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Open research questions in Defense, Military, and Policy Studies

187 gap statements mined from Defense, Military, and Policy Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,959 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • An open question for future research is whether life-cycle patterns similar to those in postwar Germany hold in contexts with less favorable postwar conditions and weaker institutional support.

    Exposure to World War II and Its Labor Market Consequences over the Life Cycle · 2026 · DOI

  • The study notes that its findings are based on secondary data and may not reflect the actual capability ownership of the Indian Armed Forces. It also acknowledges that the distinction between indigenous production and capability ownership is not always clear-cut. The study highlights the need for further research on the outcomes of indigenisation initiatives.

    Indigenisation of the Indian Armed Forces:Outcome-Based Evaluation of Perational and Lifecycle Self-Reliance (2014–2025) with Reference to Operation Sindoor · 2026 · DOI

  • It notes that prior work has focused on production volume rather than capability depth. The study aims to address this gap by evaluating the reduction in operational dependence on foreign suppliers and the expansion of indigenous defence capabilities.

    Indigenisation of the Indian Armed Forces:Outcome-Based Evaluation of Perational and Lifecycle Self-Reliance (2014–2025) with Reference to Operation Sindoor · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need to reconsider traditional defense buildups.

    A new Thucydides Trap? How traditional defense buildups can exacerbate contemporary power decline · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research should focus on the development of more accurate forecasting methods. The investigation of the impact of external support and internal structural reforms on the technological capability of a country is a potential direction for future research.

    Prospects of Technological Breakthrough of Ukraine: Methods of Assessment and Comparative Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of studies on the prospects for a technological breakthrough in conditions of prolonged armed conflict.

    Prospects of Technological Breakthrough of Ukraine: Methods of Assessment and Comparative Analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies a gap in our understanding of why some states gain privileged access to advanced weapons cooperation while others remain excluded. The paper argues that existing theories, such as realist theories of hierarchy, do not fully explain this phenomenon.

    The Ideational Logic of Alliance Network Embeddedness: Explaining F-35 Cooperation · 2026 · DOI

  • The study seeks to address this gap by examining the relationship between economic size, resource endowments, and military expenditure.

    Moving NATO Burden Sharing into the Future: Analyzing Burden Sharing in the Post-Cold War Era · 2026 · DOI

  • The need for a comprehensive evaluation of the Alliance's evolving power dynamics. The lack of analysis on the distribution of military capabilities among NATO's principal actors and the potential consequences of U.S. strategic retrenchment. The need to argue that NATO's future effectiveness will depend on its capacity to adapt doctrinally, industrially, and technologically.

    NATO IN TRANSITION: MILITARY STRENGTH IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN WARFARE · 2026 · DOI

  • The previous analysis generates a set of actionable recommendations directed at the four principal actors whose decisions will determine SAFE’s long-term effectiveness.

    SAFE AND THE EUROPEAN STRATEGIC AUTONOMY: FROM COORDINATION TO CAPABILITY DELIVERY · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research could explore the applicability of the findings to other contexts, such as different types of military construction programs or different regions. The study's results could be used to inform the development of defence cooperation agreements and their implementing arrangements in other contexts.

    Overcoming politicisation with defence cooperation agreements: Why USAF EDI MILCON program advanced in Poland but stalled in Slovakia · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a comprehensive framework for the European defence industry. The need for a stable, long-term financial framework to support the strategy.

    The European Defence Industrial Strategy as a catalyst for integration and sustainable growth: opportunities, limits, and barriers · 2026 · DOI

  • The need to reconcile Türkiye's drive for strategic autonomy with the operational realities of European demographic contraction and industrial ammunition scarcity. The limitations of Europe's current industrial base in addressing defence shortfalls.

    Türkiye's Military Capacity And European Defence Integration · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the challenge of ensuring that all variables entering the empirical specification are stationary in levels or become stationary after taking first differences. It notes the issue of endogeneity and the need to incorporate time lags for all variables involved. The study also addresses the challenge of capturing heterogeneous effects across older and newer EU members.

