United States Army Special Operations Forces (ARSOF) transformation included significant changes and additions to the support units assigned to ARSOF. Amidst all of the structural and personnel additions and changes, ARSOF cannot completely...
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 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...
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...
It is debatable whether Afghanistan historically meets most accepted definitions of a nation-state. Afghanistan has historically been governed by local and tribal leaders with short-lived attempts at a strong central unitary government. Whenever...
Afghanistan looms as the key foreign policy challenge for the Obama administration. Under the previous Bush administration, foreign policy was driven primarily by security considerations, and Afghanistan was viewed a frontline state in the Global...
Currently, the United States finds itself in a very similar predicament to what Great Britain experienced after emerging from the First World War as she set about the governance of a growing empire during the interwar period. With the stated intent...
Since the end of the Cold War the British Army has been involved in crowd control operations outside the national boundaries of the United Kingdom. The recent deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan have caused the traditional British approach of...
This monograph tells the narrative of the FARC in Colombia from the perspective of the counterinsurgent and presents a summary of the evolution of the FARC. The Colombian government has achieved recent success against the FARC after more than forty...
The interconnectedness of global trade influences international relations. The complexities of this interconnectedness may be better understood through quantitative analysis of the balance of trade within the global economic system. This monograph...
Social identity is commonly defined as a person's sense of self. It is derived from a perceived membership in social groups. This monograph examines the impact of Muslim immigrants on the national identity of Great Britain and the difficulty...
Just as war is not a new phenomenon, neither are the issues associated with the mental and emotional scars combat brings to those who fight a nation's wars. Historically, the United States has assumed a reactive vice proactive posture as it relates...
Prior to President Obama halting all ongoing military commissions, the United States charged six Guantanamo Bay prisoners with capital crimes. Further, his latest policy directive for new military commission rules has not excluded the death penalty...
The present situation in Afghanistan is not being resolved by the current U.S. strategic approach. Given the recent uptick in insurgent violence, the shift in emphasis with regards to Afghanistan, and the change in presidential administrations, the...
As a result of technological maturation, Congressional mandate, and battlefield use, the U.S. Army is currently involved in a tremendous amount of activity surrounding the development of unmanned systems (UMS). While current systems require near...
In 2005, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND) submitted a draft of the Defense Reform Basic Law to the National Assembly, which was the genesis of the Defense Reform Plan (DRP) 2020. The current Defense Reform Plan or...
Army commanders on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan lead their forces using a computer-enhanced communications network allowing them to stay connected with dispersed elements and maintain a high level of situation awareness (SA) of their...
This monograph proposes that current Army doctrine provides an adequate tool to achieve the desired results proposed in the concepts of operational Design. Because Army doctrine prescribes approaches that solve problems, it is important to...
This monograph reminds us that logistics is both an art and a science. Focusing on a case study of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) operations in Afghanistan during 2006 and 2007, it shows the need for including art into the preparation of the...
In the wake of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, one of the most intensely debated issues concerning the conduct of the war has been the level of troops committed to the effort. Military observers, policy makers, military officers, and...