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...
Beyond guns and steel: reviving the nonmilitary: instruments of American power.Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates; The secretary of defense says the U.S. must develop a cadre of deployable civilians to strengthen the Nation's "soft" power in...
Multi-national force-iraq commander's counterinsurgency guidance. General David H. Petraeus, U.S. Army; General Petraeus outlines the essential tasks necessary for successful counterinsurgency operations in Iraq.
Anatomy of a Successful COIN Operation: OEF Philippines and the Indirect Approach. Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Wilson, U.S. Army; Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines offers a template for how to succeed in counterinsurgency.
The Military-Media Relationship: A Dysfunctional Marriage? Thom Shanker and Major General Mark Hertling, U.S. Army: In the information age, the first casualty of war is often trust--between those who fight the wars and those who report them. A...
This newsletter is a collection of articles focused on stability operations in the Western Hemisphere, specifically in Central and South America. Today, stability operations in Afghanistan and Iraq rightfully receive the lion’s share of our...
As the ability of organizations to process information accelerates, and technological advances facilitate ever more rapid decision-making, organizational leaders sacrifice the time once available for careful reflection on the nature of problems and...