    Military expenditure and institutional quality in the European union · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to control for various factors that may affect economic growth. The study also faces the challenge of distinguishing between the effects of neutral and biased interventions.

    Do Humanitarian Military Interventions Foster Economic Growth? · 2026 · DOI

  • The challenge of allocating limited resources among security, development and welfare objectives when improvements in one dimension may affect outcomes in others. The need to consider the trade-offs between military expenditure, human development, and peace outcomes. The complexity of capturing the interactions between development, economic growth, governance quality, security conditions, and military expenditure.

    Military expenditure, human development, and peace outcomes: a multiobjective panel data approach for NATO countries · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper argues that the current understanding of military power is outdated.

    The Reachable World: Cheap Precision, the Downward Redistribution of Military Power, and the Scarcity of Trusted Deep-Systems Comprehension · 2026 · DOI

  • The study does not account for all possible factors that may influence the effects of HMIs on economic growth. The direct effects of HMIs are likely limited or absent due to several factors. Not all HMIs involve ground troop deployment. Foreign militaries often depend on external firms for logistical support.

    Do Humanitarian Military Interventions Foster Economic Growth? · 2026 · DOI

  • Estonia's small population and geographic situation - The country's limited resources and inability to reform its military - Infighting among Northern European…

    Examining the Indefensible: Guarding Estonia in the Interwar Period and the Future · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of adequate lessons learned by Estonia from World War I - The inability to forge appropriate alliances due to infighting among Northern European…

    Examining the Indefensible: Guarding Estonia in the Interwar Period and the Future · 2026 · DOI

  • The European Union faces challenges in providing defence as a public good due to the fragmentation of the defence industry and significant asymmetries in Member States' capabilities and expenditure. The absence of a unified approach to defence provision hinders the effective and efficient provision of defence.

    European defence as a public good: economic, political and strategic dimensions · 2026 · DOI

  • Further analysis on the impact of emerging technologies on NATO's deterrence capability. Research on the role of middle-tier contributors in sustaining operational capacity, cohesion, and multinational interoperability. Studies on the potential consequences of U.S. strategic retrenchment on NATO's defence posture.

    NATO IN TRANSITION: MILITARY STRENGTH IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN WARFARE · 2026 · DOI

  • Further analysis of the implementation of the European Defence Industrial Strategy. Examination of the impact of the strategy on the European defence industry.

    The European Defence Industrial Strategy as a catalyst for integration and sustainable growth: opportunities, limits, and barriers · 2026 · DOI

  • Data availability is a major concern, as many military parameters are classified or inconsistently reported, - The study only captures the active warfare component, - The use of grey literature is necessary due to limited official or peer-reviewed…

    Material footprint of warfare: a systematic framework and empirical analysis · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the relationship between institutional quality and military expenditure in other regions. Examining the impact of different types of institutional frameworks on military spending. Analyzing the effects of governance quality on defense budget decisions in different contexts.

    Military expenditure and institutional quality in the European union · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Defense, Military, and Policy Studies

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) An open question for future research is whether life-cycle patterns similar to those in postwar Germany hold in contexts with less favorable postwar conditions and weaker institutional support (“Exposure to World War II and Its Labor Market Consequences over the Life Cycle”, 2026); (2) Future research should focus on the development of more accurate forecasting methods (“Prospects of Technological Breakthrough of Ukraine: Methods of Assessment and…”, 2026); (3) The lack of analysis on the distribution of military capabilities among NATO's principal actors and the potential consequences of U.S. strategic retrenchment (“NATO IN TRANSITION: MILITARY STRENGTH IN THE CONTEXT OF MODERN WARFARE”, 2026); (4) Future research could explore the applicability of the findings to other contexts, such as different types of military construction programs or different regions (“Overcoming politicisation with defence cooperation agreements: Why USAF EDI…”, 2026); (5) The lack of a comprehensive framework for the European defence industry (“The European Defence Industrial Strategy as a catalyst for integration and…”, 2026). 187 gap statements have been mined from Defense, Military, and Policy Studies papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 1,959 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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