Proving the effectiveness of the application of air power has been an important goal for the United States Air Force. However, since World War II up through at least the Persian Gulf War in 1991, the American Air Force has not been consistent in...
This study addresses how operational and strategic commanders best implement strategies to accomplish their specific goals by analyzing the three distinct tasks that strategic commanders must accomplish in order to successfully build the support...
The 1993 version of FN4 100-5, Operations, formally added the theoretical term of decisive points to our professional warfighting lexicon without providing a useful methodology for their identification. This monograph undertakes a study of decisive...
This research explores how the peaking of world oil production influences the global balance of power. On the one hand, the geological phenomenon of peaking, modeled by the Hubbert's peak curve, gives the timeframe and the evolution of oil...
This monograph proposes that one of the Army's primary doctrinal concepts, combat power, requires modification to keep pace with the changing environment of conflict. It argues that the Army's combat power model, defined as the combined effects of...
Is the nature of winning at the operational level different than that of the tactical level? The author explores this question and determines that there is a fundamental difference that cannot be explained by the combat power model presented in FM...
This monograph addresses the perplexing issue of ensuring US security strategy is coherently mated with emerging defense doctrines. America’s current security strategy, “engagement,” is inherently dynamic in nature. Consequently, it has...
Iran is pursuing a public nuclear policy, which will lead it into regional power status. The Persian Gulf is a vital region for its natural resources that America and its trading powers require to maintain their economies. A disruption of Persian...
This paper addresses the question, “what happened to Battlefield Air Interdiction (BAI)?” and what that question has to do with the development and evolution of Air Force doctrine. The answer goes much deeper than just the simple disappearance...
Current U.S. military doctrine identifies the “center of gravity” (COG) as one of the key elements in theater and operational design planning. Since Karl von Clausewitz formalized the COG concept in On War, military planners have used it as a...
Through the study of past military experiences, especially the examination of common lessons from differing conflicts, implications for future warfare can be revealed. Common counterland lessons from three major US conflicts are the focus of this...
In the first half of the twenty-first century, China represents perhaps the most critical and complex factor affecting the national security interests of the United States. China’s rapidly rising economic and military power coupled with its...
This study provides a brief review of the role of the Department of Defense publication Soviet Military Power and a detailed analysis of Tom Gervasi's book, Soviet Military Power *The Pentagon's Propaganda Document, Annotated and Corrected. Gervasi...
In November 2008, U.S. citizens will go to the polls to choose a new President and a new administration. The Bush administration’s strategy of engagement with China is designed to build a peaceful relationship through diplomatic, informational,...
This monograph sets out to prove that Geoffrey Blainey's theory about a disagreement over relative power between nations explains the causes of the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991. Blainey describes the diplomatic crisis leading to war 'like a crisis...
This historical assessment of the American Revolution evaluates the significance of the Campaign of 1777. More specifically, this thesis examines whether the Campaign of 1777 was a turning point in the American Revolution. Each of the four elements...
This is a theoretical paper on campaign planning. The paper examines the processes and principles involved in campaign plan formulation and modification within the context of all three levels of war. A series of theoretical models are used to...
Future operational concepts contained in Joint Vision 2010 and the accompanying service level concepts emphasizes full spectrum, full dimensional dominance, allowing the application of force in time and space that cannot be equaled by a potential...
The 1998 draft FM 100-5 does not adequately recognize air power. The manual does not adequately recognize air power because it does not address airlift, air space control, or air interdiction in a systemic or logical manner. These concepts are...
This monograph discusses the impact of emerging artillery technologies on the development of combat power. The technologies specifically focused on are those associated with the artillery's future weapon system, the Crusader, and the munitions that...