Major James D. Sides, a military police officer who graduated from the Command and General Staff College (CGSC) in June 2007, sat for this interview by fellow MP officer and CGSC student Major Jeffrey Holmes to capture the former's experiences in...
Serving with the 366th Fighter Wing and supporting the 28th Expeditionary Bomb Wing during the pre-hostilities and early phases of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM, U.S. Air Force Major Joseph Prue worked in the Mission Planning Cell and was the space...
Major Jackson Kurtzman has made numerous deployments in support of the Global War on Terrorism. In this interview, he discusses his early training and positions within the Army. He then recounts where he was on September 11, 2001, and his initial...
From November 2002 through June 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Afghanistan, Major Tom Sager commanded the 82nd Airborne Division's Long Range Surveillance Detachment (LRSD) - the first LRSD to deploy in the Global War on Terrorism....
This interview is an account of the experiences of Mr. Ronald G. and Mrs. Beverly A. Payne as parents of soldiers serving in the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). The Paynes have two sons currently serving in the US Army: Darren, a veteran of two...
On 9/11, Major Tim Shaffer was the commander of Headquarters Battery, 4th Battalion, 5th Air Defense Artillery, part of the 1st Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, and in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks - in support of Operation...
Prior to 11 September 2001, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU) posed a serious threat to Central Asian stability. The IMU, a militant fundamentalist Islamic group, declared that its goal was to overthrow the Central Asian governments and...
History illustrates that without unity of command and a mechanism to enable unity of effort, achieving strategic and regional objectives is rare. AFRICOM, a newly established Combatant Command, faces innumerable challenges within the continent of...
The purpose of this thesis is to examine the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) current organization and its role in recent stability operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The thesis begins by looking at some of the historic missions for...
Unmanned Aircraft are fulfilling critical roles in Iraq and Afghanistan. They are integral in base defense plans and the protection of key infrastructure. They enable commanders to monitor activity throughout their area of responsibility and direct...
The purpose of this research was to obtain a historically rooted understanding of the development, application, and adaptation of the British COIN approach--one from which the US has borrowed heavily. It focuses upon those factors which interfere...
Using a comprehensive approach, this study aims to recommend measures that will improve NATO's capabilities and make it a more efficient organization. For any military organizations, adjusting capabilities to governmental ambitions and strategic...
While the primary focus of American foreign policy is clearly outside the European continent, NATO’s ongoing enlargement and successful integration of new members remains in the vital interests of the United States. Alliance members, both old and...
The purpose of this paper is to explore the necessity of having and maintaining a form of rapid acquisition capability within the Army. Future challenges envisioned by President Bush are presented to the United States military forces by an adaptive...
During Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the Army demonstrated its unrivaled ability to overmatch an enemy in a conventional mechanized conflict. In less than six weeks, the Army, as part of the American led coalition, destroyed the Iraqi...
Globalization has changed many security, economic, political, and social conditions that shape world behavior; which in turn has produced a new paradigm for warfare that is fundamentally different from the industrial aged warfare paradigm that the...
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States' armed forces and its coalition of allies have become deeply entrenched in the counterinsurgencies of Iraq and Afghanistan. These struggles are not just counterinsurgencies, but they also...
Counterinsurgency operations and studies on insurgency aims and methods dominate current military discussions and writings. As the military continues to embrace "full spectrum operations", discussions continue on the ability to link all elements of...
The Marine Corps should expect to fight within a strategic context of complex irregular warfare (CIW) for the near- to mid-term while retaining the ability to fight a major combat operation (MCO). As a result, the Distributed Operations...
It is not known against whom or where the United States Army will fight next, nor is it clear what the nature of that conflict will be. What is relatively certain is that the United States Army will likely initially get it wrong, regardless of its...