Islamic fundamentalism and Jihad are terms which have become prominent over the last two decades but are frequently misunderstood as concepts. Fundamentalism essentially means reviving Islam with its original pure principles as outlined by Mohammad...
Strong public affairs activities and operational support promote a greater understanding of the Army and its contribution to the nation, relevant in obtaining international legitimacy and support. The problem is that current Army Public Affairs...
With United States involvement in Afghanistan, knowledge of the country is imperative. This "handbook explains a number of basic issues that should be in the knowledge" toolbox of a Marine working with Afghanis or deployed to the country.
MAJ James Doty served as an intelligence advisor with the Office of the Program Manager - Saudi Arabia National Guard (OPM-SANG) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia during 2008 and 2009. In this April 2010 interview, MAJ Doty discusses the nature of the...
Iraq may well be on a course to becoming the next Iran ' an Islamic republic that tramples on individual liberties in the name of religion. Arguably, the propensity of the predominately Shia country is to develop a government more concerned with...
A member of the 10-man advisor support team attached to the 6th Battalion, Iraqi Army, Major Mike Sullivan provided advisory and training assistance to two rifle companies and the headquarters company from April to August 2004. Standing up this...
The monograph analyses the origins of the use of violence in the name of religion by the Salafist movement in Europe in order to enable identification of key characteristics to shape national strategies of prevention that are appropriate for...
Major Blaine Wales served as the national police transition team (NPTT) chief for 1st Battalion, 7th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi National Police (INP) Division in Taji, Iraq, during 2006 and 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After not being...
In this interview MAJ Whittenburg discusses his deployment with 10th SFG to Iraq in 2004. MAJ Whittenburg paints a very interesting picture of what life is like on a SF team and what kinds of missions they do when deployed. MAJ Whittenburg relays...
The United States has attempted for several decades to assist in the modernization of armies in the Middle East. These armies are rich in tradition and heritage of medieval and pre-modern Islamic armies. Islamic armies possess an ability to...
With the rise of Al Qaeda and like-minded militant groups, there have been many discussions and misrepresentations of the term Islamic way of warfare. It is important to understand that anything, to be qualified as Islamic, has to have a reference...
Coalition warfare has been, and will continue to be, a matter of course for the U.S. military. Developing and maintaining coalitions of politically and militarily diverse members is, at its most elemental level, a matter of human relationships--the...
As warfare continues to become more complex due to the advent and proliferation of new technology, blending of ethnic and cultural groups, population growth and urbanization, and tendency towards asymmetric warfare, commanders will have more...
In 742, a predominantly Turko-Mongolian steppe nomadic tribe known today as the Uyghurs migrated eastward from eastern Turkey towards the oases of modern-day Xinjiang province of China; they have remained there for the last 1,268 years. Throughout...
The emergence of non-state actors and sub-national entities on the world stage has presented the established international system with challenges for which it is ill equipped to handle. The historical inclination to resort to military force when...
In the war against JAPAN relatively few prisoners have been taken. However, the quantity of captured documents of military importance has steadily increased. Their numbers have grown as the Allied forces have turned the tide and progressed from...
From April 2007 to March 2008, Major Jason Montgomery served as the maneuver advisor for a military transition team (MiTT) assigned to the 9th Iraqi Army Division headquarters in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Montgomery was notified of this...
From 2002 through 2004, Mr. Gene Del Bianco served as the US Department of State's political-military advisor in the US Embassy in Kuwait and, in this capacity, he said, "One of the major issues I was dealing with in my portfolio was the planning...
This paper is intended to demonstrate how a better understanding of culture can lend
itself to a better understanding between two cultures that operate across a linguistic barrier. I
define culture as a multi-faceted concept that can mean something...
Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry, the unit that I was assigned to on 4 January, 2004. I was the First Sergeant (“Hardrock 7”) of the best company in 3rd Brigade Combat Team. The unit was redeploying back from the National Training...