This monograph describes the interaction and impact of the Afghan culture with the numerous instances of foreign intervention in the country. Prior to the American intervention in 2001, most recall of foreign intervention in Afghanistan focused on...
This volume presents the story of Afghanistan's fight against the Soviet Army beginning in 1979 and how the Mujahideen prevailed against a larger and decisively better equipped foe. It provides an understanding of guerrilla field craft and tactics,...
Since the end of the Cold War, changing global dynamics have brought about important political, social and economic developments to Southeast Asia. Foreign relations between the Southeast Asian states have also improved, reducing intra-regional...
The Rhodesian African Rifles overcame profoundly divisive racial and tribal differences among its members because a transcendent "regimental culture" superseded the disparate cultures of its individual soldiers and officers. The RAR's culture grew...
Military history demonstrates the vital role that geography plays in the planning, execution, and results of any conflict. This project espouses a comprehensive notion of geography that encompasses both physical and human contextual...
The Caucasus is developing into a vital strategic region. It emerged from the Soviet Union’s shadow in 1991 and spawned wild oil and gas speculation, and U.S. policy makers developed relationships with the region’s countries as it matured....
As the United States (U.S.) sustains the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and the prospect of invading Iraq looms imminent, there remains a pressing need for viable intermediate staging bases (ISB) in the Middle East to conduct decisive military...
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...
I have deployed four times in support of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM (OEF), the third rotation is the subject for this paper. The battle space where we operated contained an enemy force that was and is engaged in a full scale guerrilla war that...
The following has been written to record the operations that constitute the Communist "general offensive" of 1968. They are recounted and collected into book from the lessons of history that are of concern to the members of the Vietnamese Armed...
From May 2007 through May 2008 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, Major Tom Rossiter, a Michigan National Guardsman, served as a police mentor in Afghanistan. In this interview, he discusses his predeployment training at Fort Riley;...
Islam arose out of a cataclysmic change in society and economics in the Arabian Peninsula during the early seventh century. The adherents of the new religion immediately launched a campaign against the Byzantine Empire, the military, cultural and...
This study is an abbreviated history of the operations of G-2 in the Southwest Pacific Area. The purpose is to record the important work done by intelligence agencies in the prosecution of the war against Japan.
It is important that military leaders attain a cultural understanding of their tactical operating environment. This paper will compare the historic invasions of the Soviet Union and the United States into Afghanistan, and to what extent the lack of...
Cultural Understanding and Its Effects on the Battlefield
The importance of understanding the impact of cultural differences while
operating on the battlefield has grown since the Global War on Terrorism. Conventional
methods no longer work against...
Upon returning from Iraq, a 3rd Infantry Division Commander observed: “I had perfect situational awareness. What I lacked was cultural awareness. I knew where every enemy tank was dug in on the outskirts of Tallil. Only problem was, my soldiers...