In this episode, we explore the RAND Corporation monograph Dangerous Thresholds: Managing Escalation in the 21st Century. The study examines the complexities of military conflict escalation in today's security landscape, identifying three primary escalation mechanisms: deliberate, inadvertent, and accidental. The conversation delves into strategies for managing each type of escalation, the limitations of escalation dominance, and the crucial need to understand and clarify escalation thresholds with adversaries. The episode concludes with recommendations for the U.S. Air Force on integrating these principles into doctrine, training, and operations.

You can read more about the study here:

https://www.rand.org/pubs/monographs/MG614.html