Accession Number:

AD1085592

Title:

What are the Trends in Armed Conflicts, and What Do They Mean for U.S. Defense Policy

Descriptive Note:

Technical Report

Corporate Author:

RAND ARROYO CENTER SANTA MONICA CA SANTA MONICA United States

Personal Author(s):

• Szayna,Thomas S.
• Watts,Stephen
• O'Mahony,Angela
• Frederick,Bryan
• Kavanagh,Jennifer

Report Date:

2017-01-01

Pagination or Media Count:

11.0

Abstract:

As the U.S. national military strategy Joint Chiefs of Staff, 2015 recognizes, the current global security environment is highly unpredictable, leading the United States to face simultaneous security challenges from traditional state actors and transregional networks of sub-state groups - all taking advantage of rapid technological change. These security challenges reflect a variety of factors - for example, a highly interconnected and interdependent global economy, the unprecedented stress on the earths resources created by population growth, the creation of new and highly fragile sovereign states, and the rapid rise of emerging powers outside the Euro-Atlantic sphere. Some believe that these security challenges have, in turn, increased the potential for armed conflicts to emerge - a potential that seems borne out by conflict in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Yemen, Libya, and elsewhere.

Descriptors:

• international organizations
• cold war
• violence
• stress tests
• civil war
• conventional warfare
• economic development
• intervention
• military strategy

Subject Categories:

• Military Operations, Strategy and Tactics
• Government and Political Science

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE