Journal

One key purpose of this study is to analyze and assess how Daesh’s actions as a non-state actor either supported or hindered their goals of establishing a religious caliphate.

A nexus of policy guidance meant to protect the defense industry, reduce weapons proliferation and improve financial accountability has hamstrung ANDSF materiel procurement.

Article one of two in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

The increased proliferation of information collection technologies is becoming a threat to the Army’s Mission Command Philosophy.

A key to potentially improving influence efforts may be found in economics, in a concept called Consumption Theory.

Erdogan has instigated an irregular and Iranian-like militia structure that helps him control streets, inflict oppression and carry out covert operations against dissident political groups.

The latest article in the Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Since the end of the Barre era, no Somali leader or group of leaders has managed to de-clan the Somali National Army, which is why it remains dysfunctional today.

Intelligence agencies in Afghanistan are failing to collect high-value information that could be beneficial to Afghan’s domestic security.

The types of unmanned systems the Department of the Navy should acquire are those systems that directly support naval expeditionary forces that must conduct forcible entry operations.

The U.S. military resumed its counterterrorism mission in the Philippines in September 2017. This new operation comes on the heels of the rise of ISIS-linked groups.

I argue that the war endures, in large part, because national security policy makers, military operators, and think tank scholars have embraced several false assumptions.

Article three of three in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

N’Dala was 37-years-old when he died on Jan. 2, 2014 in an ambush. He had earned the trust and respect of his fellow soldiers, UN troops and the Congolese population.

Article two of three in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Northern Mali has been living in perpetual and unfulfilled postwar reconstruction phases due to repeated unsuccessful national reconciliations.

I pulled out "Cold Cash War" again recently, as it reached its 40th birthday this year, and to my surprise found elements of it held up well enough that I thought they deserved to be shared.

Article one of three in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Operational art and deep-operations theory in Russia traces its theoretical beginning to Napoleon’s six-month campaign in 1812.

The military oversight is the first federal intervention where federal forces took command in a Brazilian state since the return to democracy in 1988.

Article five of five in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Article four of five in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Psychological Warfare, the most potent weapon leveraged by both sides in the 1947 to present Arab-Israeli conflict, finally gets the attention it deserves.

Article three of five in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

There is no perfect way to reorganize for advising, but the lessons utilized by TF Strike are undeniably pertinent as the Army considers the organization and employment of SFABs.

Article two of five in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Article one of five in the latest Mad Scientist at Small Wars Journal series.

Two anti-personnel mines (minas antipersonales) were recovered from suspected members of the Cartel del Golfo (Gulf Cartel) in Reynosa, Tamaulipas.

This incident has the potential to raise the stakes in the contest between the CJNG and the Mexican state following what is essentially tantamount to a CJNG declaration of war.

Edited by Richard Kolb, this book is the VFWs’ contribution to the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War.

The “Grozny model” promises security and prosperity to the loyal Syrian enclaves, if they accept the distinct features of “Chechenization”.

Voices of resentment and marginalization are loud and clear, the participants seem determined to have their voices heard. Can this protest prove be an eye-opener for the Pakistani elite?

While western hostages around the world easily make headlines, the local prisoners in conflicts are less reported on and even less often identified.

Africa matters because an unstable Africa is not in the world’s best interest.  To keep Africa stable will require a long-term international effort.

America lacks both serious consideration about the ends America seeks in deploying its sons and daughters across the globe and the way it is achieving our stated ends.

This article is a continuation of the research published in the author's previous paper, ‘United Nations Peacekeeping Offensive Operations: Theory and Doctrine’.

There are many competing factors involved in this crisis which could create challenges to regional security should diplomatic tools fail to solve their differences.

Top Threat to Business, National Security and the American Dream: Detailing the New Global Competitive Model Based on Cyber and Asymmetrical Hybrid Warfare

Military planning can incorporate gender related factors to promote peacebuilding and mitigate the effects of conflict and can be applied to ongoing operations or in post-conflict situations.

This essay provides the perspective of a Foreign Service Officer who was involved in Vietnam in several capacities, including Civil Operations and Revolutionary Development Support.

The problem can be summarized as follows: allied troops are better trained and equipped, while local forces enjoy a greater familiarity with the terrain, including above all the population.

War, of any kind, is the ultimate failure of mankind.  Yet, in the course of human endeavors, we have found another way in which to wage global war.

Our leaders do not seem to understand insurgencies. Most of our approaches are ineffective, if not counterproductive. Too many lives have been lost due to ignorance and carelessness.

From wine swilling Greek hoplites to tweaked out NAZI’s on speed, drugs and alcohol have been the most essential psychological weapons in the history of human warfare.

The Marines had the fastest rifles in the village of Binh Nghia. It wasn't long until the second fastest belonged to their comrades-in-arms, the Popular Forces.

Washington ought to study the re-emergence of Russian “active measures” less as a manifestation of newfound strength, more as a long-fostered sense vulnerability on full display.

The policy of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) has facilitated political warfare, against the United States, by foreign interests.

The “Bamarization” and militarization of the Burmese government gave rise to a proliferation of insurgent ethnic armed organizations and continuous conflicts.

The constraints and weaknesses imposed on China by the conscription policy likely restricts China’s options in the event of a crisis.

The Casemate Short History series. "Guerrilla Warfare: Kings of Revolution" is a compendium of prominent guerilla leaders including George Washington, Simon Bolivar, Mao Zedong and King Ibn Saud.