistance (SFA), foreign internal defense (FID)
• National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Strategy (NDS), National Military Strategy (NMS), Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), Defense Strategic Guidance (DSG), etc.
• Posture/Mission Statements of Functional and Geographic Combatant Commands
• • Regional Security (e.g. Europe, Middle East, Asia, Latin America, Polar)
• Public Policy Engagement
• Wargaming and Red-Teaming

• The SWC Podcast (planned start in May 2021)
• Developing Maturity Model for US military assistance programs (Minerva DECUR Research Team: Dr. Ryan Burke, Dr. Buddhika Jayamaha, Lt Col Jahara Matisek, and Dr. Will Reno at Northwestern University)
• Developing Correlates of War (COW) Militarized Interstate Dispute (MID) dataset, version 6 (Co-PI: Dr. Paul Bezerra working with University of Arizona and University of Texas-Dallas), with anticipated completion date of 2025
• Management of Correlates of War (COW) Militarized Interstate Dispute Locations (MIDLOC) dataset, version 2.1 (Version 3.0 under development) (Co-PI: Dr. Paul Bezerra working with University of Arizona)
• Integration of Battlefield Medicine with contemporary military operations (PI: Dr. Ky Hunter and Dr. Emmy Betz at University of Colorado)
• Evaluation of military violence prevention for Headquarters Air Force Personnel (PI: Dr. Ky Hunter)
• “Destinations Unknown” – Fictional writing about the future of warfare and strategy (Dr. Ky Hunter in partnership with Marine Corps University)
• Colombia Fieldwork, pedagogy, cadet research on kidnapping/hostages (AFOSR funded, PI: Dr. Dani Gilbert)
• Polar Security in the era of Great Power Competition (AFOSR funded, PI: Dr. Ryan Burke)
• Soft Anti-Ballistics Composite Armor (Dr. Ryan Burke and 1Lt Hayley Weir), Patent Pending
• Tri-Service Academy Wargaming Collaboration (managed by Dr. Ky Hunter, Lt Col Rob Grant, and Mr. Michael Golembesky)
  • Exploring future air, space and cyberspace power policy issues using modeling, simulation, and experiential learning

The lab is a 9.5-million dollar facility consisting of two modular suites, with each suite housing a fully integrated Joint All-Domain Operations Center (JADOC), Flight Bay, and remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) control room.

The JADOC contains 24 operations center positions, which provide strategic- and operational-level command and control simulators. These simulators can replicate, in a tailorable way, an air operations center (AOC) and space operations center (SpOC) and all of their associated capabilities, roles, and missions, along with cyber integration and other joint domains. The Flight Bay consists of 6 tactical-level command and control (C2), electronic warfare (EW), and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) positions, as well as 12 flight simulators that simulate the employment of 10 different fighter and bomber aircraft, along with air battle management, EW, and ISR platforms. Finally, the RPA control room houses 3 RPA simulators.

The two suites can run independently or be linked into the same scenario. Furthermore, the suites fully integrate voice, data link, and chat capabilities to enhance decision-making processes. A third suite is planned for Fiscal Year 2024, with dedicated spaces for space domain control. Finally, future upgrades are targeting the integration and networking of the MDL suites to entities outside of USAFA and beyond.

• Cadet Kerrilee Berger (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Your Hamburger and National Security: Veganism, Food Insecurity and American Power,” War Room, 6 August 2020.
• Cadet Kathryn Koonz (USAFA ’21), “Deepening the Cut: How China’s Genetic Warfare is Affecting International Relations,” OTH Journal, 26 May 2020.
• Cadet Joshua Williamson (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Limited Wars in the Periphery: The Dilemma of American Military Assistance,” Expeditions with MCU Press, June 2020.
• Cadet Nathan Fairhurst (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Cased Telescoped Ammunition: The Next Step in Ammo Evolution?” Small Arms Defense Journal, 18 December 2019.
• Cadet Mathieu Barron (USAFA ’21) and Jahara Matisek, “Grab your Coats: Can America succeed in the Arctic?” Modern Diplomacy, 11 June 2019.
• Cadet Maxwell Stangl (USAFA ’21),“Russia Won’t Start a (Conventional) War in the Baltics,” The National Interest, 13 May 2019.
• Cadet Jason Sattler (USAFA ’19), “High-Energy Laser Systems and the Future of Warfare,” The Strategy Bridge, 29 November 2018.
• Cadet Isaiah Honable (USAFA ’19), “Space Theories Wanted,” The Strategy Bridge, 13 November 2018.
• 2nd Lt Robert Hunter Ward (USAFA ’18), “The Dawn of Anti-Personnel Directed-Energy Weapons,” The Strategy Bridge, 24 July 2018.
• 2nd Lt Riley Murray (USAFA ’18), “The Unrealized Value of Open Source Intelligence for Irregular Warfare,” The Strategy Bridge, 25 July 2018.

