USAFA Library Guides: Military & Strategic Studies: Getting Started

Welcome!

This guide provides information on a broad range of topics in military & strategic studies and resources to help you do research. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or need help with your research.

If you are having trouble getting started, try reading a few articles from the listed sources. Look for major concepts and words or phrases that are repeated in the article, as well as references cited that can help you spot credible sources for your topic.

Concepts of Military Studies

The A-Z of International Relations
Geopolitics explained in simple terms by The Economist
The A-Z of Military Terms
Military terms explained to you in plain English by The Economist
DoD Dictionary of Military Terms (PDF)
A joint publication of the Department of Defense
Encyclopedia of Military Science
Reference on organizations, traditions, training, purpose & functions of the modern military
Glossary of Drone Warfare
Explained by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism
Joint Electronic Library Plus
CAC access to JEL+ for military terms & doctrines

Getting Started with a Topic

Several sources to help you choose and a topic to write a research paper related to military, defense and strategic-related studies.

Congressional Research Service
Find reports with background on defense topics & policy issues
CQ Researcher
Search for reports on war and conflict, international relations, and beyond, with statistics, charts, graphs & maps
DoD 101: Department of Defense
Overview of DoD operations with links to organizational resources
Global Conflict Tracker
Background on major conflicts that impact US global interests
Spotlights: Department of Defense
Special focus on topics like climate change & Indo-Pacific
Uppsala Conflict Data Program Encyclopedia
Search by country for a conflict summary with updates

Assessments and Surveys

ACLED Analysis
Provides ongoing analyses of conflicts around the world
Annual Estimate of the Strategic Security Environment
Outlines key strategic issues across broad themes of regional, domestic & institutional challenges, and domains impacting US strategic advantage. Formerly the Key Strategic Issues List.
Armed Conflict Survey
Annual analysis of the political, military and humanitarian dimensions of all major armed conflicts
The Military Balance
Authoritative annual assessment of the military capabilities and defence economics worldwide
Strategic Trends
Annual publication of key global developments
Stratfor Worldview
Login to AF and DoD MWR Libraries with your DoD ID. Click on "Reference and Research" to select Stratfor to access forecasts, assessments, and situational reports on geopolitical & military events.
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How do I login and create an account?
From Website:
Click "Login" at the top right of the window. You will be prompted for your DOD ID (CAC) number and birthdate. You may be prompted for the last four digits of your SSN if the information is not found. Authentication data will not be retained.

Militant Groups, Terrorism and Genocide

Country Reports on Terrorism
Annual reports by the State Department on events related to terrorism around the world
Genocide Watch
Regular update on genocides with a focus on prevention
Global Terrorism Guide
By the Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Militant Group Profiles
Organizational overview, strategy and activities of militant groups by Stanford's Center for International Security & Cooperation
Nuclear Threat Inititative
Focus on weapons of mass destruction and disruption—nuclear, biological, radiological, chemical and cyber

Political and Conflict Maps

ACLED Conflict Index
Interactive map to track conflict levels across the world
CIA Maps from the World Factbook
World, regional, country, ocean, and time zone maps
CrisisWatch
Browse map to track early warning signs of conflicts
Maps of the World
Political and admin maps of continents, countries & regions
United Nations Maps & Geospatial Services
Maps of countries, regions, and UN security themes

Online References

Defense 101: Understanding the Military of Today and Tomorrow
Publication Date: 2021
To help students make sense of the DoD, the basics of war and the future of armed conflict, and the most important characteristics of the American military.
Handbook of Military Sciences
Publication Date: 2020
Open access publication provides a comprehensive thematic introduction to various subfields of Military Sciences.
Military Strategy, Joint Operations, and Airpower: An Introduction
Call Number: Print ed. UG 630 .M533 2022
Publication Date: 2018 ebook access here
On contemporary military strategy and security studies with a focus on the operational level of war.
Understanding the U.S. Military
Publication Date: 2022
Provides an accessible introduction to the U.S. military as an institution and insights into the military's structure & norms.
Routledge Handbook of the Future of Warfare
Publication Date: 2023
A dynamic overview of the future of warfare includes lawfare, irregular warfare & remote warfare.
Routledge Handbook of Defence Studies (2018)
Research focus on global defence issues, strategic studies and IR.
Routledge Handbook of Security Studies (2016)
Overview of key research and debate in the field of security studies.
The SAGE Encyclopedia of War: Social Science Perspectives (2017)
Find causes, processes & effects of war beyond the battlefield lens.

Research Guides

Survey scholarly literature on research topics in international relations. Surveys not listed but are accessible from Oxford include Chinese Studies, Latin American Studies, Islamic Studies, and Political Science.

Center on Irregular Warfare & Armed Groups
Annotated bibliographies on emerging topics in irregular warfare & armed groups from US Naval War College
Combatant Commands
Library guide for the Unified Geographic & Functional Combatant Commands of the Department of Defense
Oxford Bibliographies Online: International Relations
Annotated guides to find literature related to cultural, economic, legal, military & political relations of all states
Oxford Bibliographies Online: Military History
Annotated guides covering broad topics from ancient military history to current studies of international conflict
NATO Research Guides
To help find resources on hybrid warfare and other topics
War Books by the Modern Institute of War
A weekly series from West Point where subject experts describe up to five books to learn about important subjects on war

DoD and National Security Strategies

National Defense Strategy
Annual publication by the US Department of Defense
National Security Strategy of the U.S.
Covers key challenges and trends facing America
Publications of the Department of Defense
Search publications for recent DoD strategy and policy reviews

Country Reports and Profiles

Britannica Academic
Use research tools to compare countries, search world atlas, and find primary sources & articles
Europa World Plus
General and regional country surveys and organizations
Global Road Warrior
Get a security briefing with country-by-country information on customs, demographics, history, language and much more
The World Factbook (CIA)
Background on countries worldwide -- geography, government, military, people and society, transnational issues, and more

Pronunciation Guides

Forvo
Pronunciation dictionary for languages around the world
Voice of America
Learn how to pronounce names and places correctly

Military & Strategic Studies

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