This paper's purpose is very modest. It answers the thesis question, "Have the ends (interests, goals or objectives) specified in the National Security Strategies (NSS) since 1986, been consistent?" For this study, consistent is defined as whether...
The problem is, valid but incompatible service theories of operational warfighting inhibit rather than promote jointness. One cause of this problem is the joint definition of the center of gravity, which is vague and ineffective. This monograph...
This document contains a G-2 special study of Iwo Jima. There is an index to standard map symbols, starboard center and profiles of beaches, a vertical photograph of the southern half of the island with beaches superimposed, situation maps, and...
This monograph discusses the usefulness of a theory concerning only a small sector of ground combat. Using obstacles as a point of discussion, it seeks to determine how far down the benefits of theory apply. The paper begins by examining the...
This monograph examines joint doctrine’s treatment of which component commander (land or air) controls operations between the fire support coordination line and the forward boundary within the Land Component Commander’s area of operations. The...
The Army can declare that leader development and training are inseparable; that does not mean they are. Analysis from this study provides a review of the leadership doctrinal manuals and identifies the absence of a concise and coherent doctrine...
Usama Bin Laden, the leader of al-Qaeda, declared war on the United States in a statement issued in August 1996. With the words, "It is a duty now on every tribe in the Arab Peninsula to fight in the cause of Allah and to cleanse the land from...
This monograph discusses the nature of tactical intelligence prediction in military operations. Such prediction is extremely complex and involves a broad range of factors from traditional military ones such as terrain and doctrine to more...
The current National Security Strategy is supposed to be the means by which the Nation expresses its fundamental national security goals, identifies national interests, and matches these interests with the necessary tools to implement the strategy...
The purpose of this monograph is to recommend the retention, modification, or abandonment of certain concepts of the current elements of operational design based on their continued validity within the contemporary operational environment. Military...
The study concludes that US Army force structure is inconsistent with US strategic policies, is not based upon nor informed by practical lessons of the past, and does not strike a balance among the suite of capabilities necessary to conduct full...
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 study addresses the question of whether knowledge management is an appropriate strategy for revising the Army doctrine development process in the contemporary operational environment. Case study examines knowledge management theory as applied...
The U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq demonstrates that in the twenty-first century the U.S. will become more involved in stability operations as it continues to deny sanctuaries for transnational and non-state threats. The reprioritizing of...
This monograph looks at the complexity, dynamic nature, and challenges associated with Command and Control ( C2) in Stability and Support Operations (SASO). Since its inception, the Army has been conducting SASO in both foreign and domestic...
Makers of modern strategy have an unprecedented challenge in our complex world. American strategists have been criticized for strategic failures since World War II. Congressional investigations have been initiated to examine the strategic education...
The construct for predictive analysis is based on the unfounded assumption that technologies and sound analysis will dissipate uncertainty in war. U.S. military doctrine shows an expectation for prediction from the intelligence process; it assumes...
This monograph discusses the theory and doctrine of war termination and evaluates their application during the Persian Gulf War. It defines war termination across the operational continuum. It develops a theoretical war termination model using a...
Communications technology has enabled the U.S. military to move data rapidly around the globe and provide commanders with the ability to monitor and maintain nearly constant communication with subordinates. However, this capability has the...
Operational art, subject to a transformation of meaning over time, is today more a vaguely defined phenomenon than a clearly defined term. On the whole, the concept of operational art is the result of the hierarchical organization of warfare...