My first assignment to Vicenza, Italy was one that I will never forget. Because of a year long deployment, I only spent 10 of the 22 months actually on ground there. The notification of my deployment to Afghanistan was quite unique. Several minutes...
In 1979 the age old struggle for the control of Islam between the Shiite and Sunni sects re-emerged in the Middle East. Four events occurred in 1979 that defined the context of contemporary Middle Eastern politics: the Islamic revolution in Iran,...
This book contains stories from field and general officers commanding in training exercises, most from rotations at the National Training Center. In their stories, they describe their thoughts, their actions, their successes and especially their...
Colombia remains one of the most troubled countries in South America. The continued export of drugs coupled with a significant insurgent threat and increased violence against civilians, signals a crisis capable of disrupting the entire region....
This monograph develops an alternative approach to counterinsurgency, and explains how the current narratives in the field of counterinsurgency are not completely accurate. Counterinsurgents only need to properly understand the environment and then...
Turkish Culture had a profound influence on the conduct of its counter-insurgency campaign against the Kurdistan Worker’s Party (PKK). The independent variables shaping Turkey’s response to the insurgency were a unique brand of nationalism,...
"This 1960 SOP is published for the information and guidance of all personnel involved in operational and instructional duties in any capacity and prescribes policy in operational matters as stated in section XXVII, USAFAS Regulation 1-1, Policy...
This study concludes that the Air Attack Team Regiment (AATR), as a part of the corps aviation brigade, is the option that provides the Army with the best utilization of the A-10. The AATR combines the two main elements of a highly successful...
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has employed its armed forces into a host of contingency operations in countries, such as Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia. More recently, the US has undertaken operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the...
This study examines the planning, execution, and results of U.S. military involvement in the 1970 Cambodian incursions. Named Operation Rockcrusher, the attacks targeted North Vietnamese sanctuaries in officially neutral Cambodia. Strategic...
This study investigates the adaptation and purpose-built construction of the vessels used by the Federal government to conduct riverine warfare on the waters of the American Mississippi River drainage basin. The study concentrates on the...
This study examines adaptations made by State, on adherence to directives requiring coordination with other USG departments and agencies, to effectively respond to current and future national security threats. Without the staff, tools, and training...
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,...
Introduction of Light Armored Infantry (LAI) Battalions has presented a dilemma for the Marine Corps' field artillery organization. Intended to furnish a force commander with a self-contained maneuver unit for conducting classic cavalry missions of...
This monograph shows how understanding three conceptual tradeoffs of complex versus complicated, complexity at large-scale versus fine-scale, and exploration of potential problems versus exploitation of known solutions can help the military...
The purpose of this thesis is to analyze whether or not the current doctrine for the inclusion of interagency coordination in a Joint Task Force or equivalent headquarters is adequate. The analysis engine used is two case studies that highlight the...
Cultural awareness is a force multiplier; failure to recognize this can have adverse impacts on operations. Since the first coalition troop deployments to Afghanistan after the events of 9/11, the U.S. Army has received much criticism over the lack...
This thesis determines that the military should not mandate the adoption of the Joint Operation Planning Process (JOPP) as the single planning model at the operational level of war. Although it is both technically possible and feasible to adopt the...
The United States Army has a long history of advising foreign security forces with its general purpose force, despite a perception that its special force is the primary force with which it undertakes advisory efforts. Ad hoc selection and...