The 1993 version of FN4 100-5, Operations, formally added the theoretical term of decisive points to our professional warfighting lexicon without providing a useful methodology for their identification. This monograph undertakes a study of decisive...
In 1993, the Bottom-Up Review (BUR) concluded that the United States could fight and win in two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts (MRCs). Nearly simultaneous required that the two MRCs be spaced at least 42 days apart to allow adequate...
The operational level of war lies at the heart of the United States Army's warfighting doctrine and the focus of this level of war is the operational art. In order to successfully prosecute war at the operational level, American military commanders...
This paper seeks to examine the changing nature of war and the environment in which it is fought. The fact that America is not applauding its successes at the physical level of war in waging the Global War on Terror (GWOT) and does not perceive the...
This monograph discusses the importance of the decisive point in the design and conduct of campaigns and major operations. It examines the validity of the theoretical presentations of Jomini and Clausewitz concerning the subject matter in respect...
One goal of the United States (US) is a capabilities-based joint force designed to quickly achieve success along the continuum of conflict ranging from peace operations to war.' In support of this goal, US Joint Forces Command (JFCOM) authors...
The post Cold War era has seen an increase in international violence and internal conflicts ignited by nationalism, separatist ethnic groups, and religious fundamentalism. As the world's only superpower, the United States has been pressured to...
"This 1953 manual is written for the purpose of teaching you how to use the bayonet. It describes basic techniques, group assault tactics, and procedures for training. The techniques outlined in this manual will help you develop confidence in...
This monograph examines how the U.S. Army compares to other complex systems in the use of information to solve problems. Like most complex systems, the U.S. Army strives to attain an informational advantage over its opponents. However, according to...
There is no shortage of people who disagree with the current state of world affairs and who are prepared to use violence to change them. Are they mindless fanatics, doomed to fail? Or do they have a clever and covert plan with reasonable chance of...
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 study examines the application of command and control warfare (C2W) as a supporting strategy on the battlefield. It begins with an overview of C2W, discussing its five elements--operations security, military deception, physical destruction,...
This monograph analyzes the manual wargaming portion of the U.S. Army's decision-making cycle in order to determine if the process deduces the optimum course of action. The monograph begins by examining game theory, which is the theoretical basis...
The age of reductionism is over, new laws of physics are being discovered, and the old theoretical constructs are being replaced with new understanding. The modern operating environment in common with the world of physics has changed. This change,...
In a time where the role of heavy mechanized units seems to play a secondary part to the rapid deployability and lightning-quick raids conducted by light forces, understanding how "shock battle " can still be waged at the operational and tactical...
This monograph examines the question is Clausewitz' theoretical concept of center of gravity the antithesis of a systems approach to warfare. The nature of conflict has changed since the age of Clausewitz, and a theoretical concept designed to...
This monograph analyzes the effectiveness of operational campaign design against an asymmetrical threat during the 1968 Tet Offensive. The focus is on conceptual elements of campaign design that are derived from theory, which incorporate the...
The Modern Army Combatives Program was adopted by the U.S. Army in 2000. The program is the culmination of a directive by the Commander of 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment in 1995 to improve the Army's older and unused combatives program. Modern...
The US Army intelligence community, recognizing the urban combat challenge, is revising intelligence techniques to provide analysts with a better methodology for urban combat. This paper examines current techniques for analysis and determines if...
This monograph examines the operational concept of Force XXI, the U.S. Army of the 21st Century, to determine if it will be applicable against an enemy employing an unconventional warfare strategy. The study suggests that the concept, as it is...