Combined Effect Strategy and Influence

Drohan is a master strategist—a rare find among those whose expertise is capped at combining arms for operational effectiveness. Today's challenges require a broader and deeper vision and the crafting of more nuanced strategies with multiple interacting and synergistic effects. Drohan presents a primer on effects-based strategies and an outline for their application to our primary rising challenges: read and heed. * James M. Smith, Director, USAF Institute for National Security Studies (Retired); Co-Editor of China's Strategic Arsenal: Worldview, Doctrine, and Systems * To many, the end of the Cold War incorrectly implied the end of deterrence, compellence, and other coercive theories seen as incompatible with a liberal, rules-based global order. As in the 1920s and 1930s when alliances were prohibited and war had been declared illegal, the reality of conflict in Europe and East Asia shattered such optimism. Plus ça change, c’est plus la même chose. In this volume, Drohan takes a fresh and very productive look at established coercion theory and applies his expertise, sensitive as he is to cultural contexts. He calls persuasively for 'the defense and security bureaucracy to speak the language of combined effects and concepts of influence' that he deals with extensively in this important book. * Paul Viotti, Professor, University of Denver *