The explanation to the phenomenon of how a military unit, which seemingly on the verge of annihilation, still manages to survive and fight effectively, lies in the understanding that a military organization is a living system. Recognizing the...
The air and missile threat posed by hostile states and terrorist organizations to the continental United States is a reality. Violent extremist organizations such as al-Qa'ida, as well as rogue nations, such as Iran and North Korea, are actively...
Combat operations in the urban area are not new to warfare. The United States' military conducted large-scale urban operations in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. During the last sixty years, the United States' Army approached the urban area by...
This thesis assumes that the United States will continue to utilize unmanned combat robotic systems in the current operational environment (COE). The United States' military's increased use of unmanned robotic systems will not significantly change...
Do Information Operations (IO) contribute to success in counterinsurgency campaigns? What IO measures of excellence exist to demonstrate achievement of success in counterinsurgencies? These questions currently challenge U.S. military forces...
The Army After Next (AAN) wargames surface a ubiquitous and recurring issue. AAN dominance in open terrain prompts the enemy to seek the protection of complex urban terrain. This response effectively nullifies the AAN Battle Force advantages gained...
From the Classical Period until the Seventeenth century, the study of warfare was practiced predominantly using the vehicle of history. The scientific revolution, ushered in by Newtonian laws, had a major impact on Western military thinking. By...
The purpose of this monograph is to determine whether or not Army air and missile defense planning and employment--air and missile defense design--has an operational art cognitive foundation. It combines the theory of operational art with a case...
This monograph examines how the U.S. Army compares to other complex systems in the use of information to solve problems. Like most complex systems, the U.S. Army strives to attain an informational advantage over its opponents. However, according to...
Joint publications list fixed-wing aircraft and Army tactical missile system (ATACMS) as the two preferred weapon systems for engaging time-sensitive targets (TSTs), but do not give specific considerations. This thesis comprehensively lists the...
This essay discusses the weaknesses of Global Positioning System (GPS) use in combat, and in particular its susceptibility to Electronic Warfare (EW). Jamming a radio signal has been a successful component of EW for decades, dating back to the...
Since the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, the nation has seen the largest expansion and reorganization of government since the National Security Act of 1947, transforming the nation’s homeland security system around, amongst other things,...
The battlefield's rapidly changing environment requires soldiers to make decisions and use initiative to defeat the enemy. This monograph's intent is to explain why training for uncertainty is imperative in cultivating a unit able to adapt to the...
Currently the United States Army does not have a standardized, realistic methodology for determining the correlation of forces (COF). This study investigates this issue by examining different methods currently being used to determine the COF. The...
The American Army's current fleet of self-propelled howitzers is largely outmoded and at its limit, due to space and weight constraints, to be upgraded. This fire power shortfall is the impetus behind development of a new self-propelled howitzer...
This monograph examines the Battlefield Distribution (BD) concept to determine if it is capable of integrating the six tactical sustainment functions in order to form a more responsive distribution system. The current distribution system is judged...
This paper examines the question whether systems theory, and the concepts of systems-shock and the center of gravity are compatible and have any utility in military planning. Currently there is a debate between systems theory proponents who argue...
The 1993 version of FM 100-5 advertises itself as concentrating on the operational level of war. It defines several terms that are used in operational art, but inadequately explains how they relate to one another. The terms and definitions...
The Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) is a significant part of the U.S. Army's planning process. The IPB is a methodical process that reduces the enemy and the environment into its component parts at an instant in time and finite...
This paper explores the capacity of an airborne division to inflict operational shock in mid to high-intensity conflict as part of a Joint Task force (JTF). The United States faces a multi-faceted and complex security environment in its new role as...