Reynolds’ prize-winning proposal focused on domestic grand strategy of Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon. To Reynolds, domestic grand strategy in the 1960s and 1970s consisted of the intersection of grand strategy, irregular warfare, and American political development. The Second World War produced a revolution in military affairs that altered how great powers engaged one another militarily. The specter of nuclear war removed a long-standing element of warfare, the ability for states to conventionally engage one another using their most effective weaponry. The definition of irregular warfare is broad, but it emphasizes counterterrorism, indirect warfare, counterinsurgency, and domestic stability operations between state and non-state actors. In terms of grand strategy, state powers cannot operate successfully in the international arena without first ensuring domestic stability. During the Cold War, American leaders increasingly relied on bureaucratic institutions and private organizations to function at the operational level and execute the strategic domestic visions of the president.

DR. JOHN DOUGLAS AND ELIZABETH FORREST GRADUATE STUDENT FUND FOR EXCELLENCE was created by a 2017 Mississippi State History PhD graduate and his wife to assist graduate students in completing their degrees.