This student monograph traces the early writings of B. H. Liddell Hart in order to establish a basis for evaluating his continuing relevance as theorist of war. Particular attention is given to that dimension of war now called the operational...
This study examines the modern application of Liddell Hart's doctrine on infantry tactics with emphasis on the expanding torrent method of attack and the tactical use of the indirect approach. The study traces the development of Liddell Hart's...
American military doctrine and professional literature in the past decade have stressed maneuver warfare and the operational level of war. This monograph traces the evolution of maneuver theory and its conceptual opposite, firepower theory, and...
This paper analyzes the doctrine of maneuver warfare promulgated in FMFM-l Warfighting. This analysis begins by establishing the relationship between military theory and doctrine. Once that foundation is established the author critiques the...
This monograph is a study of command at the theater level, using the campaign for the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) in early 1942 as a case study. This campaign is examined as a means to validate current United States doctrine for command in joint...
This monograph examines whether the current U. S. Army Ranger School POI develops the necessary small unit leadership skills required to support the needs of the Light Infantry Divisions. The austere construct of the Light Infantry Division permits...
United States military forces face a different world as the 21st century begins. The phenomenon known as 'globalization' has created increased political, economic, and social interdependence among nations. With the emergence of new regional and...
This monograph discusses the advantage of using a functional approach to planning. The January 1997 Coordinating Draft of FM 100-5 Operations introduces core functions to the fundamentals of Army operations. Core functions are the fundamental...
This thesis examines the American, British, Dutch, and Australian (ABDA) coalition from its beginning to its end. Following initial Japanese advances and victories in December 1941 and January 1942, Allied forces formed the ABDA coalition as one...
This monograph examines the role of initiative in AirLand Battle doctrine as contained in the 1986 edition of Field Manual 100-5 Operations. It concludes that although the tenet of initiative is clearly defined as setting the terms of battle by...
This monograph discusses the concept of operational momentum as it relates to achieving and exploiting depth during offensive operations. Its purpose is to identify those elements which are essential to achieving and maintaining speed and mass...
The research revealed that current Army doctrine on operational reach is inadequate. One of the characteristics of sound doctrine found in TRADOC Regulation 25-36 is "Concise doctrine provides a comprehensive body of thought..." However, the...
This monograph examines tactical mobility doctrine for light infantry. Restoring mobility to the battlefield became the foremost theoretical issue in the aftermath of the First World War. Mechanization and the increased lethality of modern...
This monograph examines the current U.S. doctrine regarding the role of firepower at the operational level. It reviews the most recent doctrinal guidance on this element of combat power and the historical underpinnings of this doctrine in the works...
The Army is in the midst of formalizing its operating concept for the land component of AirLand Operations (ALO). This concept stresses the avoidance of attritional, mass on mass, linear warfare. ALO seeks quick and decisive victory with minimal...
The U.S. Army underwent significant doctrinal changes in the years following the Vietnam War. The 1976 edition of Field Manual (FM) 100-5, championed by General William DePuy, attempted to guide the Army's actions necessary to defeat the Soviet...
The United States failed in both Lebanon in 1982-1984 and Iraq in 2003, to achieve its political objectives. While there are many reasons for this, perhaps the greatest is that the government failed to coordinate and direct all of its resources in...
In February 1991, the Allied Coalition forces led by the U.S. achieved a stunning victory over the Iraqi forces in the Persian Gulf War. Did the U.S. Military validate the Army's new Airland Battle doctrine with its emphasis on maneuver warfare...