William C. Martel (July 15, 1955 – January 12, 2015) was a scholar who specialized in studying the leadership and policymaking processes in organizations, strategic planning, cyberwarfare and militarisation of space, and technology innovation.[2][3] He taught at the U.S. Air War College and U.S. Naval War College, and performed research for DARPA and the RAND Corporation.[3] He later become Associate Professor of International Security Studies at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, a position he held until his death in 2015.[4][5][6]

William C. Martel
Born(1955-07-15)July 15, 1955
DiedJanuary 12, 2015(2015-01-12) (aged 59)
EducationB.A. from St. Anselm College,
Ph.D. in Political Science from University of Massachusetts Amherst,
Post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University[1]
OccupationScholar
Years active1983–2015
Employer(s)International Security Studies Program, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
Known forResearcher of the leadership and policymaking processes in organizations, strategic planning, cyber and space, and technology innovation
Notable workVictory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy (2007); The Technological Arsenal: Emerging Defense Capabilities (editor & author) (2001)
TitleAssociate Professor of International Security Studies

Martel served as an adviser to the National Security Council, to the U.S. Air Force, and to Governor Mitt Romney during his 2012 presidential campaign, as co-chair of Romney's Russia Working Group.[3][6][7]

Early life and education edit

Martel was born in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 15, 1955, a son of Dr. Cyprien Martel and Mrs. G. Eunice (Coughlin) Martel.[8]

Martel pursued a B.A. from St. Anselm College, graduating in 1977,[9] and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.[1] He later also became a post-doctoral fellow at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, from 1991–93.[1]

Career edit

Martel was the Director and Founder of the U.S. Air Force Center for Strategy and Technology from 1993–99, and Associate Professor of International Relations at the Air War College during the same years.[1] From 1999–2005 he was Professor of National Security Affairs and Chair of Space Technology and Policy Studies at the Naval War College.[1]

He served on the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (2001–02) and was a Member of the Editorial Board of the Naval War College Review.[1] He was also the principal investigator on space policy study with research support from MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.[1] in 2005 he joined the faculty of Tufts University's Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, where he continued to teach until his death in 2015.

He also served as an adviser to the National Security Council,[10] and as a foreign policy advisor in Mitt Romney's presidential campaign in 2011–12, as a specialist for Russian affairs.[6][7]

Martel died of cancer on January 12, 2015, at the age of 59.[8]

Awards edit

In 2014, Martel was the recipient of the Fletcher School’s James L. Paddock Award for excellence in teaching.[8][11]

Views edit

 
Cover of Victory in War, 2011 edition.

Commenting on the entrepreneurs who were selling protective equipment in the wake of the September 11 attacks, Martel said: "It is just people looking for security, in the face of systemic insecurity."[12]

Speaking in 2006 about targeted killings as opposed to attempting to capture perpetrators, he said: "It's a pretty dicey proposition capturing somebody. You can't do a snatch and grab casually." In terms of domestic law, he said: "It is permissible to attack individuals who are heads of [either state or non-state] organizations in combat against the United States."[13] Commenting in 2006 on the terrorist National Intelligence Estimates' declassified intelligence assessment on terrorism, Martel found it to be simplistic and not very useful. "I was stunned at how pedestrian it was," Martel said.[14]

In 2008, he hailed Bush's announcement that he would cut the length of new tours in Iraq, saying: "In a war military, you have to cut corners to meet objectives. Progress comes in small doses."[15] The Christian Science Monitor quoted Martel in 2008, saying of al-Qaeda's recruitment of Americans: "It's an immensely adaptive organization", while adding that it could potentially make it more open to penetration by western spies.[16] "It could make it easier for us to understand what they're doing, and why," said Martel.[16]

Speaking of Faisal Shahzad in 2010, he said: "This may suggest we are moving from the 'A' team in recruits to the 'B' team or even the 'C' team."[17]

Works edit

Books authored edit

  • Grand Strategy in Theory and Practice: The Need for an Effective American Foreign Policy. (Cambridge University Press, 2014) ISBN 978-1107442214
  • Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy (Cambridge University Press, 2007) ISBN 978-0521859561
    • (Revised and Expanded Edition in 2011)
  • Russia's Democratic Moment: Defining U.S. Policy to Promote Democratic Opportunities in Russia (co-authored with Theodore C. Hailes) (Montgomery: Air War College Studies in National Security No. 2, 1995.) ISBN 978-0788146640
  • Nuclear Coexistence: Rethinking U.S. Policy to Promote Stability in an Era of Proliferation (co-authored with William T. Pendley) (Montgomery: Air War College Studies in National Security No. 1, 1994.) ISBN 978-0788146633
  • How To Stop A War: Research on Two Hundred Years of War and Peace (co-author) (NY: Doubleday, 1987.)
  • Strategic Nuclear War: What the Superpowers Target and Why (co-authored with Paul L. Savage) (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1986.) ISBN 978-0313241925

