Journal of Strategic Studies

Journal of Strategic Studies
Title	Journal of Strategic Studies
Discipline	International relations; security studies; strategic studies
Abbreviation	J. Strateg. Stud.
Publisher	Routledge
Country	United Kingdom
Frequency	Bimonthly
History	1978–present
Issn	0140-2390

Journal of Strategic Studies is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on international security, military history, defense policy, and strategic theory. It publishes research relevant to scholars and practitioners associated with Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom), Pentagon, NATO, United Nations Security Council, and regional institutions such as ASEAN Regional Forum and African Union. Authors often engage with case studies involving Cold War, Korean War, Vietnam War, Falklands War, Gulf War, Iraq War, Afghanistan War (2001–2021), and contemporary crises like the Ukraine War.

History

Launched in 1978 amid debates triggered by the Détente and Nuclear proliferation controversies, the journal emerged as a forum for voices linked to RAND Corporation, Chatham House, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Brookings Institution. Early contributors included analysts associated with the Truman Doctrine debates, scholars influenced by Thucydides, and commentators referencing events such as the Yom Kippur War and the Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989). Across the 1980s and 1990s the journal covered transitions related to the Reagan Doctrine, the Fall of the Berlin Wall, the Yugoslav Wars, and the evolution of Nuclear Command and Control frameworks. In the 21st century it broadened focus to encompass post-9/11 transformations associated with Homeland Security, Counterinsurgency, Cyberwarfare, and power competition involving People's Republic of China, Russian Federation, Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and regional actors such as Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Israel, and India.

Scope and Content

The journal publishes articles on strategy, force planning, deterrence, coercion, military innovation, and grand strategy. Typical topics link to debates involving Mutual assured destruction, Second-strike capability, Ballistic Missile Defense, and technologies such as Stealth technology, Unmanned aerial vehicle, Precision-guided munition, Hypersonic weapon, and Nuclear submarine. It includes case studies of operations like Operation Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Desert Shield, Operation Sea Lion analyses, and retrospectives on battles such as Battle of Midway, Battle of Britain, Battle of Kursk, and Tet Offensive. Interdisciplinary pieces reference institutions including NATO Allied Command Transformation, US Strategic Command, People's Liberation Army Rocket Force, Royal Navy, Russian Navy, and PLAN (People's Liberation Army Navy). The journal also examines legal and ethical frameworks tied to Geneva Conventions, Just War theory, War Powers Resolution, and international agreements like the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

Editorial and Publication Details

Published by Routledge on a bimonthly schedule, the journal employs a peer-review process managed by an editorial board drawn from academics at institutions such as King's College London, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Oxford, London School of Economics, Australian National University, University of Toronto, National University of Singapore, and Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Editors and contributors have held affiliations with think tanks including Heritage Foundation, European Council on Foreign Relations, German Institute for International and Security Affairs, Japan Institute of International Affairs, and Canadian Global Affairs Institute. Special issue guest editors have included scholars linked to programs at Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Cato Institute, Stanford University Hoover Institution, and Yale University.

Abstracting and Indexing

The journal is indexed in major databases and services catering to defense and international affairs research, including Scopus, Web of Science, JSTOR, ProQuest, and EBSCOhost. It appears in subject-specific listings used by Defense Technical Information Center and library catalogs of British Library, Library of Congress, Bibliothèque nationale de France, National Diet Library (Japan), and Deutsche Nationalbibliothek. Metrics for citation analysis reference providers such as CrossRef, Clarivate Analytics, and Google Scholar Metrics.

Reception and Impact

Scholars and practitioners cite the journal in policy debates at venues like Munich Security Conference, Shangri-La Dialogue, Aspen Strategy Group, National Security Council (United States), and parliamentary committees including United Kingdom Parliament Defence Committee. Its articles have informed inquiries into events such as the Falklands War Inquiry, reviews of Ballistic Missile Defense Review, and academic symposia on Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. The journal has been evaluated in bibliometric studies alongside titles like International Security, Security Studies, Survival (journal), Journal of Peace Research, and Parameters, and it features in university reading lists at United States Naval War College, Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, École de Guerre, and National Defence University (United States).

Notable Articles and Special Issues

Notable contributions have addressed nuclear strategy debates referencing Robert Oppenheimer, Albert Einstein, Hyman Rickover, and strategic concepts tied to Strategic Arms Limitation Talks, Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty, New START Treaty, and analyses of crises such as Cuban Missile Crisis. Special issues have focused on topics including Cybersecurity, Maritime security in the South China Sea, Arctic security, Counterterrorism, Proxy warfare in Syria, Hybrid warfare, and the strategic implications of technologies from Artificial intelligence research labs at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Cambridge. Prominent articles have been cited in works by scholars affiliated with Paul Kennedy, Barry Posen, John Mearsheimer, Stephen Walt, Graham Allison, and Fareed Zakaria.

Category:Academic journals Category:International relations journals Category:Security studies journals