On October 3rd 1993, US efforts in Somalia culminated as the result of an overnight battle that cost eighteen American lives and effectively silenced all optimism that Somalia could be externally resurrected as a functioning state. What began as a...
Military operations are complex and chaotic phenomena. Current theoretical models inadequately deal with the increasing complexity and inherent uncertainty of modern warfare. Relying on mechanistic paradigms and reductionist methods of analysis,...
War is the outward expression of competition between complex adaptive political and military systems. In war, competing systems introduce new technological means to gain comparative advantage over other systems and the environment. Greater...
The United States' current strategic environment is increasingly complex, with security, economic, and humanitarian interests around the world. Consequently, the United States' military may be called upon at any time to perform missions ranging...
Whether adjusting to a new environment or to an evolving threat, America's Army of the 21st century must be adaptable and become more innovative. The operational environment is becoming more complicated and complex. Societal trends, such as...
When the Army transformed to a brigade centric force, ground forces gained the tactical capabilities and flexibility promised. What the Army lost was the role and purpose of the division. Administrative, training, and expeditionary task executed by...
Today's Army is undergoing significant change, completing its modular transformation and adopting mission command as a war fighting function in an effort to meet the needs of a constantly adapting enemy and uncertain environment. Mission command is...
This monograph determined that the tactical and strategic experience of the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) since 1981 was relevant to the future operational environment of the U.S. Army. The IDF’s experiences are relevant because the Israeli Army...
The strategic and operational environment in which the United States military will operate in for the foreseeable future is characterized by its complexity. Historically the United States military has taken a linear approach to understanding the...
This monograph explores the subject of organizational learning with a particular emphasis on how military units learn in combat. The challenges of today’s joint operating environment require groups of soldiers to adapt responsively to a wide...
This study analyzes the Chinese Red Army from 1927 to 1936 to determine how the Red Army survived attacks from external military forces and also successfully overcame the threats to its existence posed by changing Chinese Communist Party (CCP)...
Commanders and other leaders in the Army must constantly consider how their organization is changing and how it must change to remain relevant and effective in its combat roles. When planning and conducting an organizational change, these...
Developing a strategic bomber in today's budget constrained environment is a challenging prospect. The design requirements must address conflict across the spectrum and remain relevant regardless of the enemy America faces. The operational concept...
The FBI has a long history and established culture as the pre-eminent law enforcement agency in the world. Beginning in the late 1930s, the FBI assumed responsibility for espionage and domestic intelligence investigations. Abuses of domestic...
Change and innovation are issues that constantly confront an organization like the Army. During certain periods, the currents of change seem stronger than others. Today the Army confronts the Information Age revolution and a transition into a new...
Combat operations in the urban area are not new to warfare. The United States' military conducted large-scale urban operations in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. During the last sixty years, the United States' Army approached the urban area by...
Since its establishment as a state Israel's geo-political circumstance demands that the small nation state adapt to an ever changing threat environment. Israeli defense policy traditionally consisted of deterrence through a dominant military...
Chaos theory is a poorly understood concept in social science and in military analytical decision making systems. Military decision makers require a multidisciplinary approach of mathematical analysis, modeling and simulation, topology, and...
Insurgency is a time-honored form of warfare that allows a weaker opponent to subvert the power of a stronger foe. At the turn of the nineteenth century, Spanish guerrillas waged an effective insurgency against the premier army of the...
This work proposes a novel approach to military transformation, 'Adaptive Transformation,' that accounts for an inescapable reality in the current and future operational environment: uncertainty. Military planners and decision makers have to face...