Ben Connable

Research Leader, Consultant, Professor
- Executive Director, Battle Research Group 
- Adjunct Professor at Georgetown
- Principal Research Scientist, CNA
- Senior Research Advisor to DT Institute
- Author Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War

I direct and conduct research on modern warfare, regional security, development, conflict and strategy, and on the cultural influences on human behavior.

This website aggregates my published research and commentary for public access. Please see https://battleresearchgroup.org and https://groundcombat.org for more info (below).

battleresearchgroup.org

Battle Research Group Foundation, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit focused on improving collective understanding of modern warfare through field research and instruction.

groundcombat.org

Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War (Ben Connable, Georgetown University Press) will be published in March 2025. 

Groundcombat.org describes the book and also includes the Ground Combat Quiz and (in March 2025) will include a download site for the Ground Combat Database-Version 1 (GCD-V1). Visit this site to have your email address added to a notification list for database release (no marketing) and to take the challenging quiz.

New and Relevant

My most recent and/or most relevant reports and commentary

Operation Spider's Web in Context (2025)

Putting Ukraine's successful Operation Spider's Web in historical context, Irregular Warfare Institute

Read more

A Corps In Crisis (2025 - part 1)

Part 1 of a three-part series on the future of the Marine Corps in War On The Rocks

Read more

A Corps Confounded (2025 - part 2)

Part 2 of a three-part series on the future of the Marine Corps.

Read more

A Corps Recentered (2025 - part 3)

Part 3 of a three-part series on the future of the Marine Corps.

Read more

MCA Scuttlbutt Podcast (2025)

Discussion about my career in the Marine Corps and then a deep dive on the character of modern warfare, etc.

Listen

Connecting File Podcast (2025)

My background, insights for military researchers, discussion of Ground Combat and the battle database, Ukraine, and more

Listen

Mind-Tech Nexus and Will to Fight (2025)

First the mind, then the tech: Recommendations to improve investment in human-machine interface technology

Read more

Waterborne Assault in IW (2025)

Waterborne assault, amphibious operations are always relevant in warfare - including in modern warfare through at least 2025

Read more

Human Factors in Ukraine (2025)

Center for Strategic and International Studies panel on human factors in the Ukraine War, YouTube

Watch

Ground Combat book (2025)

Link to my book, Ground Combat: Puncturing the Myths of Modern War

Groundcombat.org

Russian Will to Fight in Ukraine (2024)

Continuing to degrade Russia's military and its economy is the right strategy to break Russian will to fight in Ukraine (War On The Rocks)

Read more

The Battle of Irpin River (2024)

Primary-source battlefield study of the Battle of Irpin River in Ukraine in 2022, details on combat and on the Ukrainian rush to defend Kyiv

Read more

Give All Our M1 Tanks and Cold War Gear to Europe, Ukraine (2023)

Lawfare article arguing for full, thoughtful disbursement of all our Cold War combat gear to Europe and Ukraine

Read more

How to Assess the Will to Fight (2023)

This is a roadmap for organizations looking to build a will-to-fight assessment capability.

Read more

Primary Source Research Ukraine (2022)

Argues for more primary source research in Ukraine and in other conflict zones, getting focused researchers on the ground

Read more