Current Army doctrine lacks a security metrics paradigm similar to the infrastructure paradigm SWEAT-MSO. Because of this, commanders, staff, subordinates, other government leaders, and the media lack a simple and common set of terms to use when...
With the U.S. high domestic consumption of illicit drugs, a relationship has formed between transnational gangs and powerful Latin American drug cartels. The ineffectiveness of the war on drugs, along with the high cost of such a program, begs the...
This essay explores village stability operations (VSO) in Afghanistan as an "innovative, low-cost, and small footprint" method of achieving U.S. security objectives. New strategic guidance from the Department of Defense (DoD) calls for such...
Recent Government and Department of Defense publications designate stability operations as a core military mission, leading to its parity amongst other more traditional military missions along the spectrum of armed conflict. However, doctrine fails...
Does following the rule of law assist security forces in defeating an armed insurgency? If so, what factors assist or prevent security forces from conducting operations in accordance with rule of law principles? Counterinsurgency literature and...
Afghan nationals are not using or maintaining USG-funded development projects in two provinces/PRTs critical to U.S. success. As such, this monograph seeks to answer whether USG development projects in Afghanistan are sustainable. To do so, it...
While the outcome of the Iraq war seems to have validated the U.S. Army's counterinsurgency manual FM 3-24, the war in Afghanistan seems to indicate there are fundamental problems associated with its historical principles and concepts. Dr....
Counterinsurgency and unconventional war have dominated both the intellectual focus and the operational employment of the U.S. Army for the last decade, and are expected to remain a prevalent challenge for the foreseeable future. One of the primary...