Using the scientific method, this monograph combines the concepts of surprise and information superiority to create a hypothesis that explains the principle of war. The hypothesis rests on the belief that omniscience, a state of perfect...
Clausewitz's model of war postulates that the attack has a positive aim but the defense is the stronger form of war. Armies past and present have generally accepted the superior strength of the defense, but the degree of superiority has varied with...
The US will not always fight a cooperative enemy in urban operations. The Panamanian Defense Forces and Haitian military surrendered without significant fighting and bloodshed. Urban fighting against a more determined opponent, such as the clans of...
This monograph searches for an answer to the question: "What is the relationship between strategies and operational culminating points?" It begins by examining the theoretical position of Hans Delbruck and his dual strategies of annihilation and...
The possibility of local war is everywhere in the world today. It is most difficult to minimize the impact of an attacker's initial surprise attack, to seize the initiative, and conduct an effective counteroffensive. Here lies the problem in those...
This monograph examines the usefulness of defensive culmination to the operational level planner. A working definition of the theoretical concept is advanced and then examined against the backdrops of historical campaigns, current doctrine, and...
Recent historical events such as the crumbling of the Berlin Wall and Operation Desert Storm indicate that we are entering a new era of geo-political struggle. The world is no longer dominated by a bipolar struggle between the United States and the...
The following pages are written with the idea of furnishing the members of the Army School of the Line and Staff College a guide in the solution of field problems in fortification. These problems are such that any line officer might be called upon...
This monograph examines the key determinants necessary for the successful forced entry seizure of an airfield. The importance of contingency operations is paramount to the United States military as it transitions from "forward defense" to "CONUS...
One of German General Carl Von Clausewitz's key concepts is culmination. His primary work On War describes culmination for the attacker as the point beyond which he can no longer continue his attack and risks destruction from a counterattack. For...
This monograph addresses whether current doctrine adequately prepares armor and mechanized infantry forces to successfully conduct the final assault of a prepared position. Offensive operations culminate with actions on the objective, yet...
This monograph discusses the inadequacy of current U.S. Army doctrine for incorporating water barriers into a defensive scheme, and makes recommendations regarding improving that doctrine. The monograph first examines the current status of doctrine...
This monograph examines Carl von Clausewitz's theoretical concept of the defensive culminating point and the ability of Army doctrine and its analysis system--Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield--to determine an enemy's courses of action...
The goal of this monograph is to determine if the use of air assault forces to counter armored penetrations on the modern battlefield is a viable option for the U.S. Army. The paper examines the problem of defeating penetrations; the theoretical...
Perhaps one of the most controversial theories proposed by the l9th century military theorist and historian, Carl von Clausewitz, was the proposition that the defense, not the offense, was the stronger form of war. This is the second of two...
This monograph examines the role of initiative in AirLand Battle doctrine as contained in the 1986 edition of Field Manual 100-5 Operations. It concludes that although the tenet of initiative is clearly defined as setting the terms of battle by...
This study seeks to determine whether current tactics, techniques, and procedures for a heavy battalion task force conducting offensive operations in mountainous terrain are adequate. Many potential crisis spots where U.S. forces could deploy are...
This is a theoretical paper on campaign planning. The paper examines the processes and principles involved in campaign plan formulation and modification within the context of all three levels of war. A series of theoretical models are used to...
This study is concerned only with the landing of airborne fighting forces in an area occupied or controlled by an enemy and with the subsequent tactical commitment of those forces in conventional ground combat. Contents include German airborne...
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...