With the U.S. high domestic consumption of illicit drugs, a relationship has formed between transnational gangs and powerful Latin American drug cartels. The ineffectiveness of the war on drugs, along with the high cost of such a program, begs the...
The information sphere is an integral part of the current environment. The center of gravity (CoG) theory currently is matched for conventional, linear, industrial age warfare in the physical domain. The CoG concept is thus not suited to work in...
Joint Doctrine, explicitly, and Army Doctrine, implicitly, recommend that military commanders and staffs exercise systems thinking in operational planning and execution. However, current Military Doctrine fails to fully explicate and apply a...
This study investigates the operational aspects of counter-narcotics operations in the maritime domain. Research utilizes design methodology to assess the current and desired operating environments, as well as identify operational gaps. Research...
In this interview, COL (Ret.) Dale Eikmeier, US Army, Strategic Plans; discusses his deployment to Iraq as the Strategic Planner for the Strategic Plans and Assessment Division in the U.S. Embassy in 2005 through 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi...
The purpose of this research is to define centers of gravity in a way that meets the needs of all branches of service and focuses center of gravity analysis in a way that makes joint staffs more effective.
The research concludes that a joint...
This monograph is a case study examining the substitution of the Cold War strategy of large forward deployed military forces and nuclear deterrence for the Post Cold War strategy of global engagement and leadership and the implications of that...
Arthur D. Simons Center for Interagency Cooperation
This study is the result of several months of academic research by a group of mid-career professionals participating in an alternative educational program with the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC) that focused on issues related to...
This paper examines the question whether systems theory, and the concepts of systems-shock and the center of gravity are compatible and have any utility in military planning. Currently there is a debate between systems theory proponents who argue...
Doctrine Center of Gravity Analysis. Colonel Dale C. Eikmeier, U.S. Army; Why are centers of gravity so difficult to identify or define? The Armed Forces have suffered from years of conflicting definitions. Not until 1997 did the services agree...
At the U.S. southwest border there exists the intersection of two distinct cultures, economies, political systems, and ideas of what comprises the national security interests of the U.S. and Mexico. Those security interests stem from a desire to...
Current Army doctrine lacks a security metrics paradigm similar to the infrastructure paradigm SWEAT-MSO. Because of this, commanders, staff, subordinates, other government leaders, and the media lack a simple and common set of terms to use when...
This study addresses potential scenarios as to how a North Korean collapse could occur, whether China's military would engage in North Korea, and how China's military might intervene if it did so. First, regarding the likely scenarios for a North...
The air and missile threat posed by hostile states and terrorist organizations to the continental United States is a reality. Violent extremist organizations such as al-Qa'ida, as well as rogue nations, such as Iran and North Korea, are actively...
Force reductions brought about by reduced spending will almost certainly take place in the near future. This has surfaced an old debate. The debate centers around the U.S. Army and the U.S. Marine Corps and their respective roles in the defense...
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...
Field Marshal William 'Bill' Slim ended World War II in command of Fourteenth Army. His understanding of what motivated men in the most trying of times is well publicized. Indeed, he is most well-known for his thoughts on morale and leadership....
This thesis examines the applicability of leading artificial intelligence (AI) technology to the determination of operational centers of gravity. Specifically, a modeling technique used in learning agent development is applied. The application of...
Learning from our modern wars: the imperatives of preparing for a dangerous future. LT GEN Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army, with MAJ Stephen M. Smith, U.S. Army; Looking beyond the current wars, a former commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and...