Historically, the United States Army has had difficulty articulating and justifying force requirements to civilian decision makers. Most recently, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq reinvigorated the debate over estimated force requirements. Because...
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...
The COIN environment is ever evolving. Commanders never know what is going to happen next. They can anticipate possible actions of the enemy but this anticipation is usually a result of gut instincts. Most commanders should know that one way to...
Efforts to measure progress in the US War on Terror are frustrated by a complex strategic situation and a shadowy network of enemies. The “Long War,” as the conflict is referred to by many public officials, is likely to remain costly in human...
This monograph examines the role of fire support in peacekeeping and peace enforcement operations. Peacekeeping and peace enforcement are unique operations. Peacekeeping relies more on forces to accomplish its mission, whereas peace enforcement...
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, U.S. political and military involvements have increased. The specific missions vary from humanitarian operations to peacekeeping which are known as Operations Other Than War (OOTW). The major challenge to...
American Soldiers need to achieve cultural understanding. On today’s battlefield achieving
cultural understanding will be beneficial to all involved, failure could have repercussions that
could last decades. The role of the Army is ever changing...
Defeating an Insurgency: Balancing the Battlefield for a Counterinsurgency
Counterinsurgency operations have been conducted all over the world throughout history
and in many ways. Insurgencies can be very difficult to defeat if not planned in the...
Iran in the 1950s was in the cross hairs of the Cold War power struggle between the US and USSR. Strategically located, Iran became critical in the foreign policy endeavors of the Eisenhower Administration in the Middle East. After the decision to...
While it is no secret that Islamic terrorists utilize the internet, the assertion that the internet is a virtual safe haven more important than any geographical safe haven is rarely made. As a result of the expansion of the Internet capabilities...
This paper proposes reasons why and presents specific evidence to demonstrate that military history should be studied. Military history defines military future. To be able to lead in a world where war is not far around the corner and peace is...
Insurgency and counterinsurgencies differ from conventional warfare in that military strength alone cannot bring success. Insurgencies are "people's wars" as the insurgent forces are dependent on the population for manpower, intelligence,...
As with any conflict, the conditions are initially set by the Countries policy makers and senior military leadership. The military units find themselves deeply entangled in political, economic and security operations in foreign countries abroad....
The purpose of this research was to obtain a historically rooted understanding of the development, application, and adaptation of the British COIN approach--one from which the US has borrowed heavily. It focuses upon those factors which interfere...
This monograph describes the nature and dynamics of insurgency and counterinsurgency (COIN) operations citing David Galula’s theory. In his book, Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice, Galula sets a clear mark for planning future COIN...
The U.S. intervention in Cuba in 1906, commonly referred to as the Second Intervention, began on September 28, 1906 with the resignation of the Cuban president and his cabinet and ended on January 28, 1909 when the U.S. relinquished control of the...
Conventional war history at times has been criticized as non-analytical account in which
a famous author provides only chronological events of military general and battles.
However, examination of the current military studies reveals that current...
Does third party military intervention help or hurt an incumbent government during an insurgency? This study attempts to answer this question by testing prevailing military theories of counterinsurgency in the context of third party intervention...
NCO history is important and should be a part of the NCO training. History of lost battles
and failed military leaders will show how the NCO Corp evolved from theory, policy and
doctrine. The lack of historical knowledge about the failure, success,...
With the U.S. high domestic consumption of illicit drugs, a relationship has formed between transnational gangs and powerful Latin American drug cartels. The ineffectiveness of the war on drugs, along with the high cost of such a program, begs the...