The campaign planning process is the essential link between the strategic and operational levels of war. Since the final large unit operations of World War II, the American military has lost its expertise in campaign planning. The study examines...
Planning is an important part of a comprehensive approach to national preparedness. After the September 11 attack on America, President George W. Bush directed the creation of a standardized federal approach to preparedness planning. Congress...
This monograph analyzes the capability of the US Army to conduct deliberate division river crossing operations today. The Korean Peninsula, Southwest Asia, and the plains of Europe all have major rivers. Combat operations in a major regional...
In October 1992 NATO agreed to assist the UN in monitoring a ban on all military flights over Bosnia-Herzegovina. NATO's involvement in Bosnia expanded over the next three years both in the range of missions performed and the political objectives...
This monograph addresses the question: Do the planning staffs at the Unified Combatant Commands have the personnel resources and training to conduct crisis action planning for contingencies without augmentation from other organizations? The Unified...
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...
This study challenges the deliberate decision making process (DDMP) as ineffective for use by commanders in time-constrained environments. FM 101-5 (final draft), Command and Control for Commanders and Staff, 1995, currently prescribes DDMP as the...
This monograph answers the question of whether operational air commanders have the necessary doctrinal tools to plan for effective airpower employment in gradually escalated, coercive warfare. It concludes that current Air Force doctrine does not...
The full spectrum doctrine of the U.S. Army places additional emphasis on engineer units to support offensive, defensive, stability, and civil support operations, yet organic engineer capability was reduced in the BCTs. This thesis attempts to...
This monograph investigates the results of task force level maneuver exercises conducted with equipment projected for Force XXI fielding. Specifically, the monograph seeks to answer the question of whether digital equipment improves the ability of...
This monograph investigates the US Army's preparedness to execute tactical exploitation during conventional symmetrical offensive operations between heavy forces. Exploitation is a critical tactical operation. Successful offensive operations impart...
Using the scientific method, this monograph combines the concepts of surprise and information superiority to create a hypothesis that explains the principle of war. The hypothesis rests on the belief that omniscience, a state of perfect...
This monograph finds that the US Army's decision making process taught in its schools and branch courses relies too heavily on an iterative analytical method called the Deliberate Decision Making Process or DDMP. Within this process there exists a...
OPERATION ALLIED FORCE has become a lightning rod sparking strong debate within the US military. The debate revolves around the subject of decisive military action and which branch of service most contributed to the successful campaign in Kosovo....
Using the 1983 US invasion of Grenada and the 1992-3 military humanitarian intervention in Somalia as case studies, this monograph shows how post-Cold War operational planning can benefit from the experiences gained from recent deployments. The...
Recent operations have demonstrated that units executing rapid yet protracted operations continue to experience significant problems in maintaining tempo. Whether attacking or defending, forces are likely to execute a passage of lines. This is...
On October 3rd 1993, US efforts in Somalia culminated as the result of an overnight battle that cost eighteen American lives and effectively silenced all optimism that Somalia could be externally resurrected as a functioning state. What began as a...
The 7-step model of the MDMP is a tried and proven process. However, some critics argue it is not the right decision-making and planning tool for the future force. The 7-step model is a deliberate process requiring a significant amount of time when...
Combat leaders serving in Afghanistan are currently facing a difficult ethical dilemma. This ethical problem stems from the difficulties involved in getting deliberate assault operations approved in a timely manner. In my opinion, there are three...
This monograph is a doctrinal and historical analysis of river crossings by the United States and the Soviet Union. Initially, there is a discussion of the impact of AirLand Battle doctrine has on river crossings which concludes that the hasty...