This monograph explores the problem of mission creep. The trend toward ethnic and regional unrest has characterized the world security environment since the breakup of the former Soviet Union. The United States has struggled to find its place in...
This monograph examines the concept of tactical-surprise and its use by raiding forces in Operations Other than War (OOTW). It discusses the nature of the OOTW environment and its relationship to the creation of tactical surprise. Surprise is...
This thesis uses case studies to explore lessons learned from historic military withdrawals. Case studies included the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the U.S. withdrawal from Somalia. Although literature...
This study examines three manhunts from the United States Army’s past. The manhunts highlighted in this thesis are the Punitive Expedition to capture the Mexican revolutionary leader Francisco “Pancho” Villa, Operation Just Cause to capture...
The United States Army has a long tradition of humanitarian relief. No such operation has proven as costly or shocking, however, as that undertaken in Somalia from August 1992 to March 1994. Greeted initially by Somalis happy to be saved from...
This study examines whether the UN Operation in Somalia could have succeeded with a different approach or application. Somalia plunged into catastrophic humanitarian crises amidst brutality by the repressive regime and the civil war that followed...
This thesis identifies the operational and strategic centers of gravity of United Nations Operations, Somalia II (UNOSOM II). The research demonstrates that UNOSOM II failed to correctly identify its own strategic center of gravity. This failure...
In Operations Other Than War (OOTW) U.S. forces will be involved in armed conflict in what are called, ironically, 'peace operations'. The three peace missions, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peacemaking, are not a continuum in peace...
The U.S. Armed Forces has a long and rich history of expeditionary operations followed by military disengagements. A historically small U.S. military is repeating this history today in two wars that are stretching it to the limits of its personnel...
The Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) is a significant part of the U.S. Army's planning process. The IPB is a methodical process that reduces the enemy and the environment into its component parts at an instant in time and finite...
As a result of America's national strength and its demonstrated military prowess, US forces are quite susceptible to falling prey to the effects of the "victory disease." The disease, by definition, brings defeat to a previously victorious nation...
This monograph explores how the military battle staff helps the commander develop his vision. The researcher examined how the staff provides information to the commander using the Military Decision Making Process (MDMP). The study then shows how...
As some projections indicate, over 90% of the U.S. Army's future operations will be what many refer to as low intensity conflict. A significant portion of these operations will be either peacekeeping or peace enforcement operations. Recognizing the...
Keesee, Deborah; Cooper, Nelson; Durant, Gary; King, Brian
United States Army Peacekeeping Operations was researched for this paper. The goal of this research paper is to determine the different elements in the Army and the importance they have in this operation. The Reserve Component was researched by...
Thesis: Lack of cultural understanding led to disasters in the Philippines and Mogadishu. Abstract:
In the Philippine war the U.S. solicited the help of a national hero who was exiled in Hong Kong to help the U.S. battle the Spanish fleet in the...
Military history is vital for the professional soldiers of today, it can give them an
advantage in whatever conflict they are involved in. Though military history does not
hold the complete answer to a problem encountered in a particular battle, it...
As lessons learned from past battlefields continue to influence today’s operations, the United States military pushes more and more training on cultural awareness. By reviewing the United States’ military operations that were conducted in the...
Baumann, Robert F.; Yates, Lawrence A.; Washington, Versalle F.
This study examines the American military's experience with urban operations in Somalia, particularly in the capital city of Mogadishu. That original focus can be found in the following pages, but the authors address other, broader issues as well,...
This monograph examines whether or not mechanized forces should be included in today's peacekeeping operations. Traditional peacekeeping operations (pre- 1988) called for a force structure requiring large numbers of light infantry augmented by...
The studies on modern urban warfare are preoccupied with the tactical problems associated with urban combat. Since World War II, conflicts in the urban environment have given modern armies complex problems which seem insurmountable. The tactical...