In 1979 Ayatollah Khomeini's indirect approach ignited existing socio-economic conditions during the Iranian Revolution to topple the Shah. A similar indirect approach using psychological operations to target audiences through key vulnerabilities...
Since 1925, Iranian governments purposefully shaped the Iranian national identity in an attempt to socially prioritize membership in nationalist and religious social groups, over others such as ethnicity or profession. Further, successive Iranian...
This document defines a way US military leaders can prepare for and conduct military operations through the lens of cultural awareness. It provides a method for helping military commanders, staffs, and trainers engage successfully in any type of...
In this interview, MAJ Christopher Fahrenbach, US Army, Infantry, discusses his deployment to Iraq as a Rifle Company Commander in 2004 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Fahrenbach talks about his perception of the Iraqi elections...
The United States has significantly increased the deployment of missile defense systems, specifically Patriot and Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (Aegis-BMD), to the Persian Gulf over the past six years. The increase from no missile defense assets...
Most of those who comment on Iran's attempt to influence Iraqi Shia, do so without considering the historical and cultural connection between these two peoples. The research presented directs its attention to the Iranian motives and capabilities...
MAJ Lonnie Johnston served as the battalion maintenance officer (BMO) with Headquarters and Headquarters Company (HHC), 2nd Battalion, 7th Infantry Regiment in Kuwait and Iraq during 2003 and as the military intelligence officer (S2) with the 2nd...
Lieutenant Colonel Daryle Hernandez served as the executive officer for 1st Squadron, 7th Cavalry in the Al-Rashid district of Baghdad, Iraq, from March 2004 to March 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). When the squadron arrived in...
The interaction between politics and military professionalism is a delicate balancing act in war. When the politics involves a revolutionary ideology, military professionalism can be subordinated to the point of hurting the war effort. The Iranian...
This paper addresses the Israeli view of the threat posed by various armed factions in southern Lebanon over an 18-year period. This was a period during which Israeli used air strikes, ground invasions, and border operations to contain or defeat...
This workshop was held by the IFPA to assist CENTCOM in devising a strategy to counter the arguments of radical Islamists and to discuss the appeal of these ideologies to Muslim audiences. They convened to review possible cultural trends, faith and...
Major Lee Williams volunteered to go to Iraq and reported into Fort Riley in June 2006. After two years as an intern to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and then attending graduate school at Georgetown, he figured it would be good to get back to the...
MAJ Paul Voelke served as the brigade plans officer (S3) with the 2nd Brigade, 10th Mountain Division in Kabul, Afghanistan during 2003 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and as commander of Alpha Company, 4-31 Infantry in Taji and...
Throughout the 1st Infantry Division's February 2004 to March 2005 deployment to Tikrit, Iraq, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Command Sergeant Major Cory McCarty - a 30-year Army infantryman - served as the division CSM. In this interview,...
In this interview, MAJ Shawn Steele, US Army, Air Defense Artillery; discusses his deployments to Iraq as the team executive officer in 2009 through 2010 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). MAJ Steele discusses a typical day in theater...
The militant Lebanese Shia Group Hezbollah (Party of God) has evolved into the largest and most professional terrorist groups in the Middle East. The political wing has been successful at placing several representatives in the Lebanese Parliament...
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,...
In 2009, conflict, violence and the fear of governmental persecution caused over forty-three million people worldwide, equivalent to the population of Canada, to leave their homes and seek safety elsewhere. Twenty-seven million displaced within...
In meeting the challenges of post-hostility Iraq, the area of information operations (IO) has received a great deal of attention. Unlike combat operations, the center of gravity in post-conflict Iraq has been restoration of basic services and...
This monograph is an examination of the transition of the Iraqi Saddam Fedayeen militia into a guerilla organization in an attempt to draw out methods that might be used against the Niruyeh Moghavemat Basij (Mobilisation Resistance Force) militia...