Back to Basics: A Study of the Second Lebanon War and Operation CAST LEAD

This work is a recent study of the operations of The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) in the just-concluding Operation CAST LEAD against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. It studies, first, what did the IDF do to prepare for that operation in light of its harsh experience in what has become known as The Second Lebanon War that was fought against Hezbollah in the summer of 2006, and second, what possible lessons can be applied to the US Army.

In a very short amount of time the Combat Studies Institute, Command and General Staff School’s Center for Army Tactics, TRADOC Intelligence Support Activity and Capabilities Development Integration Division-Information Operations produced a series of chapters that examine the conflicts’ history, the nature and tactics of Hezbollah and Hamas, the tactics of the IDF and the belligerents’ information strategies and operations, respectively.

Pages: 157
Published: 2009
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Over the Beach: US Army Amphibious Operations in the Korean War

Over the Beach, written by historian and retired Army Colonel Donald W. Boose Jr., is the definitive history of the extensive but little known US Army amphibious operations during the Korean War, 1950-1953. Building on its extensive experience in World War II, the Army conducted three major landing operations during the war, including the assault at Inchon in September 1950. After the massive Chinese attacks two months later the Army executed a series of amphibious withdrawals as it fell back to more defensible positions farther down the peninsula. Throughout the war the Army also conducted a number of massive and complex over-the-shore logistical operations, as well as several amphibious special operations along the Korean littoral. Colonel Boose’s work, commissioned by DAMO-ODG, Operations and Technology Office, provides the historical context for any subsequent amphibious operations on the Korean peninsula. As such, this thought-provoking study may provide insights to modern planners crafting future joint or combined operations in that part of the world.

Pages: 502
Published: 2008
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Scouts Out! The Development of Reconnaissance Units in Modern Armies

Scouts Out is a wide-ranging historical survey of the theory, doctrine, organization, and employment of reconnaissance units since the era of mechanization in the early 20th century. Since the early 20th century, the search for the proper mix of equipment, the proper organization, and the proper employment of reconnaissance units has bedeviled armies around the world. This survey uses a diverse variety of historical cases to illustrate the enduring issues that surround the equipping, organizing, and employment of reconnaissance units.

Pages: 273
Published: 2008
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Iroquois Warriors in Iraq

In Iroquois Warriors in Iraq, Steve Clay analyzes the role played by the “Iroquois Warriors” of the US Army Reserve’s 98th Division (Institutional Training) in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. In an unprecedented move, the soldiers of the 98th were called on in mid-2004 to deploy to Iraq and to fulfill a critical role in the building, training, and advising of the new Iraqi Army. This study delineates the challenges they faced and the successes they achieved. It also analyzes the process through which they came to this path-breaking role.

Pages: 276
Published: 2007
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Through the Lens of Cultural Awareness: A Primer for US Armed Forces Deploying to Arab and Middle Eastern Countries

One of the distinguishing characteristics of the Long War, as the Global War on Terrorism is now known, is the cultural environment in which it is being fought. In truth, however, the US Army has routinely operated in unfamiliar cultural environments throughout its long history. The conditions in the Middle East today may be the most difficult in a very long time, and the Army is making tremendous efforts to become more effective. Among the key points the author makes in this study is the need for leaders to understand how culture affects military operations.

In this book, the author briefly touches on some of the historical roots of Iraqi and Middle Eastern culture, but he focuses primarily on cultural conditions in Iraq today. He also defines a way US military leaders can prepare for and conduct military operations through the lens of cultural awareness. It provides a method for helping military commanders, staffs, and trainers engage successfully in any type of operation with an emphasis on post-conflict stability operations. It also suggests modifications to the traditional intelligence preparation of the battlefield and the military decision making process to address the analytical difficulties posed by the conduct of military operations within and among different cultures.

Pages: 136
Published: 2006
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Breaking the Mold: Tanks in the Cities

The case studies in this monograph are high-intensity battles in con¬flicts ranging from limited interventions to major combat operations. It would be wrong to use them to argue for the use of tanks in every urban situation. As the intensity of the operation decreases, the second and third order effects of using tanks in cities can begin to outweigh their utility. The damage to infrastructure caused by their sheer weight and size is just one example of what can make tanks unsuitable for every mission. Even dur¬ing peace operations, however, the ability to employ tanks and other heavy armored vehicles quickly can be crucial. A study on the utility of tanks in peace operations is warranted, and planned.

Breaking the Mold provides an up-to-date analysis of the utility of tanks and heavy armored forces in urban combat. If the recent past is a guide, the US Army will increasingly conduct combat operations in urban terrain, and it will therefore be necessary to understand what it takes to employ tanks to achieve success in that battlefield environment.

Pages: 132
Published: 2006
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Faith and Hope in a War-Torn Land: The US Army Chaplaincy in the Balkans, 1995-2005

Chaplain Lawson's initial historical review of the Balkans provides the setting to help one understand what led to America's involvement in the region. He deftly works his way through the key points of a confusing history that ultimately leads to US and international engagement in the area. Later in the book, he provides an excellent summary of the Bosnia and Kosovo regions and the consequent US presence there. This background information is very helpful in understanding the crucial nature of chaplain ministry, because much of the Balkans conflict is related to religious issues.

