Col. John Boyd, USAF (Ret),famous for developing the OODA (Observe-Orient-Decide-Act) loop model, spent most of his adult life trying to convince the U.S. military establishment of the merits of his theory for maneuver warfare later called the Boyd...
The U.S. Army underwent significant doctrinal changes in the years following the Vietnam War. The 1976 edition of Field Manual (FM) 100-5, championed by General William DePuy, attempted to guide the Army's actions necessary to defeat the Soviet...
In the last ten years, the United States military has dealt with emerging counterinsurgencies in multiple operational theaters. To deal with the complex nature of counterinsurgency, organizational planning and operational processes increasingly...
Since 2006, there has been a shift in United States policy, advocating for the intervention and prevention of mass atrocities. This shift in policy provided the momentum for the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy and the Peacekeeping and Stability...
The Army as well as the other armed services began a transformation in the late 1990s in order to meet the challenges of warfare in the future. This effort is characterized by utilizing technology as the catalyst for change. The process has...
The United States Marine Corps developed Operational Maneuver from the Sea in the 1980s and codified it as a Marine Corps concept in 1996. In brief, Operational Maneuver from the Sea seeks to exploit the sea as maneuver space to defeat access...
The current military force structure, and subsequently the Department of Defense, requires a significant change. This monograph reveals, thru the lens of Colonel John Boyd and Doctor Joe Strange, a critical vulnerability and the lack of...
The application of the maneuver warfare theory as tactical doctrine within the U.S. Marine Corps has been a contentious issue for several years. The Marines adopted this theory for its tactical doctrine in 1988. The purpose of this monograph is to...
The Australian Army has commenced a process of transformation to meet the demands of the increasingly complex operational environment in which it is currently operating, and will continue to operate in the foreseeable future. The Australian...
American military doctrine and professional literature in the past decade have stressed maneuver warfare and the operational level of war. This monograph traces the evolution of maneuver theory and its conceptual opposite, firepower theory, and...
This monograph develops a framework for focusing military operations at an adversary's decision making processes by developing the concept of decision space, analyzing theories pertaining to decision making (specifically, Boyd's...
This monograph argues that tactical disruption is an operational concept which will lead to superior friendly combat power at the decisive point. This relative combat power is forged by the commander from the capabilities of his unit, and his...
This monograph addresses the fact that most writing on strategy is descriptive rather than explanatory. Describing strategy in terms of categories such as "grand strategy," or "theater strategy," or by various analogies, does not illuminate what...
Modern communications, data processing systems, and the complexity of modern land warfare have led to the explosion of information in tactical combat organizations. The commander must use this information within a decision process to exploit its...
This paper analyzes the doctrine of maneuver warfare promulgated in FMFM-l Warfighting. This analysis begins by establishing the relationship between military theory and doctrine. Once that foundation is established the author critiques the...
The examination of land warfare within the conceptual framework of complex adaptive system (CAS) theory and fourth generation war (4GW) theory offers a unique perspective and provides valuable insight into optimal capabilities and characteristics...
Over the past ten years, addressing what Strategic Communications is has been a challenge for the military community. It is at times referred to as a process, referred to in the context of the strategic level of war, and referred to in the context...
This paper lends special attention to the characteristics of the weapons employed by both and aircraft and ground troops. Attention is given to the effect of machine gun fire and bombing attack from low-flying aircraft on infantry columns; the...
The Kentucky State Guard’s campaign against the Silent Brigade in 1907-1909 offers lessons for the operational art of civil security and supporting civil law enforcement. The Silent Brigade was a guerrilla army that terrorized western Kentucky in...
The United States and Japan had a very contentious relationship between 1939 and 1941. During this time, Japan’s strategic objectives focused on the desire for a policy of national self-sufficiency and of non-reliance on Western imports or...