Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism is number eight in the Combat Studies Institute's Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Paper series. This work resulted from discussions at Fort Leavenworth about the nature of the enemy facing the United States and its allies since 11 September 2001. Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network had been present at some level in the national and international consciousness since the late 1990s. The events of 11 September 2001 and subsequent global operations taken against Al Qaeda have brought this group to the forefront of the GWOT. While successes have been achieved in the GWOT, the enemy has proven to be resilient and adaptive. This study by Mr. Sean Kalic, of the Department of Military History, US Army Command and General Staff College, examines modern transnational terrorism from the 1960s to the present day, with special emphasis on the adaptation Al Qaeda and other nonstate actors have taken in response to the actions of the United States and its allies. This work provides a cautionary warning about the likelihood Al Qaeda will continue to survive and execute missions in the current operating environment. Mr. Kalic synthesizes much of the pertinent literature and offers insights into the actions taken to &#64257;ght terrorists. Most importantly, he advises a continual reevaluation of the threat, based on Al Qaeda's &#64258;exibility, resiliency, and adaptability. Of&#64257;cers and soldiers who have recently served in operations against the terrorist worldwide will certainly see utility here. As the US Army continues its efforts in combating terrorists, the thoughts found in this narrative are well worth considering.

Combating the Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism

Politics & Social Sciences

Combat Studies Institute Press

Kalic, Sean N.

Politics & Government

Independently published

In the post-World War II era, the Soviet Union and the United States wanted to gain the advantage in international security. Both engaged in intelligence gathering. This book provides a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the espionage game. 
For more than four decades after World War II, the quest for intelligence drove the Soviet Union and the United States to develop a high-stakes "game" of spying on one another throughout the Cold War. Each nation needed to be aware of and prepared to counter the capabilities of their primary nemesis. Therefore, as the Cold War period developed and technology advanced, the mutual goal to maintain up-to-date intelligence mandated that the process by which the "game" was played encompass an ever-wider range of intelligence gathering means. Covering far more than the United States and Soviet Union's use of human spies, this book examines the advanced technological means by which the two nations' intelligence agencies worked to ensure that they had an accurate understanding of the enemy.
The easily accessible narrative covers the Cold War period from 1945 to 1989 as well as the post-Cold War era, enabling readers to gain an understanding of how the spies and elaborate espionage operations fit within the greater context of the national security concerns of the United States and the Soviet Union. Well-known Cold War historian Sean N. Kalic explains the ideological tenets that fueled the distrust and "the need to know" between the two adversarial countries, supplies a complete history of the technological means used to collect intelligence throughout the Cold War and into the more recent post-Cold War years, and documents how a mutual desire to have the upper hand resulted in both sides employing diverse and creative espionage methods.
 • Details how and why the United States and the Soviet Union maintained and evolved their robust spying capabilities from the end of World War II to the present era
• Highlights how the espionage and spying employed by the United States and Soviet Union involved far more than just people placed to obtain and transmit information
• Provides a foundation of knowledge to understand the tension between United States and the Soviet Union over current issues such as Georgia, Syria, and Ukraine, as well as the expansion of NATO into Central and Eastern Europe
• Includes compelling stories in espionage history, including the Manhattan Project, the convicted Rosenberg spy couple, the U-2 incident, and the discovery of Russian "sleeper" cells in the United States in 2010

Spies: The U.S. and Russian Espionage Game from the Cold War to the 21st Century (Praeger Security International)

History

Military

Praeger

Combining reference entries and examination of primary documents from the Russian Revolution, this book gives students a better understanding of how and why political forces fought to reshape the Russian empire 100 years ago―and provides keen insights into the Soviet Union that resulted.
 • Provides a detailed history of the Russian Revolution, addressing events from the abdication of Czar Nicholas II to the Bolshevik Revolution
• Gives readers a more complete understanding of how the Bolsheviks fought during the Civil War to maintain and solidify the success of their revolution
• Includes a substantial collection of primary documents that offers keen insights into what key actors thought and how these individuals behaved during the historical period

Russian Revolution of 1917: The Essential Reference Guide

Brown, Gates M.

Europe

ABC-CLIO

From the American Revolution to the War in Afghanistan, the United States has had no shortage of conflicts on both domestic and world stages. All provide insight into the values of the presidents who led the nation through them.\nU.S. Presidents during Wartime: A History of Leadership takes readers through chronological entries of presidents who participated in key wars throughout U.S. history. An overview essay first considers the social, economic, and political factors that affected presidents during war. Entries beginning with the presidency of George Washington and ending with that of George W. Bush comprehensively cover each war therein, as well as the responses of the relevant presidents.\nPrimary documents in each entry depict the perspectives of the presidents and offer opportunities for comparing and contrasting the presidents' engagements in wartime strategies. Ending each entry are chronologies of the various events and conflicts that marked the president's time in office. Moreover, entries build upon each other to help readers toward a broader understanding of the sum impact of the wars that the presidents led. While the book emphasizes the historical record, it also explores ongoing conflicts through the lens of contemporary U.S. presidents to provide readers with a complete picture of the changing nature of war over time.

U.S. Presidents during Wartime: A History of Leadership

Biographies & Memoirs

Rafuse, Ethan S.

Historical

Bloomsbury Academic

In the clash of ideologies represented by the Cold War, even the heavens were not immune to militarization. Satellites and space programs became critical elements among the national security objectives of both the United States and the Soviet Union.
According to US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946–1967, three American presidents in succession shared a fundamental objective of preserving space as a weapons-free frontier for the benefit of all humanity. Between 1953 and 1967 Presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson all saw nonaggressive military satellite development, as well as the civilian space program, as means to favorably shape the international community’s opinion of the scientific, technological, and military capabilities of the United States. Sean N. Kalic’s reinterpretation of the development of US space policy, based on documents declassified in the past decade, demonstrates that a single vision for the appropriate uses of space characterized American strategies across parties and administrations during this period.
Significantly, Kalic’s findings contradict the popular opinion that the United States sought to weaponize space and calls into question the traditional interpretation of the space race as a simple action/reaction paradigm. Indeed, beyond serving as a symbol and ambassador of US technological capability, its satellite program provided the United States with advanced, nonaggressive military intelligence-gathering platforms that proved critical in assessing the strategic nuclear balance between the United States and the Soviet Union. It also aided the three administrations in countering the Soviet Union’s increasing international prestige after its series of space firsts, beginning with the launch of Sputnik in 1957.

US Presidents and the Militarization of Space, 1946-1967 (Volume 19) (Centennial of Flight Series)

Americas

Texas A&M University Press

The End of the Cold War and its Aftermath

Wilcox, Mark R

Outskirts Press

Roughly thirty years ago, the Cold War came to an end. This multi-generational struggle, which did not always remain "cold," came to define the security environment and, arguably, the social milieu for much of the world's population. It certainly was prominent in the life experiences of the contributing authors to this volume, perhaps beginning with "duck and cover" drills in schools to being surrounded by the ubiquitous "Fallout Shelter" signs on public buildings. For most of the authors, it also involved service in the armed forces both in active combat, for instance in Vietnam, and in units preparing for a hot war in Europe that, thankfully, never came. Their service also included time on staffs developing plans and policies to manage the military competition, and in arms control, working to reduce the chances of war. One thing all the authors share vis-à-vis the Cold War is the desire to study it, learn from it, and share their insights with others.

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