From the initial invasion in 2001 through the ongoing counterinsurgency (COIN) operations in Afghanistan, the U.S. Army has been challenged with truly understanding the socio-cultural dynamics of the local populace which has become known as the...
Broadly applied strategy-driven initiatives in a local environment may have unintended effects on the targeted nation's local economy. In addition to direct influences, a foreign force's service and resource requirements have the potential to...
In the years following the invasion of Iraq, the United States military did not fully realize or understand the complexity of the situation faced by soldiers operating at the tactical and operational level. Coupled with the presence of multiple...
Nepal, geo-strategically located between India and China, must have appropriate relations with both countries. Prior to 2006, Nepal's monarch maintained a generally balanced approach in dealing with India and China even though in practice Nepal had...
At the U.S. Army's Command and General Staff College (CGSC), students are charged with balancing their lives in mind, body, and spirit; however, self-development tools are readily available to U. S. military leaders in the first two of these...
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia performs a key role in the war on Islamic extremism and terrorism. The Kingdom maintains the distinction of being the birthplace of Islam and its government is the epitome of Islamic rule in the region. The Kingdom's...
If the Department of Defense (DOD) better understands what legitimacy is, how strategic communication affects it, and how a prolonged counter-insurgency affects the legitimacy of specific Afghan and US institutions, we will be better prepared to...
External borders of countries and their internal boundaries regulate how people are governed and taxed, their rights and legal authority, and the freedoms they share within their daily lives. People often form relationships based on where they live...
The purpose of this monograph is to show that US counterinsurgency doctrine would benefit from greater emphasis on social, cultural, and political aspects of the operating environment, using the case of the Maoist insurgency in Nepal as an example....
This research discusses how the reluctance to change culture is affecting the internal peace and stability of Nepal. The Nepali culture, despite undergoing some changes, still has discriminatory practices with respect to caste, gender, and...
Most of those who comment on Iran's attempt to influence Iraqi Shia, do so without considering the historical and cultural connection between these two peoples. The research presented directs its attention to the Iranian motives and capabilities...
"Presidential Study Directive on Mass Atrocities/PSD-10" and the 2010 National Security Strategy elevated mass atrocities to a core national security interest. This study argues that PSD-10 will be implemented in a world where international borders...
This monograph examines the role of policy in guidance of the British, the Soviet and the U.S.-NATO wars in Afghanistan. Set in the context of Afghanistan’s history and its socio-cultural environment, the study critically analyzes the negative...
The Global War on Terror (GWOT) requires that the military modify its methodology for conducting global operations. The military is transitioning from primarily lethal-focused offensive and defensive operations to full-spectrum operations that also...
The purpose of the study is to determine whether a regional headquarters concept would improve the National Guard’s ability to accomplish Homeland Defense and Civil Support with greater efficiency and effectiveness. In order to make that...
This thesis examines the effect of civil defense forces on a counterinsurgency campaign through a study of the Civilian Irregular Defense Group in the Republic of Vietnam. This thesis challenges a common U.S. Army viewpoint on counterinsurgency...
How might military practitioners incorporate social science concepts within the intelligence analytical framework to better define and understand the human dimension of an area of operation? Current military intelligence doctrine vaguely prescribes...
Current operations indicate that improvements are warranted within our Battle Command (BC) planning method to support complex and ill-structured problems. Several modified approaches have been reviewed and synthesized into a general theoretical...
Few insurgencies are resolved by military means alone. Insurgents, by definition, pursue political ends and resolve to accomplish those objectives by means of violence. Today the United States and her Allies are engaged in two distinct...
Martin van Creveld, a noted theorist, contends that the concept of operational art did not take off in the United States (US) until after the Vietnam War. Conversely, James Schneider, a prominent military theorist, asserts that operational art...