The Middle East is one of the most urbanized regions of the world, and growth continues at an unprecedented rate. With operations ongoing in the Middle East today, it is fitting that this inaugural study should focus on military aspects of the...
In 1979 the age old struggle for the control of Islam between the Shiite and Sunni sects re-emerged in the Middle East. Four events occurred in 1979 that defined the context of contemporary Middle Eastern politics: the Islamic revolution in Iran,...
Major Jeremy Lewis, Infantry, deployed to Iraq for a second Operation Iraqi Freedom tour as an advisor to a special police transition team (SPTT) from November 2005 until April 2006. His previous tour had been as a company commander with the 3rd...
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...
This is a "battle study" written purposely from the perspective of the Marines, soldiers, and sailors who fought at an-Najaf in August 2004. The narrative that follows documents the importance of the close relationship between political and...
Captain William Rockefeller was the commander of Bravo Company, 1-26 Infantry during the Easter Sunday Battle of Samarra in April 2004. Stationed at FOB Brassfield-Mora, Rockefeller describes the actions of his company upon hearing that Charlie...
From March 2004 through February 2005 with 1st Battalion, 26th Infantry Regiment - part of 2nd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division - Sergeant Major Ron Pruyt served as the operations sergeant major (and at times simultaneously as the battalion command...
Major John Casper was the operations officer for Task Force 1-26 Infantry during the Easter Sunday Battle of Samarra in April 2004. Casper describes the background of the battle, including the challenges of supervising a Shi'a religious festival in...
The enemy in Iraq has been able to use small, tactically insignificant attacks, amplified by the media, to erode the will of the American people to prosecute the war in Iraq. This monograph uses the model for a revolution in military affairs...
McGrath, John J., 1956-; Matthews, Matt, 1959-; Bruscino, Thomas A.
This work is the continuation and revision of a project started in 2006 with the publication of In Contact! by the Combat Studies Institute. The original concept was to present a series of military vignettes in a style similar to the widely used...
This paper talks about the challenges I encountered as the First Sergeant of Alpha
Company 2nd Battalion 7th Cavalry Regiment. The company was facing a lot of
leadership challenges. Our battalion was slated to rotate to Iraq the early part of 2004...
Part two of the interview with Sergeant Jason McManus covers his June 2005 return to Iraq. This time, he went with the 81 millimeter mortar platoon, part of Weapons Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, and begins by discussing the much more...
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia performs a key role in the war on Islamic extremism and terrorism. The Kingdom maintains the distinction of being the birthplace of Islam and its government is the epitome of Islamic rule in the region. The Kingdom's...
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...
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...
In this third of four interviews, Major J.T. Torrain talks about serving as the team chief for a military transition team in Taji and Samarra, Iraq, from May 2006 through April 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He discusses how much he...
In this fourth of four interviews, Major J.T. Torrain talks about serving as the team chief for a military transition team (MiTT) in Taji and Samarra, Iraq, from May 2006 through April 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He discusses the...
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...
This research study examines the 7/7 London bombings, the Murrah building attack by Timothy McVeigh, and the Japanese religious terrorist group Aum Shinrikyo. The three groups are analyzed against the recognized forms of human rights, as defined by...
The preface states "the author's purpose has not been to write a history of Egypt, but to trace to their probable causes the events which have for the last decade made Egypt so conspicuous a thread in the tangled skein of Old World politics".