THE UNION'S RED RIVER OPERATIONS DURING THE SPRING OF' 1864 ARE ANALYZED IN THE CONTEXT OF OPERATIONAL DOCTRINE AND THE PRINCIPLES OF WAR. THE MOVEMENTS OF BOTH UNION AND CONFEDERATE FORCES ARE DESCRIBED AT THE OPERATIONAL LEVEL. TACTICAL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE VARIOUS BATTLES AND ENGAGEMENTS ARE DETAILED ONLY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO DESCRIBE THE OPERATIONAL MOVEMENTS. MAJOR GENERAL HALLECK OF THE UNION ARMY CONFIGURED A FATALLY FLAWED OPERATION ON THE RED RIVER TO SEIZE SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA. MAJOR GENERAL BANKS EXECUTED THAT OPERATION WITH TOTAL DISREGARD FOR AT LEAST SEVEN OF THE U.S....

General Braxton Bragg's campaign to invade Kentucky in 1862 is critically examined from a campaign planning perspective. Lessons learned are related to today's campaign planning. After a summary of the situation leading to the invasion, the factors and events leading Bragg through the unsuccessful conclusion are studied. The analysis of the campaign shows four major mistakes in the campaign planning. First, Bragg was not provided with strategic guidance from the government at Richmond. Next, Bragg failed to establish unity of command over the forces with which he planned to execute his...

In late April 2001, President Bush was asked during an interview if he felt the United States had an obligation to defend Taiwan from an attack by China he responded: "Yes, we do, and the Chinese must understand that." He added that the United States would do "whatever it took to help Taiwan defend herself." When asked about the United States sale of defensive weapons to Taiwan, President Bush pointed out that the shift in defensive focus will help Taiwan defend itself and hold its own until the United States has the time to respond in an attack. Since 1949, Taiwan and China have maintained...

The law of armed conflict requires combatants to distinguish between the civilian population and civilian objects, and military objectives with attacks only permitted against the latter. This principle of distinction becomes more difficult when objects are used for both civilian and military purposes. During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, the media constituted such a dual use. Through the process of embedding, the mass media provided unprecedented coverage of the war, often in real-time, to an international audience. However, the media also provided a definite military advantage to the United...

"Operation Adler" was the code name designated by the Luftwaffe for their air offensive against Great Britain in the summer of 1940. Many of us are more familiar with the defensive side of this operation, better known as the Battle of Britain. This offensive was part of an ambitious campaign, namely the amphibious invasion of England. The Luftwaffe bore the responsibility of neutralizing the Royal Air Force (RAF) and its capability to thwart the planned invasion. Operational planners were tasked with developing a plan to systematically destroy Great Britain's ability to wage war. This...

Operational leadership can have a significant impact on the outcome of any operation or campaign and may often be the determining factor in the end result, irrespective of who holds the advantage. To illustrate this point this studies and analyzes the operational leadership of the opposing commanders at the Battle of Midway. By comparing Admiral Yamamoto's and Admiral Nimitz' application of the principles of war, it demonstrates the significant impact of their operational leadership on the outcome of the Battle of Midway. Nimitz' clear vision, courage, and confidence in himself and his...

The United States has been in a protracted war on terrorism since the events of September 11, 2001. As a result, there are ever increasing concerns over the possibility of terrorists exploiting our porous southwest border. It is well documented that the U.S. Border Patrol is undermanned, under-equipped, and under-trained to deal with the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants, escalating violent gang activity, and in the increasing incidents of questionable activity by the Mexican military. Recent televised demonstrations of millions of illegal immigrants and numerous reports of increasing...

Joint Doctrine discusses three levels of war but fails to apply this concept to enemy surrender (conflict termination). The three levels of war correlate to a framework of three different levels of surrender; tactical, operational, and strategic surrender. The Operational Commander can use this framework to differentiate between three significantly different situations and respond appropriately. Wars throughout history have ended in both operational and strategic surrenders. Wars that end in an operational surrender must be converted to a strategic surrender. Otherwise, as history shows,...