"Corps are the Army's largest tactical units, the instruments with which higher echelons of command conduct maneuver at the operational level" (FM 100-5, Operations, May 1986). The corps staff is the principal planning and coordinating agency upon...
According to an old saying, "amateurs study tactics; professionals study logistics." any serious student of the military profession will know that logistics constantly shape military affairs and sometimes even dictate strategy and tactics. This...
Analysts continue to assess the data from Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as a means of improving the military's ability to function efficiently in desert terrain. The information gleaned from this effort will enhance the already...
As the 21st Century dawns, warfare is in the midst of revolutionary change. Information Age warfare characterized by knowledge, speed, and precision is slowly supplanting Industrial Age war and its reliance on mass. The advent of precision...
As the year 2000 begins, the disintegration of Colombia in a situation of violence, political unrest, and economic upheaval is a very real threat to the national interests of the United States. It is critical that Washington’s concern for failed...
Casualties are an inevitable consequence of battle, and they are commonly listed at the end of historical accounts as figures for dead and wounded. The assumption, on reading these numbers, is that the dead were al some point, during or after the...
Coalition warfare is generally a two-edged sword. When several countries join forces to fight a common enemy, the weight of their combined effort can be overwhelming. The effectiveness of this effort, however, can be dissipated or even rendered...
Coming from the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery School at Fort Bliss, where he'd been an instructor, Major Michael Melito - during the major combat phase of Operation IRAQI FREEDOM - was assigned as an individual augmentee to 1st Battalion, 3rd Air...
From Baron de Jomini, Summary of the Art of War or A New Analytical Compend of the
Principal Combinations of Strategy, of Grand Tactics and of Military Policy. Translated from the French by Major O. F. Winship, Ass't. ADJT. General, U.S. A., LT....
I recognize that, years after the fact, it is difficult to synthesize with complete accuracy and largely from official documents the actions relating to a military operation. This is particularly true when references are not available from two...
In 1907 the artillery community initially codified indirect fire concepts learned during the period between the US Civil War and the Russo-Japanese War. These initial concepts identified the scientific elements of the indirect fire problem....
In 1944, the 4th Armored Division played a central role in one of the more remarkable campaigns in American military history - Third Army's pursuit across France, which was capped off by the encirclement and capture of Nancy. In the course of this...
In 1945, to end the Pacific war, American strategic plans foresaw an invasion of Japan's heavily defended home islands. Operations Olympic and Coronet, America's proposed landings on Kyushu and the Tokyo Plain, were the largest amphibious invasions...
In April and May 1941, the previously successful blitzkrieg tactics of the German Army met defeat by the outnumbered Australian forces of the 9th Division at Tobruk. The Australian infantry achieved victory through a successful all-around defense...
In spite of the Army’s “draw down” the requirements on the logistics community have increased. These requirements include Stability and Support Operations in locations such as Somalia and Rwanda, disaster support for Hurricane Andrew and the...
In the summer of 1989, following the breakup of the Soviet Union and the ending of the Cold War, the Department of Defense announced plans to modify the structure and size of the armed forces based upon the changing security environment. Of...
In the wake of the Cold War, the U.S. Army increasingly finds its institutional focus shifting away from preparing for sustained mechanized land combat. This trend serves the Army’s immediate operational needs and addresses its perceived need to...
Just as many football players have failed to become great coaches, so too have many governmental leaders, leaders of industry and military officers failed to succeed when placed at higher levels of responsibility. Understanding how to solve...
Lieutenant Colonel Thomas P. Odom's study, Shaba II The French and Belgian Intervention in Zaire in 1978, presents a historical analysis of the 1978 invasion of Shaba province by the exiled Katangan Gendarmerie. Included in this study is the...
Military historians have often focused on the period between the world wars in order to examine issues such as preparedness, doctrine, technology, and politics. Less often have we looked closely at social issues peculiar to the military in that...