During the Vietnam War and the years following, there has been a contentious debate regarding the nature of the conflict. Some proponents argue it was an insurgency while others claim it was a conventional war, with each side advocating the...
In the spring of 1972, North Vietnam launched a massive, three-pronged attack into South Vietnam that was eventually repulsed by South Vietnamese forces, United States (US) advisors and massive amounts of American airpower. The problem is...
The United States (US) has a long history of employing military advisors, from the American military occupation of the Philippines throughout the 19th century, and the Korea War in the 1950s, the Vietnam War 1950 to 1973, El Salvador 1984 to 1992,...
Controlling the population in any counterinsurgency is critical to the success of the counterinsurgent. Three historical theorists, Sir Robert Thompson, David Galula, and Robert Trinquier all agree on this pertinent issue. Success in Malaya hinged...
Usually in history it seems that the technologically advanced society has a greater advantage in warfare than more primitive societies. For most battles this seems to hold true; however, there are exceptions to this rule. This document examines...
This monograph examines the conduct of operations of the United States' Eighth Army under the command of General Matthew B. Ridgway in the Korean War. During the period of Ridgway's command, from late December of 1950 through April of 1951, the...
What happens when a technologically advanced nation provides advanced technology to a much less advanced nation's military? Numerous political and diplomatic considerations go into the decision to provide the technology, but once the decision is...
In 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini's indirect approach ignited existing socio-economic conditions during the Iranian Revolution to topple the Shah. A similar indirect approach using psychological operations to target audiences through key vulnerabilities...
The deployment of a US Ground-based Mid-course ballistic missile Defense (GMD) within what Russia considers its rightful sphere of influence is an unacceptable challenge to Russian national security. Russians, according to Makhmut Gareev, believe...
Given ongoing conflicts and the likelihood of executing counterinsurgency in the future, it is vital to conduct effective campaign planning for counterinsurgency. Additionally, effective campaign planning is essential for rapid and effective...
I Field Force effectively conducted operational art from 1965 through 1967 under the leadership of LTG Stanley Larsen in the II Corps Tactical Zone (II CORPS). This accomplishment is all the more noteworthy considering LTG Larsen and his staff...
Commanders routinely undervalue logistics, despite the fact that logistics is arguably nine-tenths of the formula for winning. For the United States, this reality has significant consequences since every war beginning with the Spanish-American War...
Napoleon Bonaparte lost over 300,000 men in the Therian Peninsula combating the British Army and Navy, along with their Spanish and Portuguese allies, in the savage conventional and unconventional Peninsular War. This very important sub-theater of...
As Americans and US Soldiers, we cannot allow frustration and growing public discontent for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to allow the US government to violate established world policies and international law. We should not treat and detain...
This paper examines the role played by sanctuaries as they relate to irregular warfare in two conflicts. The first case study looks at the United States' efforts to defeat the advantages gained by the Viet Cong (and later the North Vietnamese Army)...
The attached monograph, 'On the Foundations of National Military Strategy: Past and Present,' identifies the Hobbesian nation-state system, the Soviet threat, Containment, Deterrence, the Bi-polar balance of power, European focus, and a cumbersome...
This Annual Command History captures the major events at Fort Sill during 1997. We are confident that our many important initiatives will have an impact on the Field Artillery and Total Army for years.
The following pages are written with the idea of furnishing the members of the Army School of the Line and Staff College a guide in the solution of field problems in fortification. These problems are such that any line officer might be called upon...
This paper is a critical analysis of the manner in which the problem of either supporting or abandoning the expedition was solved; and the measures taken to effect the evacuation of the peninsula.
A steadfast misbelief in precision bombing evolved into the leading concept for US Army Air Force during the Second World War. This concept envisioned the destruction of the German industrial and economic system as the swiftest path to victory....