Chaplain Lawson's use of personal Army chaplain and chaplain assistant accounts makes up the bulk of the work. His use of quotes, stories, written accounts, and personal observations provides a broad look at religious ministry in this relatively new Army environment—an environment of peacekeeping and multinational, joint-service coordination. He points out that the religious support in the Balkans conflict was also a period in which the Army had to use the Reserve components (Army National Guard and Army Reserve) in a significant way.

Pages: 196
Published: 2006
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Crossing the Line of Departure: Battle Command on the Move ― A Historical Perspective

John McGrath’s Crossing the Line of Departure is a wide-ranging historical overview of that most difficult aspect of military leadership, the art of battle command. McGrath leads the reader through case studies beginning with Alexander the Great leading up to the recent war in Iraq. Among others, he analyzes Napoleon’s technique, French and British practices in World War I, the German experience with “Blitzkreig” in World War II, and the Soviet approach to battle command. McGrath also extends his historical analysis to the present day by presenting a description of battle command theory in the “Modular Army” and the Information Age. Through it all, he finds that the key to successful command in battle, particularly in mobile operations, is found in the successful interplay between technology and personal technique.

Pages: 282
Published: 2006
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Gathering at the Golden Gate: Mobilizing for War in the Philippines, 1898

Dr. Stephen D. Coats’s study of the Army’s efforts to assemble a contingency force at San Francisco for deployment to the Philippines in 1898 is an example of how the Army got it mostly right. One could argue that 1898 was a much simpler time and that the complexity associated with deploying ground forces has grown dramatically since then, and that would be correct. However, the Army of 1898 was not professionally trained to deploy and fight wars overseas. Additionally, the force that assembled at San Francisco was not a professional army. It was largely a volunteer force led by a few Regular Army generals and managed by a handful of Regular Army staff officers, none of whom had any appreciable experience in deployment operations. Yet they succeeded.

As in all facets of military art, there are timeless principles that, if applied correctly, will go a long way toward helping planners achieve success. A careful reading of Dr. Coats’s work will illuminate many of those principles.

Pages: 302
Published: 2006
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

The Brigade: A History ― Its Organization and Employment in the US Army

This work provides an organizational history of the maneuver brigade and case studies of its employment throughout the various wars. Apart from the text, the appendices at the end of the work provide a ready reference to all brigade organizations used in the Army since 1917 and the history of the brigade colors.

Pages: 240
Published: 2004
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Armed Peacekeepers in Bosnia

With the aid of a generous grant from the US Institute of Peace, Robert Baumann, George Gawrych, and Walter Kretchik were able to access and examine relevant documents, interview numerous participants, and visit US and NATO forces in Bosnia. As a result of their labors, they have provided the reader an analytical narrative that covers the background to the crisis in Bosnia, the largely ineffectual efforts of the UN Protection Force to stop the civil war there between 1992 and 1995, the Dayton Peace Accords of 1995 that produced a framework for ending the civil war and consolidating the peace, the frenetic planning that led to the deployment of US forces as part of the NATO-led multinational force (Operation Joint Endeavor), and the transition of that Implementation Force to the Stabilization Force a year later.

Pages: 243
Published: 2004
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

My Clan Against the World: US and Coalition Forces in Somalia, 1992-1994

Provides an analytical narrative of each phase of the US military involvement in Somalia. For many Americans, the mention of that African country conjures up one memory, that of the fierce firefight between US troops and Somali militia on 3-4 October 1993. As this overview seeks to remind the reader, the United States had a military presence in Somalia from December 1992 to the end of March 1994. During that period, much was accomplished of a positive nature. Starving and mistreated Somalis were provided food and a modicum of security, while some progress was made toward peace in the country. That the broader goals of political reconciliation and stability ultimately were not achieved was in part a consequence of the intractability of the contending factions and the complexities of a country that defies Western definitions of “modern.” Yet, US involvement in countries that have much in common with Somalia is a current reality and a future likelihood. For the professional officer, then, as well as the American public at large, it would be instructive to revisit the US experience in Somalia.

Pages: 219
Published: 2004
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Block by Block

The resulting anthology begins with a general overview of urban operations from ancient times to the midpoint of the twentieth century. It then details ten specific case studies of U.S., German, and Japanese operations in cities during World War II and ends with more recent Russian attempts to subdue Chechen fighters in Grozny and the Serbian siege of Sarajevo. Operations range across the spectrum from combat to humanitarian and disaster relief. Each chapter contains a narrative account of a designated operation, identifying and analyzing the lessons that remain relevant today.

Pages: 405
Published: 2003
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)

Envisioning Future Warfare

The strategic environment at the end of the 20th century is characterized by two competing trends. First, the international system has entered a period of increased instability. Second, we are witnessing the maturation of information processing technology and its subsequent impact on economics, politics, and the conduct of war. This collection of three articles by General Gordon R. Sullivan and Colonel James M. Dubik explores these trends and seeks to envision their implications on future war.

Pages: 67
Published: 1995
Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

(Back to Top)