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...
Effective operational transitions are crucial for success, but recent interventions indicate that U.S. forces, and the Army in particular, struggle with planning and executing the transition to post-combat operations. By developing and applying a...
This monograph examines the Arab Spring in light of the past half century of efforts in transnational Arab identity formation and thus considers its links to Arab Nationalism and Pan-Islamism. Then, with a focus on Syria and the sectarian nature of...
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...
This thesis proposes and demonstrates a methodology that enables the user to generate optimal portfolios of projects, based largely on the data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach developed by Israeli professors and industrial engineers, Harel...
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 examines current American military doctrine as it relates to antiterrorism, the prevention of terrorist activities directed at U.S. military personnel, equipment, and resources. The study uses a doctrinal analysis model based upon the...
Scant literature exists to guide today's operational artist in solving the intrinsic issues of the operational level of war. Most works concentrate on the activities or functions to be performed by the operational artist with little regard for...
American policy in Afghanistan has evolved since the initial engagement of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. It has become increasingly clear that strategic focus must include a plan to concentrate upon and continue development of a stable and secure...
This paper's purpose is very modest. It answers the thesis question, "Have the ends (interests, goals or objectives) specified in the National Security Strategies (NSS) since 1986, been consistent?" For this study, consistent is defined as whether...
The Vietnam War and Operation Allied Force are two examples of coercive strategy characterized by gradual escalation of violence. They both involved significant discord between policymakers and the military leaders called upon to execute the...
The most notorious period of the French-Algerian War was the Battle of Algiers. The war was brought on by many developments beginning with the original French invasion in 1830 and subsequent annexation of Algeria as part of the French empire....
This study examines the US principles of war to see if they are potential candidates as the foundation for a timeless and universal military theory. Each is compared to similar fundamental statements made by past military theorists to ensure it is...
Synchronization, "the ability to focus resources and activities in time and space to produce maximum relative combat power at the decisive point," is a tenet of US Army doctrine. This monograph reviews the concept of synchronization at the...
This study is a historical analysis of how encirclement operations have been and still are important offensive operations. These operations need to be given priority in planning and execution by the United States Military. Encirclement operations...
Military officials often utilize the PMESII-PT acronym (Political, Military, Economic, Social, Information, Infrastructure, Physical Environment, and Time) as an analytical start point to assess an operational environment. However, the linear...
Unified Land Operations: The Evolution of Army Doctrine for Success in the 21st Century. Colonel Bill Benson, U.S. Army; The Army exploits the initiative to gain a position of advantage in unified land operations nested inside joint unified...
Agencies must engage in a whole-of-government approach to protect the nation and its interests from diverse threats such as terrorism and infectious diseases. However, GAO has reported that gaps in national security staff knowledge and skills pose...
Mistreatment of civilians not party to a large-scale, violent conflict is not new. The perceived lack of empathy for civilians (historically and presently) points to ambiguities about who the enemy is, rules of engagement, as well as the ongoing...
This monograph began as an investigation to determine if either Effects-Based Operations (EBO) or Systemic Operational Design (SOD) should replace the traditional Military Decision-Making Process (MDMP). It soon became clear that the approaches do...