Critical Books in Conflict and Security for 2026
As global tensions escalate and strategic competition intensifies, scholars and practitioners alike must turn to timely, authoritative sources. The Cambria Rapid Communications in Conflict and Security (RCCS) Series delivers exactly that, offering critical insights into today’s most urgent threats—from irregular warfare and proxy conflict to nuclear deterrence, alliance dynamics, and U.S. grand strategy. In this new 2026 preview video, we highlight five titles—each endorsed by senior military and policy leaders—that are shaping the future of conflict and security studies.
Featured titles:
• Winning Without Fighting: Irregular Warfare and Strategic Competition in the 21st Century by Rebecca Patterson, Susan Bryant, Ken Gleiman, and Mark Troutman
*Winner of the 2025 Army Strategist Association Book Award!
• War Without Footprints: Plausible Deniability and the Future of Proxy Warfare by Andrew L. Peek
• Learning to Love the Bomb: Understanding the American Nuclear Arsenal by Curtis McGiffin and Adam Lowther
• Restoring Clausewitz: A Critical Companion to On War by J. Furman Daniel, III
• America’s Taiwan Dilemma: Allies’ Reactions and the Stakes for US Reputation by Michael A. Hunzeker and Mark A. Christopher. See
Explore the full series: https://cambriapress.com/ConflictSecuritySeriesBooks
Available in paperback, hardcover, and digital formats.
Tailored for:
• Professors & course designers
• Military educators & PME instructors
• Policy professionals & analysts
• Scholars of security, IR, and strategy
General Editor: Dr. Thomas G. Mahnken (President and CEO of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments [CSBA] as well as Senior Research Professor at the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at The Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies [SAIS]).
Founding Editor: Dr. Geoffrey R. H. Burn (a former army officer with a doctorate in organization theory and strategy as well as thirty years of experience as the chief executive of book and journal publishing companies, who served as general editor of the series for eight years and remains on the advisory board).