Howard Hensel, Ph.D.

Dr. Howard M. Hensel has held the rank of Professor since joining the faculty of the Air War College in 1986 and is currently the Henry H. Arnold Professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the Air War College. His areas of specialization include: international relations, comparative government, Russian / Soviet area studies, military history and strategy, political philosophy, and international humanitarian law. He has held a variety of leadership positions at the Air War College, including: Director of Strategy (2006-2009; 1994-1995); Academic Director of the Air War College’s Electives Program (1997-2001); Director of International Security Studies (1990-1992); and Director of Soviet Studies (1988-1990). He received his B.A. degree in History from Texas A&M University; his M.A. in Foreign Affairs from the University of Virginia; and his Ph.D. in Government from the University of Virginia. Before joining the faculty of the Air War College, Dr. Hensel served on the faculty of the Air Command and Staff College, the Monterey Institute of International Studies (now part of Middlebury College), the Naval Postgraduate School, the University of Virginia, and the Marine Command and Staff College. Dr. Hensel is the author and / or editor of a number of books. His most recent works are: International Law, Security, and Military Power: US and Brazilian Perspectives (2025); Security Dynamics in the South China Sea (2024); Security Dynamics in the the Gulf and the Arabian Peninsula (2022); Air Power in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific (2020); Naval Powers in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific (2018); and Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean and the Western Pacific: Heritage and Contemporary Challenges (2018). His earlier works include: Global Media Perspectives on the Crisis in Panama: June, 1987 – January,1990 (2011); The Prism of Just War: Asian and Western Perspectives on the Legitimate Use of Military Force (2010); The Legitimate Use of Military Force: the Just War Tradition and the Customary Law of Armed Conflict (2008); The Law of Armed Conflict: Constraints on the Contemporary Use of Military Force (2005); Sovereignty and the Global Community (2004); The United States and Europe: Policy Imperatives in Globalizing World (2002); The Sword of the Union: Federal Objectives and Strategies During the American Civil War (1989); The USSR and Outer Space: Soviet Media Images of Superpower Space Policy (1985); and The Anatomy of Failure (1985). In addition, he has published over 65 articles and book chapters focusing on various aspects of international relations, political philosophy, international humanitarian law, Soviet foreign / military policy, military history, and strategy. Dr. Hensel is the Editor of the Series on Justice, International Law and Global Security, as well as the Military Strategy and Operational Art Series for Routledge Publishing Company. He has been the recipient of several research and curriculum development grants, including those from the U.S. Air Force Research Institute, U.S. Air Force Arms Control Research Institute, the Department of Defense, the DOD Office of Net Assessment, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Finally, in 2022, Dr. Hensel was awarded the Order of Aeronautical Merit by Brazilian Air Force.