• Jahara Matisek and Austin G. Commons, “Thinking outside of the Sandbox: Succeeding at Security Force Assistance beyond the Middle East,” Military Review (March/April 2021): 33-42.
• Colin Robinson and Jahara Matisek, “Military advising and assistance in Somalia: Fragmented interveners, Fragmented Somali military forces,” Defence Studies 21, no. 2 (February 2021).
• Alan Briding, “The Essential Partnership: The Four Core Functions of Military Leadership and the Core Values,” JCLD 8, no. 1 (2021): 160-172.
• Jahara Matisek and Ivor Wiltenburg, “Security force assistance as a preferred form of 21st century warfare: The unconventional becomes the conventional,” The Conduct of War in the 21st Century: Kinetic, Connected and Synthetic, edited by Rob Johnson, Martijn Kitzen, and Tim Sweijs (London: Routledge, 2021).
• Ryan Burke and Elizabeth Buchanan, “Adapting to the Cold, Hard Facts of Polar Security: Advice for the Biden Administration,” Modern War Institute, 26 January 2021.
• Charles Jacoby, Jr. and Ryan Burke, “Russia, China, and the Facts of Polar Security,” Modern War Institute, 7 January 2021.
• Elizabeth Buchanan and Ryan Burke, “Project 6633 Interview Series: Key Challenges in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions,” Modern War Institute, 8 January 2021.
• Kyleanne Hunter, Jeannette Gaudry Haynie and Natalie Trogus, “A Cornerstone of Peace: Women in Afghanistan,” War Room, 8 January 2021.
• Ryan Burke, “The Hidden Dangers in Biden’s Foreign Policy,” Defense One, 7 December 2020.
• Stephen Reny, “Nuclear-Armed Hypersonic Weapons and Nuclear Deterrence,” Strategic Studies Quarterly 14, no. 4 (Winter 2020): 47-73.
• Colin Robinson and Jahara Matisek, “Assistance to Locally Appropriate Military Forces in Southern Somalia: Bypassing Mogadishu for Local Legitimacy,” RUSI Journal 165, no. 4 (2020): 68-78.
• Bradley Podliska and Donnie Hodges, “Instructors Wanted, Apply Within: Why the Air Force is Failing to Change its Culture and what to do about It,” War on the Rocks, 8 December 2020.
• Jahara Matisek, “International Competition to Provide Security Force Assistance in Africa: Civil-Military Relations Matter,” PRISM: Journal of Complex Operations 9, no. 1 (October 2020): 103-123.
• Nils Zimmerman and Jahara Matisek, “A Developmental Role for Militaries in Africa: The Peace Engineering Corps Solution,” S+F (Sicherheit und Frieden) (“Security and Peace”) 38, no. 2 (2020): 112-117.
• Jahara Matisek and Mike Fowler, “The Paradox of Security Force Assistance after the rise and fall of the Islamic State in Syria-Iraq,” Special Operations Forces Journal 6, no.2 (2020): 118-138.
• Kyleanne Hunter and Rebecca Best, “You Can’t Have Women in Peace without Women in Conflict and Security,” Georgetown Security Studies Review 8, no.2 (2020): 5-18.
• Kyleanne Hunter, “On Veterans Day, we must talk about suicide prevention,” The Hill, 11 November 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “Armed group allegedly plotted to kidnap Michigan’s governor. Here are 5 things to know about political kidnappings,” The Washington Post, 14 October 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “Why Trump’s alleged comments about soldiers brought so much outrage,” The Washington Post, 12 September 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “News of a Kidnapping,” Political Violence at a Glance, 2 September 2020.
• Ryan Burke and Jahara Matisek, “Can the Illogical Inertia of American Involvement in the Middle East Be Broken?” Real Clear Defense, 17 July 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “The Oxygen of Publicity: Explaining U.S. Media Coverage of International Kidnapping,” Studies in Conflict & Terrorism (2020).
• Jahara Matisek, “Communications in Multi-Domain Operations: What Does the BACN Bring?” OTH Journal, 24 June 2020.
• Danielle Gilbert, “The Politics and Pedagogy of Nationalism: Authentic Learning on Identity and Conflict,” Journal of Political Science Education (2020).
• Thomas J. Volgy, Kelly Marie Gordell, and Paul Bezerra, “Crucial Fault Lines in the Middle East: Interstate Rivalries in Comparative Perspective,” In: Shocks and Rivalries in the Middle East and North Africa, edited by Imad Mansour and William R. Thompson (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2020).
• Danielle Gilbert and Rachel Whitlark, “Borders, Blinders, and Mental Maps: Assessing Scenario Analysis in Light of Covid-19,” Duck of Minerva, 8 June 2020.
• Emily Knowles and Jahara Matisek, “Is Human Rights Training working with Foreign Militaries? No one knows and that’s O.K.,” War on the Rocks, 12 May 2020.
• Mark E. Grotelueschen (Editor), The Harmon Memorial Lectures in Military History, 1988–2017 (Maxwell AFB, AL: Air University Press, 2020).
• Ryan Burke and Jahara Matisek, “The Illogical Logic of American Entanglement in the Middle East,” Journal of Strategic Security 13, no.1 (2020): 1-25.
• Brent J. Talbot, “Getting Deterrence Right: The Case for Stratified Deterrence,” Journal of Strategic Security 13, no. 1 (2020): 26-40.
• Jahara Matisek and Ryan Burke, “The “Goldilocks Zone” of War and Peace,” The Journal of Character & Leadership Development (JCLD) 7, no.1 (2020): 112-123.
• Jahara Matisek, Travis Robison, and Buddhika Jayamaha, “Extending the American Century: Revisiting the Social Contract,” Georgetown Journal of International Affairs 20 (Fall 2019): 5-15.
• Mike Fowler, “The Rise of the Present Unconventional Character of War,” The Strategy Bridge, 4 November 2019.
• Ryan Burke and Jahara Matisek, “The American Polar Pivot: Gaining a Comparative Advantage in Great Power Competition,” Marine Corps University Journal 10, no. 2 (2019): 70-91.
• Jahara Matisek and Wilson VornDick, “Bitcoin’s Blockchain Technology for Hybrid Warfare: Laws to the Rescue?” Journal of Information Warfare 18, no. 1 (Winter 2019): 56-68.
• Jahara Matisek, “The Soft Power of an American Cartoon: South Park and the Information War with China,” Modern War Institute, 14 October 2019.