The United States government and the US military are struggling with strategic communications. To succeed the USG must improve its ability to understand the social context and cultural characteristics of the population, identify target audiences...
Based on experiences with long-duration operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, the United States Army recognizes the need for commanders and their staffs to have new tools and ways of thinking to deal with complex problems. The specific approach the...
A collection of directives for the Commander in Chief of the Pacific Ocean Area and the Supreme Commander in the Southwest Pacific Area. Includes numerous planning and logistical documents and joint Army and Navy conference reports.
This monograph proposes an answer to the question: Can the current tactical mission risk analysis process adequately support the doctrine tenet of versatility? The conclusion is that true versatility in unfamiliar operations may require a more...
This monograph asserts that phasing as a tenet of operational art has outlived its usefulness. Phasing as a component of campaign design worked effectively in the industrial age of symmetrical opponents, but has lost its usefulness in the...
The United States has now invaded Iraq on two separate occasions. These invasions offer some interesting similarities such as occurring on nearly the same terrain with similar equipment and against Iraqi forces under the leadership of Saddam...
This monograph analyzes whether dislocation theory is an appropriate military theory for the Interim Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) to use in developing its warfighting doctrine. It argues that the IBCT’s unique mission, force structure, strengths,...
Now that the Department of Defense has permitted the use of social media for both private and official purposes, the question becomes, can the military, the Army in particular, obtain the benefits sought from social media use without seriously...
Narcotics trade is a major funding source for the insurgency in Afghanistan. Afghan law enforcement (LE) units target traffickers, processing labs, and drug caches to minimize this supply chain. These LE units are mentored by US Drug Enforcement...
This paper argues that to counter border spillover violence, America must control the border with Mexico and generate the public and political commitment to do so. This study applies a military problem solving methodology to identify how best to...
Reconnaissance performance by battalion task forces rotating through the National Training Center is generally ineffective and frequently results in the task force's defeat during offensive operations. In the vast majority of battles, the decisive...
The Global Positioning System (GPS) has become a vital component to both the military and civilian infrastructures. U.S. military forces have evolved from using its signal for routine navigation to depending on it for nearly every facet of combat...
Within the context of current US government efforts to integrate, synchronize and unify actions to secure US national interests against current threats, this paper will assess the current capability of the Department of Defense to plan for Phase 0...
Efforts to measure progress in the US War on Terror are frustrated by a complex strategic situation and a shadowy network of enemies. The “Long War,” as the conflict is referred to by many public officials, is likely to remain costly in human...
This monograph offers a definition of "military art," discusses military art's relationship to the commander's management of battlefield uncertainty, and uncertainty's relationship to nonlinearity. Using the terms of art, uncertainty, and...
The U.S. Army 's Military Decision-Making (MDMP) has been criticized repeatedly during the past decade for being untimely, unrealistic, dogmatic, and stifling creativity. U.S. Army Field Manual, FM 5.0, Army Planning and Orders Production, is...
This study determines whether the U.S. Army is prepared to sustain U.S. units operating behind enemy lines as guerrilla forces. History provides many examples where guerrilla forces complement conventional operations. The "center of gravity" for...
The current National Security Strategy is supposed to be the means by which the Nation expresses its fundamental national security goals, identifies national interests, and matches these interests with the necessary tools to implement the strategy...
Coercion theory is traditionally segmented into compellence and deterrence. Recently
theorists have begun to consider coercion comprehensively. This monograph continues that line
of study and defines coercion as the threat of, or use of, elements...
With the rapidly changing and unfamiliar global environment, the U.S. Army must require its planners to have an understanding of operational art within the context of their warfighting function and combat power. How can an operational planner...