100th World War I Anniversary, Germany in 1918: From the Acme to the Abyss: NSDM
Summary:
Germany’s 1918 offensive, fed by troops freed from the Russian front, was stopped in July. Discusses Allied counteroffensives, German response, collapse, & how this aided the rise of the Nazis.
Description:
With the dawn on January 1, 1918 came Germany’s last best hope of winning the Great War. Turkey had turned Britain back at the Dardanelles, Russia was out of the war, and America’s troops were still months away from engaging effectively. With troops freed from the Russian front, Germany began to attack on March 21, but in July was again, as in 1914, stopped in the Battle of the Marne. On July 18, the Allies launched their counteroffensive, continuing to hold the initiative up until the 11th hour, on the 11th day, of the 11th month – November 11, 1918. This lecture will focus upon the Allied counteroffensives, the German counters, the retreat and the collapse. This will include discussion of the legendary ‘stab in the back’ that would become a Nazi mantra. Presenter: Robert Mosher, retired US State Department Foreign Service Officer, now on the NSDMG staff.
100th World War I Anniversary: Canadian Corps and the 100 Days: NSDM
Summary:
The last 100 days of World War One saw the Canadian Corps in nearly continuous action. An examination of key battles & tactics to show how this Corps became “The Shock Army of the British Empire.”
Description:
The last 100 days of World War One saw the Canadian Corps in nearly continuous action on the Western Front. Despite having a maximum strength of 120,000 men, the Canadians were at the forefront of British Empire forces pushing German forces out of the Hindenburg Line and back into Belgium. This lecture discusses key battles, tactics and innovations that led the Canadian Corps to become “The Shock Army of the British Empire.” Presenter: Mike Tucker of the NSDMG staff.
National Security Decision Making Game staff led discussion of global hotspots, things to watch out for next year, including hotspots: China, Europe, Syria, Iran, Israel, Russia, North Korea.
Description:
Continued discussion of current military/political/economic topics of interest/concern, analysis & insights on current/future world affairs. This seminar led by the National Security Decision Making (NSDM) Game staff, explores current, and potential future, problem areas around the world. Want to know what to expect in the next year? What might happen and what are the implications of it? What are drivers, what indicators to watch for, and how might events be affected by the U.S. and the West? What potential catastrophes is CNN missing?
Join the National Security Decision Making Game staff to review recent changes & things to watch next year, including hotspots: China, Europe, Syria, Iran, Israel, Russia, North Korea...
Description:
Overview, analysis & insights on current/future world affairs. This panel discussion and seminar, the signature event of the National Security Decision Making (NSDM) Game staff, explores current, and potential future, problem areas around the world. Want to know what to expect in the next year? What might happen and what are the implications of it? What are drivers, what indicators to watch for, and how might events be affected by the U.S. and the West? What potential catastrophes is CNN missing?
50th Anniversary of Sinking of Nuclear Submarine USS Scorpion: Theories and Evidence: NSDM
Summary:
Sinking of the Scorpion: theories fill an information vacuum, from internal torpedo detonation to Russian ambush. Lecture covers history, Cold War backdrop, predominant theories & makes conclusions.
Description:
The nuclear sub Scorpion was lost with all hands in the North Atlantic 50 years ago. A months-long Navy inquiry gave no cause in a heavily-redacted report: long on possibilities, short on evidence. Some possibilities were thought more plausible than others, but in historical Silent Service tradition these were not discussed, and the initial conclusions remain official. So theories filled the information vacuum over the years, from warhead detonation in the torpedo room to premeditated Russian ambush. This recalls the history of the sinking and investigation against the Cold War backdrop and the associated technology race, predominant theories and relevant data, and makes conclusions regarding the most likely cause. Presenter: Capt. Mark McDonagh, USN/ret., a submarine officer with 12 years’ experience at the Naval War College and with BS and MS degrees in physics, now on the NSDMG staff.
Serious discussion of real world planning for first contact with extra-terrestrial life, including, what could they possibly want with us? Presenter: Merle Robinson, lead designer on the NSDMG Staff.
Description:
Serious discussion of real world planning for first contact with extra-terrestrial life, including, what could they possibly want with us? Presenter: Merle Robinson, lead designer on the NSDMG Staff.
Pandemic: Might the World End with a Whimper? Fact v Fiction, History, Near-Term Potential
Summary:
A global pandemic can bring down civilization, but how much is fiction? Crowded third-world cities; global transportation; new, resistant strains of old scourges; engineered bioterrorist weapons.
Description:
A pandemic could collapse civilization, perhaps even destroy mankind. With third-world cities with enormous populations, primitive sanitation and health service infrastructures as an incubator, and modern transportation systems to spread new strains, a catastrophic event could be a matter of when, not if. Ebola; uncontrolled Small Pox; new, resistant strains of old scourges; engineered, weaponized agents; bioterrorism potential. These provide fertile ground for science fiction authors and screenplay writers, but what is the realistic potential of an apocalyptic pandemic? Lecture discusses pandemic history, current threats and readiness to respond, attempting to separate fact and potential from fiction and fancy. Presenter: Capt. Mark McDonagh, USN/ret., a submarine officer with 12 years’ experience at the Naval War College and with BS and MS degrees in physics, now on the NSDMG staff.
This lecture provides a quick overview of the Cold War period in terms of themes, influences, & significant events. It provides a background into the competition between the U.S. and USSR.
Description:
The Cold War was a period of change in the international system. Highlighted by competition between the US and USSR along ideological, economic and military lines, other events and influences affecting the current international system emerged from the Cold War. International and Supranational Organizations emerged: UN, IMF, World Bank, WTO (formerly GATT), EU. Decolonization and externalities emerging from breakdown of European empires set the stage for current ethnic and religious violence. Lastly, the period provided foundations for modern globalization: technological linkages between people and development of transportation systems reduced spatial distances, setting up potential for conflicts within the system. Presenter: Dr. Craig Greathouse, Professor of Political Science specializing in the EU, International Relations Theory and Security and Defense Policy, now on the NSDMG staff.
Weapons of Mass Disruption: Cyber War in the Current Global Environment: NSDM
Summary:
The age of cyber war is here, the first shots fired. Lecture explores features, strategies, weapons, geopolitics. Cyber weapons now focus more on disruption than on destruction; which may be worse.
Description:
The American 2016 Presidential Election, the Brexit vote, and the 2017 French Presidential elections all share one thing in common: they were the target of cyber attacks from an external actor whose ultimate motives are “unknown.” Using a framework and couched in the Clausewitzian concept of fog of war, this lecture examines the current situation in terms of cyber war and its import on global politics. Unlike earlier predictions of a “Cyber Pearl Harbor,” current cyber capacity is now focusing more on disruption than on destruction; which may be more of a threat in the long run. The features of cyber war in this near future and its strategies are explored by Dr. Craig Greathouse, Professor of Political Science, University of North Georgia where he specializes in the European Union, International Relations Theory, and Security and Defense Policy, speaking on the NSDMG staff.