This paper focuses on why France, a country with tremendous advantages in resources and military strength was defeated by a group of poorly equipped and largely untrained Algerian insurgents who mainly operated in groups of ten to twenty men and probably never had over fifteen thousand active fighters inside the borders of Algeria.1 The crux of the issue is that France failed to understand the nature of the war and why the Algerians were fighting. This failure led the French to misidentify the Algerian strategic center of gravity and by their actions, to make French centers of gravity, their...

The paper examines Sea Basing with regard to operational functions of operational command and control, movement and maneuver, operational intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, operational fires, operational logistics, and operational protection. The focus is on what Sea Basing could provide the combatant commander twenty years from now compared to what current carrier and expeditionary strike groups and maritime prepositioning force ships provide a combatant commander today. The question of whether Sea Basing is really a transformational concept or simply the next logical step in...

Vietnam possesses untapped mineral resources in the form of rare earth elements, which are found together with naturally occurring radioactive materials including uranium. Given that Vietnam's stated national strategic goals regarding mineral wealth, outlined in the 2010 Mineral Law, call for increased exploration and exploitation of mineral resources to improve Vietnam on the socio-economic plane, and further noting that Power Master Plan VII of 2011 lays out an ambitious plan to increase nuclear power-generating capacity from zero to 10.1% of total power output by 2030, there is cause to...

As one of the most vulnerable countries globally to the consequences of climate change, Vietnam is highly likely to experience a variety of negative impacts over the next century. These include increasing (and increasingly variable) temperatures and rainfall, along with sea level rise and associated increased salinity of coastal water networks. The social and economic consequences will be unevenly distributed across the population, and in some cases may be exacerbated by well-intentioned modernization efforts. The cross-cutting nature of these phenomenon will require a heterogeneous network...

The Red Army's defeat of the Germans during the Second World War is one of the Great achievements in military history. The military man most responsible for that victory was Marshal Georgi Zhukov. Though less well known than some of his German or allied counterparts, Zhukov was a brilliant practitioner of a distinctive, and uniquely Soviet, style of operational art. This style was first tested against the Japanese Kwangtung Army at Khalkin Gol in Mongolia. Zhukov"s operational scheme at Khalkin Gol was the prototype for his later successes at Moscow, Stalingrad and Kursk.

The failed Anglo-Franco naval assault on Turkish fortifications at the Dardanelles on 18 March 1915 poses one of the greatest "What ifs?" in the history of warfare. Success could have knocked Turkey out of World War I and opened lines of communication to Russia. This paper examines the historical and strategic background behind the Dardanelles operation. It also examines the British command structure and the process by which the Dardanelles was selected as an alternate target to the Western Front. Finally, the paper analyzes the various facets of operational design and how the failure of...

This book examines the extent to which General Robert E. Lee adequately delineated and conveyed his intent for the campaign into Pennsylvania in the Summer of 1863. The argument is made and defended that General Lee did not have the overall intent of the campaign firmly defined in his own mind. Failure to convey commander's intent caused his subordinates to operate without unity of effort. This led to confusion throughout the campaign and ultimately disaster at the Battle of Gettysburg. The book discusses General Lee's correspondence and conversations which provide contradictory views of his...

The Battle of Britain was the first major defeat for the Germans of WWII. The Battle of Britain was an air operation designed to give Germany air superiority over both the English Channel and England. Gaining air superiority was considered by the German Army and Navy as absolutely essential prior to "Operation Sea Lion," the landing and invasion of England. Because the Luftwaffe was never able to establish the requisite air superiority, Sea Lion was cancelled. This paper examines the German Operational Art issues from a historical perspective. It concludes the failure of the Luftwaffe belongs...

To enhance the Rule of Law, Mexico has attempted to significantly change its entire system of laws, by moving towards a more transparent justice system, more akin to the open adversarial system possessed by the United States than the closed inquisitorial system employed for most of the 20th century in Mexico. Unfortunately, these constitutional, legislative and professional reforms made to the Mexican justice system, while a step in the right direction, have not yet yielded the desired effect of vastly improving the Rule of Law. This book analyzes key areas of the Mexican justice system and...

History is often overlooked for its value in terms of lessons learned. By examining General Robert E. Lee's distinctive application of operational art and leadership as the commander of the Army of Northern Virginia, we can discern many lessons which are still pertinent to our commanders at the operational level today. From his selection of Lieutenant General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson as one of his corps commanders during his reorganization of the Army of Northern Virginia, his methods to build morale to his strategy and his balancing of Space, Time and Force there are many lessons to be...