Military Review: September — October 2007 Issue
The U.S. Army Combined Arms Center has posted the September – October 2007 issue of Military Review. Always a ‘must read’, links to individual articles follow, enjoy.
Featured Articles
Learning From Our Modern Wars: The Imperatives of Preparing for a Dangerous Future by Lieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army, with Major Stephen M. Smith, U.S. Army. Looking beyond the current wars, a former commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and Multi-National Corps-Iraq calls for significant changes to the way we train and fight.
Iraq: Tribal Engagement Lessons Learned by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Eisenstadt, U.S. Army Reserve. As the “Anbar Awakening” suggests, tribal engagement could be a key to success in Iraq. MR presents a useful primer on the subject.
Fighting “The Other War”: Counterinsurgency Strategy in Afghanistan, 2003-2005 by Lieutenant General David W. Barno, U.S. Army, Retired. The former commander of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan offers his assessment of operations in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban.
Linking Doctrine to Action: A New COIN Center-of-Gravity Analysis by Colonel Peter R. Mansoor, U.S. Army, and Major Mark S. Ulrich, U.S. Army. A new tool from the Army/Marine Counterinsurgency (COIN) Center can help bridge the gap between COIN doctrine and real results on the ground.
The Man Who Bent Events: “King John” in Indochina by Lieutenant Colonel Michel Goya and Lieutenant Colonel Philippe Franí§ois, French Marines. Rushed to Hanoi when the French were on the brink of defeat, General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny almost single-handedly turned the tables on Giap and Ho.
A Logical Method for Center-of-Gravity Analysis by Colonel Dale C. Eikmeier, U.S. Army. An Army War College professor prescribes a heuristic to demystify the center-of-gravity determination process.
Medical Diplomacy in Full-Spectrum Operations by Major Jay B. Baker, U.S. Army. Using medical civil assistance programs to win hearts and minds only undermines our efforts to build the Iraqi Government’s legitimacy.
The Economic Instrument of National Power and Military Operations: A Focus on Iraq by LTC David Anderson. U.S. Marine Corps, Retired. The economic arm of U.S. national power has been ineffectively and even counterproductively deployed in recent conflicts.
Lessons Learned from the Recent War in Lebanon by Brigadier General Elias Hanna, Lebanese Army, Retired. According to one much-cited commentator, Hezbollah’s stunning performance against Israel last July could be a preview of wars to come.
After Fidel: What Future for U.S.-Cuban Relations? by Waltraud Queiser Morales, Ph.D. How should the U.S. react to Fidel Castro’s pending demise? Dr. Morales argues that it’s time to overcome ideological qualms and special-interest objections.
Battling Terrorism under the Law of War by Colonel David A. Wallace, U.S. Army. A USMA law professor explains the legal issues at stake in the War on Terrorism and argues for adherence to the laws of war.
Chile and Argentina: From Measures of Trust to Military Integration by Lieutenant Colonel Felipe Arancibia-Clavel, Chilean Army. Cooperation and integration in the areas of security and defense are helping Chile and Argentina overcome centuries of mistrust and hostility.
Contest Winners
1st Place, Information Operations
Muddy Boots IO: The Rise of Soldier Blogs by Major Elizabeth L. Robbins, U.S. Army. Far from being threats to operational security, Soldier blogs, or milblogs, are strategic communications assets.
1st Place, MacArthur Award
Leadership in Counterinsurgency: A Tale of Two Leaders by Major Michael D. Sullivan, U.S. Army. T.E. Lawrence and Sir Gerald Templer were in many ways complete opposites, except that both leaders knew how to win at counterinsurgency.
Insights
The Droning of Strategic Communication and Public Diplomacy by Robert D. Deutsch, Ph.D. People decode the world symbolically and metaphorically, using emotionally based reasoning. Our strategic communication and public diplomacy leaders have yet to realize this.
Understanding Airmen: A Primer for Soldiers by Major General Charles J. Dunlap Jr., U.S. Air Force. If you think Airmen are prima donnas “obsessed with ‘things that go fast, make noise, and look shiny,'” think again. We’re all on the same side.
Paper and COIN: Exploiting the Enemy’s Documents by Major Vernie Liebl, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired. We are ignoring a valuable source of intelligence by failing to search documents, hard drives, and other exploitable detritus found in the course of operations.
Words Are Weapons . . . So Use Them Wisely by Major Michael D. Jason, U.S. Army. The Army’s failure to define partner and partnership, two terms widely used in Iraq, has led to unnecessary operational and tactical confusion.
MR Revisited: The Surrender Program by Garry D. Brewer. In this reprint from October 1967, the author describes the amnesty program used in Vietnam to co-opt and repatriate Viet Cong insurgents. Its lessons may be pertinent to Iraq.
