The March -- April 2008 issue of Military Review has been posted to the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center web site. Ton of good stuff, enjoy.
FM 3-0 Operations—The Army's Blueprint by General William S. Wallace, U.S. Army. TRADOC's commander introduces the newest version of FM 3-0, Operations, the Army's guide to operating in the 21st century.
Featured Articles
Restoring Hope: Economic Revitalization in Iraq Moves Forward by Paul A. Brinkley, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation. A good news update concerning efforts to modernize Iraq's economy.
Human Terrain Mapping: A Critical First Step to Winning the COIN Fight by Lieutenant Colonel Jack Marr, U.S. Army; Major John Cushing, U.S. Army; Captain Brandon Garner, U.S. Army; Captain Richard Thompson, U.S. Army. Human terrain mapping offers a systematic method to obtain the information Soldiers need to succeed in counterinsurgency.
Combating a Modern Insurgency: Combined Task Force Devil in Afghanistan by Colonel (P) Patrick Donahue, U.S. Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Fenzel, U.S. Army. Two principals describe how Combined Task Force Devil employed a balanced strategy of kinetic, non-kinetic, and political actions to quiet eastern Afghanistan.
Anbar Awakens: The Tipping Point by Major Niel Smith, U.S. Army, and Colonel Sean MacFarland, U.S. Army. The "Anbar Awakening"—what some have called the "Gettysburg of Iraq"—resulted from the careful application of multiple lines of operation, among them the deliberate cultivation of local leaders.
Polish Military Police Specialized Units by Major General Bogusà âaw Pacek, Polish Army. Poland is taking the lead in developing NATO's special police units. The concept's designer rounds out the specifics behind these highly capable modular forces.
A Strategic Failure: American Information Control Policy in Occupied Iraq by Dr. Cora Sol Goldstein. U.S. press policy implemented in Iraq after the fall of Baghdad failed miserably. Decision-makers might have looked to occupied Germany circa 1945 for a better plan.
The Reflective Military Practitioner: How Military Professionals Think in Action by Colonel Christopher R. Paparone, U.S. Army, Retired, Ph.D. and Colonel George Reed, U.S. Army, Retired, Ph.D. Understanding the social processes at work in the Army's construction of professional knowledge can prevent inertia, ossification, and, ultimately, irrelevance.
Lessons in Leadership: The Battle of Balaklava, 1854 by Dr. Anna Maria Brudenell. Balaklava and its famous charge have become bywords for stubborn heroism, devotion to duty, and steadfastness in the face of overwhelming odds—but also futility, waste, incompetence, and poor communication.
Follow the Money: The Army Finance Corps and Iraqi Financial Independence by Lieutenant Colonel Laura Landes, U.S. Army. Without a sound currency and an interbank market, any appearance of progress in Iraq may be illusory.
Contest Winners
Preparing for Economics in Stability Operations by Lieutenant Colonel David A. Anderson, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, and Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wallen, U.S. Air Force. During stability operations, economic actions become as important as military actions.
Stabilizing Influence: Micro-Financial Services Capability by James E. Shircliffe Jr. Micro-financial services that offer very small loans and savings accounts to the less affluent should be part of all U.S. stability operations.
Insights
Hybrid Wars by Colonel John J. McCuen, U.S. Army, Retired. To win a hybrid war, the U.S. must succeed on the conventional battlefield and in the "population battlegrounds" at home and abroad.
Listen to the Airman by Lieutenant Colonel Gian P. Gentile, U.S. Army. An Air War University monograph warns that we have become dogmatic in our single-minded pursuit of a proper COIN strategy. It should be required reading for all Army officers.
Get Smart on COIN
The Battle Command Knowledge System (BCKS) has established an Army-level knowledge management system to support Soldiers and leaders in the performance of their respective operational missions. BCKS's primary mission is to support the operational domain (deployed units) with a secondary mission to the institutional domain (schoolhouse). BCKS provides ongoing, near real-time support to the Army's battle command, doctrine development, leader development, and education and training programs. In January 2006 BCKS established the COIN Forum to provide an opportunity for military, government, and civilian personnel, as well as organizations, to come together to collaborate and share their professional knowledge on all aspects of counterinsurgency operations.