Hybrid threat actors seek to master unrestricted operational art in order to reconcile overmatch and protect or advance their interests. As interest-based rational actors, hybrid threats translate strategic intent into unrestricted distributed...
Broadly applied strategy-driven initiatives in a local environment may have unintended effects on the targeted nation's local economy. In addition to direct influences, a foreign force's service and resource requirements have the potential to...
This monograph examines the role of policy in guidance of the British, the Soviet and the U.S.-NATO wars in Afghanistan. Set in the context of Afghanistan’s history and its socio-cultural environment, the study critically analyzes the negative...
In today's interconnected society there has been a push for the use of technology to increase the speed of information blurring the distinction between knowledge and information. This monographs illustrates the issues with knowledge and the common...
This monograph is meant to inspire military professionals to approach Prussian military history as a source of concepts with enduring relevance for modern armed forces. Reference point for the examination is the Bundeswehr (German armed forces) and...
This monograph examines the conduct of biometrically supported census operations as a population control measure in a counterinsurgency campaign. First, the monograph explores why the conduct of such an operation is relevant in the current...
Not all commissioned officers, noncommissioned officers (NCOs), or enlisted Soldiers assigned to United States Army Reserve (USAR) civil affairs (CA) units possess skills or qualifications equivalent to those commonly associated with functional...
The relief of Major General Ralph Smith, United States Army, from the command of the 27th Infantry Division during the battle for Saipan on 24 June 1944 by Lieutenant General Holland M. Smith, United States Marine Corps, seemingly ignited a...
The military is increasingly using and relying on the term "narrative" in its lexicon. United States strategic guidance documents generally implore commanders to "shape the narrative," doctrinal publications recommend commanders to "exploit a...
When major combat operations come to a close, decisive action is paramount. Without deliberate action in subsequent stability operations, there is risk of marginalizing previous victories. Expeditionary economic theory offers a solution for...
This monograph investigates the hypothesis that increases in U.S. military responsibilities in geographic regions (with limited resources)--or geo-environmental changes--lead to an increase in operational risk. It does so by analyzing two...
Sun Tzu asserts that success is not winning every battle fought, but subduing the enemy's will without fighting. Nevertheless, modern military thought fails to distinguish an enemy's will-to-fight from their means to do so, limiting the ways...
The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have resulted in an unparalleled level of cooperation between government agencies in spite of the fact that no codified congressional legislation has directed cooperation. Due to historical precedent and...
An American military presence has been prevalent on the Korean Peninsula since the end of World War II. As Korea attempted to recover from decades of bitter Japanese rule, internal struggles and politics led to the division of Korea into North and...
Due to the parallels between Colombia and Afghanistan facing narcotic funded insurgencies, Colombia offers insights into Afghanistan's future. The monograph compares case studies of campaigns in Colombia and Afghanistan. These case studies locate...
Just War Theory and Democratization by Force: Two Incompatible Agendas. Cora Sol Goldstein, Ph.D.; Is the doctrine of minimum collateral damage compatible with a strategy of democratization by force?
The Imaginary Army Ethic: A Call for Articulating a Real Foundation for our Profession. Lieutenant Colonel Brian Imiola, U.S. Army, Ph.D.; For years the Army has talked about the "Army Ethic," but has never articulated the ethic's principles. A...
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...