arbiter
JournalsAccount

Multinational Military Exercises, the US Combatant Command System, and the Assembling of the American Security Order

Sebastian Schmidt

International Studies Quarterly2026https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqag013article
AJG 4ABDC A
Weight
0.50

Abstract

Arguments about the stability or decline of the current international order have overlooked two significant developments of the last 30 years that increasingly undergird that order. These phenomena are the increasing pace and complexity of multinational military exercises involving the USA and its security partners and the global organization of these activities by the US combatant commands. Together, they represent a significant change since the Second World War in how conventional violence is organized on a global scale. To grasp their implications, I apply an understanding of ordering that emphasizes process, practice, and the concept of assemblage. This approach foregrounds the materially-mediated ties and practices that form an under-appreciated resource for ordering international politics. In doing so, it complicates linear narratives of persistence or decline, highlights historical contingencies in the development of order, and draws attention to how it is deeply interwoven but characterized by persistent tensions and fragilities.

Open via your library →

Cite this paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqag013

Or copy a formatted citation

@article{sebastian2026,
  title        = {{Multinational Military Exercises, the US Combatant Command System, and the Assembling of the American Security Order}},
  author       = {Sebastian Schmidt},
  journal      = {International Studies Quarterly},
  year         = {2026},
  doi          = {https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1093/isq/sqag013},
}

Paste directly into BibTeX, Zotero, or your reference manager.

Flag this paper

Multinational Military Exercises, the US Combatant Command System, and the Assembling of the American Security Order

Flags are reviewed by the Arbiter methodology team within 5 business days.

Evidence weight

0.50

Balanced mode · F 0.40 / M 0.15 / V 0.05 / R 0.40

F · citation impact0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20
M · momentum0.50 × 0.15 = 0.07
V · venue signal0.50 × 0.05 = 0.03
R · text relevance †0.50 × 0.4 = 0.20

† Text relevance is estimated at 0.50 on the detail page — for your query’s actual relevance score, open this paper from a search result.