In September of 2001, 90% of America received most of their news on the terrorist attacks against the United States from television; a number that would hold steady at 89% throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In April of 2003 while the United...
Understanding and leveraging the media has become critical for operational level commanders conducting urban combat operations. The insatiable public appetite for information has created conditions where tactical actions can have severe strategic...
The work addresses the problem of the concept of national will. Present concepts are held to be inadequate because they arbitrarily separate national will from the political decision-making process and because they are psychologically unsound. As a...
Purpose of study is to examine on a limited scope the development of the policies governing FAC operations which resulted in two diametrical combat situations; to associate elements of these situations and the questions which they bring up with the...
This monograph examines the media's influence on the operational commander's decision making. Understanding the media is key to the military commander's ability to function in today's complex environment. The monograph begins by examining the...
The evolution of U.S.-Japanese bilateral ground exercises has been characterized by progressive development but also by continual opposition from various segments of Japanese society and government. While many factors have influenced the evolution...
There are many critics who have concluded that the US Government has not successfully conducted communication with its public during the current, persistent conflict, but perhaps one of the earliest was Ted Koppel. In 2001, responding to a question...
The national will of the United States, and other democratic nations, is far more vulnerable today than in the past. Changes in society and technology have allowed enemies to adapt. The character of war has evolved into a more unorthodox type of...
This monograph discusses the theory and doctrine of war termination and evaluates their application during the Persian Gulf War. It defines war termination across the operational continuum. It develops a theoretical war termination model using a...
The perception among many officers of all ranks in the U.S. armed services is that casualty aversion limits the military’s ability to perform its mission. A frequent remark from military members during discussions of world crisis spots and what...
With the growing unpopularity of the war in Iraq, Americans are once again discussing the draft. Congressman Charles Rangel has argued that we need the draft to fill the ranks or force disengagement from Iraq and prevent entry into unnecessary...
In Operations Other Than War (OOTW) U.S. forces will be involved in armed conflict in what are called, ironically, 'peace operations'. The three peace missions, peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and peacemaking, are not a continuum in peace...
What could have made the Military Police (MP) and Marine Security Guard (MSG) response more effective, averting negative media coverage and public opinion? The Tet Offensive has been widely acknowledged as the turning point of the United States...
The extensive use of propaganda by all belligerents during World War I created sensitivity to the relationship between modern communications technologies and the manipulation of public opinion. Government elites and academicians were so concerned...
In Operation Iraqi Freedom, various insurgent and terrorist groups have demonstrated the capability to use small, relatively insignificant tactical attacks to have a dramatic effect on the will of the American public to prosecute the war. This...
This thesis explores a possible model to help predict the participation of countries in coalitions aimed at military interventions. The model is composed of six factors drawn from modern political science and international relations theories, as...
There has been much debate in recent years over constraints on military force in wartime. American civil-military relations are based on civilian control of the military. Concerns over how that control is exercised, however, fuel the debate....
Military writing has been criticized for being stilted, verbose, and ambiguous; such poor writing is pejoratively called "pentagonese" or "militarese." The army has made numerous attempts to improve its written communications because it recognizes...
Successful civil-military relations pose an enduring dilemma for the professional officer. When civil-military relations fail, the negative implications are far reaching. Professional officers who understand their role within the structure...
Abstract: Public opinion of the United States has seen a tumultuous change in the past five years. The sequential decline began after the United States became involved in Afghanistan and Iraq. At this point in time the world disregards the...