Journal

Israel’s defenses against rockets and ballistic missiles provide important strategic benefits to the state, and they may change the face of Middle Eastern warfare in the future.

If the coalition consolidates on major bases along the ring road and attempts a Soviet-style hub and spoke concept, the result will be the same: defeat. 

Those interested in Vietnam, the mechanics of secret peace talks, and the national decision making of several countries will find this an important and historic work.

As someone who was born and lived in Iraq, I witnessed much of what Dr. Sassoon describes and believe that his analysis is profound and accurate.

From 13-14 May 2010, the COIN shura took place in Kabul aboard Camp Julien, the COIN Academy in Afghanistan to refocus the Surge's forces on COIN.

Through the use of conventional and irregular forces, Gen Nathaniel Greene brought Cornwallis' forces to a culminating point and precipitated the surrender at Yorktown.

An economic approach to understanding the nature of rural corruption in Afghanistan suggests that ISAF anti-corruption measures should focus directly, not indirectly, on this issue.

Capo-militaries, by their diverse portfolio of activities, such as the use of sophisticated weapons, logistics, and tactics, have become threats to national and international security.

The Afghan knows he has much to learn from the American. Americans are often too intellectually arrogant to admit they have several things that they can learn from Afghans.

Garbology: As our soldiers gain insights, more and more talking trash with the locals will provide a whole new body of intelligence.

The primacy of the state may be nowhere more pronounced than where terrestrial political borders have no relevance.

Canadian Army Officer A. A. Cohen has written a new and refreshing book on the life, ideas, and intellectual struggles of the French officer David Galula.

The Communist Party of the Philippines-New People’s Army is struggling for survival.

Like the war itself,the length of The Outpost will dissuade most Americans from bothering with it, but Tapper wants us to remember those who served in a forgotten valley.

During the second half of the 19th century, stability in southeastern Europe was challenged by newly emerging nation-states as well as the decay of the Ottoman Empire.

Times of crisis can be a brief window of opportunity for large institutional bureaucracies to overcome jurisdictional boundaries and make changes to business as usual. 

What is operational art? An example from the Normandy breakout in WWII.

Afghanistan required a different approach yet we failed in our analysis, strategy, and application of resources.

The Surge was only one piece of a broader confluence of events, critically the Shiite victory in the civil war, the formation of “Sons of Iraq” groups, the cease-fire of the Mahdi Army, and the role of regional actors. 

A model for the Iraqi military that seeks to minimize the threats of sectarianism, insurgency, and rampant unemployment over the next five years through mandatory conscription—a strategy designed to forge a national consensus.

Insurgency has evolved in five seminal ways since Mao's time. Ideas and literature on it should too.

Scott balanced risk and opportunity through a combination of careful planning and preparation, combined with strategic and operational understanding and patience.

The growth of Islamism in the Pakistan Army is a distinct threat to US interests in the region.

The Joint Force requires culturally “savvy” leaders capable of developing a global perspective, able to synthesize diverse viewpoints, and with the ability to collaborate across a range of cultures.

Military historian Martin van Creveld argues that women’s presence in the military is little but an expensive charade.

Operators must understand local culture and must harness the power of local institutions to fight an irregular enemy. A proposed method to do so.

When an adversary arrives in a form that was unanticipated, an intellectually curious officer will be able to draw upon years of education tested not in the classroom, but in the real world.

Terrorism can and should be defined for the discrete purpose of developing international counterterrorism strategies by countries with common interests and shared objectives. 

An interesting entree into the utility of game theory: There is an application of mathematical logic which illustrates why peer evaluations are bad.

True to its name, Syed Saleem Shahzad’s Inside Al-Qaeda and the Taliban goes beyond the common misperception of Al-Qaeda as a static organization serving the whims of Osama Bin Laden.

For COIN, a trinity of attributes is needed to complement traditional military acumen: analytical intelligence, openness of mind, and broad culture.

The military would benefit from more officers with hard science backgrounds enabling them to solve the challenging problems the military faces in modern wars.

 If you’re afforded the opportunity to lead a critical team at a critical juncture in our nation’s history…  see the big picture and embrace it from the beginning.

Observations from a month-long secondment in Afghanistan with DCOMISAF.

The most frustrating moment for the J2 occurs when the operations summary contains more useful intelligence-producing data than the official intelligence reporting.

Transnational criminal organization violence is spilling over the southern border of the US, but without a definition the extent of the epidemic is unknown.

Re-evaluate exactly what we want from our educational system and to strip away the non-essential.

Mexico's new president Enrique Peña Nieto has trumpeted its proposed reforms, but there are more similarities than differences with the Calderon Administration.

The war in Afghanistan is a war of perceptions on progress made thus far. A widening gap in perceptions will complicate the transition .

An advocacy for social media and digital collaboration in the military.

Platoon/Company sized elements are being tasked with the execution of security handovers that have been in development for over ten years.

Lebanon's national rejection of returning to civil war coupled with the buoyancy provided by the Lebanese Armed Forces will keep it from sinking into the Syrian abyss.

Though discredited, the phased framework of shape-clear-hold-build remains applicable over time when adapted to local circumstances by harmonized independent stakeholders.

Forward-leaning, informed speculation on the future operating environment can make the difference between being able to respond to unexpected events or failing to adequately address these challenges

This diplomatic triumph is due in large part to legal advances in international relations, peace processes, mediation and conflict resolution designed and applied by Western powers in other conflict-affected areas around the world. 

Roman discipline was built upon a belief in the virtues of austerity and frugality, the dignity of labor and an acceptance of hardship – but tempered by a willingness to acknowledge the basic humanity of soldiers and not to castigate them for sins they committed away from the battlefield.

Comparing Past and Current Challenges to Afghan Local Defense.

The key to successful advisor preparation lies in understanding the operational environment.

Intelligence shortcomings lie in how we share and utilize the information and data we have at our disposal.

Many German officers learnt their practice during this war and tactics that were first employed in the fighting against the Hehe became typical for other colonial wars fought by German forces.