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,...
This study discusses the 1st Division encounter with gas warfare in Ansauville and covers equipment used, types of gases, instruction in warfare, and analyzes the actual attack.
This thesis analyzes the formal and informal information gathering and reporting processes which take place in the rear area of a forward deployed (US) corps in Western Europe. The thesis examines the information gathering capabilities,...
The United States was at a crucial period in our countries history after the American Civil War ended. President Lincoln had the task of uniting the northern and southern states while the country faced economic and social challenges. He planned to...
Eight years of persistent conflict and increasing engagement requirements across the globe have followed the end of the Cold War. Appropriately, leaders and theorists recognize the professional military obligation and importance of adapting...
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has employed its armed forces into a host of contingency operations in countries, such as Somalia, Haiti, and Bosnia. More recently, the US has undertaken operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as part of the...
This study examines the planning, execution, and results of U.S. military involvement in the 1970 Cambodian incursions. Named Operation Rockcrusher, the attacks targeted North Vietnamese sanctuaries in officially neutral Cambodia. Strategic...
Beginning in the Korea War, through Vietnam and continuing with the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, US forces have been involved in combat typified by close, sharp actions - often without the doctrinally prescribed firepower to support the...
In a surprise move during the summer of 1955 the Secretary of the Navy selected Rear Admiral Arleigh Burke over 92 more senior admirals to become the Navy’s next Chief of Naval Operations. The junior admiral went on to serve an unprecedented...
In a remote part of the world over three thousand miles away, there are forces at work. This author chronicles some of the experiences in a combat zone that shaped his life forever. Here we examine four events that shaped and created a comradely...
With combat formations schedule to begin drawing down in July 2011 and the role of US forces in Iraq already shifting away from the lead, the future of these two nations will grow increasingly dependent upon the indigenous security forces and the...
It is debatable whether Afghanistan historically meets most accepted definitions of a nation-state. Afghanistan has historically been governed by local and tribal leaders with short-lived attempts at a strong central unitary government. Whenever...
One of the most complex challenges facing the U.S. military today is the problem of imposing stability over the chaos that follows major combat operations. Despite the U.S. military’s predilection to distill warfare into the linear, Newtonian...
Iran in the 1950s was in the cross hairs of the Cold War power struggle between the US and USSR. Strategically located, Iran became critical in the foreign policy endeavors of the Eisenhower Administration in the Middle East. After the decision to...
What caused the agricultural manpower shortage in World War II? Historians have proffered a variety of explanations that attribute linear causality to a handful of independent variables. No scholar, however, has attempted to study the manpower...
Through its history, the United States Air Force has struggled with the most efficient and effective way to provide for its own air base ground defense. This monograph submits a solution intended to end the debate. In an effort to provide the most...
The small wars fought by the French in Algeria and the United States in Vietnam provide lessons for the United States military to use today. Although neither France nor the United States met their strategic objectives, their command and control...
Several recent targeting studies have fundamentally shaken the Air Force to its core by challenging the service's ability to employ precision munitions. The erosion of the targeting skill sets occurred gradually. Protracted low-intensity conflict...
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...
This monograph determines the tenets of Fourth Generation Warfare (4GW) through a review of current literature. The case studies of Braddock's Campaign, the Southern Campaign of the American Revolution, and the Philippines Insurrection provide...