Books edited edit

Book chapters edit

  • Reformulating Grand Strategy in the Indian Ocean Region: The Case for Containment, in Peter Dombrowski and Andrew C. Winner (editors), American Strategy in the Indian Ocean (Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press, 2014).
  • Deterrence and Alternative Images of Nuclear Possession, in T. V. Paul, Richard J. Harknett, and James J. Wirtz (editors), The Absolute Weapon Revisited: Nuclear Arms and the Emerging International Order (Ann Arbor: The University of Michigan Press, 1998)
  • Controlling Borders and Nuclear Exports, (chapter coauthored with Steven E. Miller) in Graham Allison, Ashton B. Carter, Steven E. Miller, Philip Zelikow, (eds.), Cooperative Denuclearization: From Pledges to Deeds (Cambridge: CSIA Studies in International Security, No. 2, Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University, 1993), pp. 198–220.
  • Deterrence After the Cold War., in Stephen J. Cimbala, Sidney R. Waldman (editors), Controlling and Ending Conflict: Issues Before and After the Cold War (1992).
  • Nuclear Strategy: What It Is and Is Not, in Charles Kegley and Eugene Wittkopf (editors), The Nuclear Reader: Strategy, Weapons, and War (New York: St. Martin's Press)
  • Why Ukraine Gave Up Nuclear Weapons. in Pulling Back from the Nuclear Brink: Slowing, Stopping, Reversing, and Countering Nuclear Threats (1998).
  • Non-Superpower Nuclear Crisis De-Escalation. in The De-escalation of Nuclear Crises (1992).
  • Nuclear Strategy: What It Is and Is Not. The Nuclear Reader: Strategy, Weapons, and War (1989).
  • Exchange Calculus of Nuclear War. in Strategic War Termination (1987).

Monographs edit

  • Global Vigilance, Global reach, Global Power for America. (Washington, DC: Department of the United States Air Force, August 2013)
  • Technology, Systems Architecture, and Policy. in Report on Availability and Survivability of Militarily Relevant Commercial Space Systems (March 2002)
  • ‘‘Rethinking U.S. Proliferation Policy for the Future.’‘ Weapons of Mass Destruction: New Perspectives on Counterproliferation (1995).
  • Improving the USAF Technology Transfer Process. (Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation, 1991, Report No. R-4081-AF.)
  • Review of Bases Abroad: The Global Foreign Military Presence. (Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation, 1990, P-7649.)
  • A Preliminary Perspective on Regulatory Activities and Effects in Weapons Acquisition. (Santa Monica, CA: The Rand Corporation, 1988, Report No. R-3578-ACQ.)

Articles edit

Short essays edit

Select interview edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f g "The Fletcher School – Faculty". Fletcher.tufts.edu. 2014. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "Obituary: William C. Martel – January 12, 2015". Lambert Funeral Home & Crematory. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "William C. Martel – Associate Professor of International Security Studies". Medford, MA: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. Archived from the original on January 23, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  4. ^ Wrenn, Chris (Fall 2008). "Victory in War: Foundations of Modern Military Policy". Air & Space Power Journal. 22 (3): 108–109.
  5. ^ Kaufman, Leslie (October 27, 2001). "A Nation Challenged – The Quick Dollar – Anthrax Brings the Profiteers Out in Force". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 13, 2014. Retrieved February 13, 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Herald Staff (January 18, 2015). "William Martel, 59, Romney adviser". Boston Herald. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Rozen, Laura (October 6, 2011). "Mitt Romney announces his foreign policy team". Yahoo News – The Envoy. Archived from the original on April 15, 2014. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c "William C. Martel". Sun Journal. Lewiston, Maine. January 16, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  9. ^ Staff (January 18, 2015). "Alumnus and Distinguished Bill Martel Passes Away". Saint Anselm College. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  10. ^ Editorial (January 17, 2015). "Three Granite Staters: Each contributed much for us". New Hampshire Union Leader. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  11. ^ "Prof. Martel receives Paddock Teaching Award: Students are "center of gravity" at Fletcher". Fletcher School YouTube Channel. May 23, 2014. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021.
  12. ^ Kaufman, Leslie (October 27, 2001). "A NATION CHALLENGED – THE QUICK DOLLAR – Anthrax Brings the Profiteers Out in Force". The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
  13. ^ Kaplan, Eben (January 25, 2006). "Q&A: Targeted Killings". The New York Times.
  14. ^ "Iraq and jihad: A consensus surfaces". Christian Science Monitor. September 28, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  15. ^ "Stresses still high on U.S. military". Christian Science Monitor. April 11, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  16. ^ a b "Al Qaeda still a threat to U.S., intelligence chiefs say". Christian Science Monitor. February 8, 2008. Retrieved May 22, 2010.
  17. ^ "Times Square bomb: Did Pakistan Taliban send its 'C' team?". Christian Science Monitor. May 10, 2010. Retrieved May 22, 2010.

External links edit