The performance of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) at the Battle of Ap Bac, January 2, 1963, established a narrative that the South Vietnamese were unwilling to fight or lacked aggressiveness. At the time of the Battle of Ap Bac, the...
This monograph addresses what operational level military factors enabled the North Vietnamese Army to defeat the former South Vietnamese Army during the Vietnam War's final campaigns of 1975. The Vietnam War covered the full spectrum of conflict...
Recent historical events such as the crumbling of the Berlin Wall and Operation Desert Storm indicate that we are entering a new era of geo-political struggle. The world is no longer dominated by a bipolar struggle between the United States and the...
The Army Air Force entered World War II poorly equipped and underprepared to support ground commanders with photo and visual reconnaissance. While doctrine fared better, it lacked the depth needed to employ reconnaissance effectively from the...
In June of 1942, Eighth Air Force deployed to Great Britain and began preparation for a bombing campaign. However, during the initial planning efforts it became apparent the staff lacked the expertise needed to analyze and recommend bombing...
The British and US experience with the use of local, irregular security forces suggest their importance in assisting the host nation government and counterinsurgent forces. Their successful establishment, training, and employment demonstrate the...
In spite of a late entry into World War I, the United States found itself unprepared to adequately equip its expeditionary forces for combat operations in Europe. After the War, Congress passed the National Defense Act of 1920, which tasked the...
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...
Although the end of World War II enabled devastated countries to rebuild and enjoy a time of peace, another bloody war had just started in Lithuania. Lithuanian Freedom Fighters (LFF) fought for almost a decade (1944-1953) against the Soviets who...
The employment of full-spectrum operations is critical in winning the war in Iraq, and stability and reconstruction operations play a key part in success or failure. The purpose of this thesis is to assess and analyze the support of the US Army...
The attacks of 11 September 2001 taught the United States that weak states can pose as great a danger to our national interests as strong states. With this lesson still fresh in the minds of policy makers, and the mixed results of several...
Lested, Douglas; Davis, Ronald; Harden, Harold; Defeat of Athenians at Syracuse
Thesis. The use of the proven principles of war could have
prevented the Athenian defeat at Syracuse.
Discussion. In 415-413 BC, Athens, the most powerful force in
the Mediterranean, laid siege to the Sicilian city of Syracuse.
Their unstated goal...
This monograph analyzes America's ability to maintain its global hegemony and perpetuate freedom from general conventional war. The theories of Geoffrey Blainey and Donald Kagan are used to explain the causes of war and the causes of peace. General...
The only feasible method of transporting divisions of personnel and equipment is, and used to be, by sea. What planning, management and coordination of shipping requirements existed within the US Army and civilian agencies prior to and during World...
The United States Army's study of counterinsurgency operations is limited, with few notable exceptions, to those that occurred in the Third World from 1950 to the present day. Few American officers, NCOs or soldiers are familiar with other...
This monograph describes the evolution of military logistics from 1994 to 2011 within the framework of the tenants of the Focused Logistics concept, assesses the effectiveness of the efforts to transform military logistics from a mass-based into a...
The stalemate in World War I created the need for a solution to escape this resource intense form of warfare. Following five unsuccessful German offenses in early 1918, the Germans found themselves in a solely defensive scenario conducting...
Historians have largely agreed that Pemberton should shoulder the blame for the poor Confederate performance during the Vicksburg campaign. General consensus exists among American Civil War historians that Pemberton proved a confused, indecisive,...
In October 1993, the Quick Reaction Force Headquarters in Mogadishu, Somalia observed, "convoys are more vulnerable to attack than ground maneuver forces and should be planned and executed as a combat operation." During the period from 1993 to...
This monograph analyzes the American practice of the operational art during the Vietnam War. It focuses on Military Assistance Command Vietnam (MACV) from 1965 to 1968. This question provides valuable relevant lessons to current military operations...