If the Department of Defense (DOD) better understands what legitimacy is, how strategic communication affects it, and how a prolonged counter-insurgency affects the legitimacy of specific Afghan and US institutions, we will be better prepared to...
Today's Army faces an environment much different from that which it prepared for in the Cold War. Massed armor battles, for which the Army was trained and equipped, have become much less likely while involvement in smaller and more limited conflict...
This thesis examined the suitability of creating regionally and functionally aligned National Intelligence Centers to consolidate the foreign intelligence collection and analysis capabilities of America's intelligence community. It assessed the...
General Schwarzkopf was unhappy with the tempo of the VII Corps attack during Operation Desert Storm. Likewise, a recent Rand study of over 115 NTC battles highlighted the technique of overwatch as a significant detractor to sustaining tempo in the...
The age of reductionism is over, new laws of physics are being discovered, and the old theoretical constructs are being replaced with new understanding. The modern operating environment in common with the world of physics has changed. This change,...
Publication of Another Crossroads? Professional Military Education Two Decades After the Goldwater-Nichols Act and the Skelton Panel by the House Armed Service Committee calls into question the ability of our current Joint Professional Military...
A systems perspective is beginning to permeate doctrine. This perspective calls for an analysis of the key systems of an adversary. PMESII is an acronym that stands for political, military, economic, social, infrastructure, and information systems....
In 1986, the US Army introduced Carl von Clausewitz's concept of center of gravity in Field Manual (FM) 100-5, Operations, and defined it as the ""hub of all power and movement upon which everything depends."" The manual explicitly stated that the...
This monograph examines risk and tempo as components of warfighting which are inextricably linked and dependent upon a commander who is capable of assessing and accepting risk. The study analyzes three operational maneuvers (Marne, Anzio, Inchon)...
This study explores the role of the military as an instrument of national power in the transformation of Republics to Empires. It concentrates on two case studies. The first is the Athenian transformation from Radical Democracy to an Informal...
This thesis contends the debate on whether to embrace a population-centric or enemy-centric counterinsurgency strategy in Afghanistan detracts focus from building a balanced approach, customized for the human and political landscape in each area of...
The purpose of this study was to examine technological strategic resource dependence, its potential for conflict in the twenty-first century, and subsequent influences on United States (U.S.) national security policy. In particular, the study...
This is a study of the logistical system that supported the Union armies in the Civil War, focusing on the Army of the Cumberland under the command of Major General William S. Rosecrans in 1863. It begins with a description of the logistical...
From the conclusion of the Third Afghan War (1919) to India’s Independence (1947), Great Britain governed the wild, mountainous territory of the North-West Frontier that borders Afghanistan. This control used a variety of mature political and...
This monograph maintains that the military is only one part of the peace operations environment, and not always the centerpiece. In addition, peace operations occur simultaneously at the tactical, operational and strategic level. This holds true...
The purpose of this monograph is to examine the concept of Commander’s Critical Information Requirements (CCIR) and determine if the doctrine is suitable for particularly complex operations like counter-insurgency operations (COIN). Commanders...
This monograph analyzes the 1944-45 Burma Campaign between the Japanese and Allied forces as a case study to evaluate current United States Army Senior Leadership doctrine in Field Manual 22-103, Leadership and Command at Senior Levels. It uses...
Over the years, there has been debate within the services about whether Clausewitz's theories should be used as a basis for modern warfighting doctrine. The majority of debate has focused on the specific issue of whether Clausewitz's most well...
The transformation of the Army from its current “legacy” structure to the Objective Force is predicated on the realization of significant technological advances and the evolution of a “general-purpose” combat force. Today’s forces,...
This study examines the element of surprise within the context of operational warfare. Specifically, the study examines the degree to which surprise has emerged as the prevalent factor in the shaping of the Soviet Army's organization, force...