In 1978, Argentina and Chile were poised at the brink of war over disputed possession of the Beagle Channel islands located near the southern tip of South America. Despite provocative military maneuvering and inflammatory rhetoric from both sides, Argentina's ruling military junta pulled back just short of attacking the territory occupied by Chile, and eventually both sides reached a peaceful settlement. Only four years later, Argentina launched a surprise invasion of the British-held Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic. Why did Argentina choose to go to war with Britain in 1982 but not...

This thesis examines the rationale behind the Brazilian Army's attempt to establsih effective control of the Amazon through the Calha Norte project. The project was initiated in 1985 to satisfy geopolitical needs of Brazil. The thesis argues that the rationale for Calha Norte has expanded to include not only geopolitical goals, but also a justification for the military's budget and legitimacy. Furthermore, the expanded rationale has resulted in the Brazilian army enlarging its prese,7e in the Amazon. Contrary to most of the literature, the thesis argues that the Calha Norte project has a...

German unification has altered the fundamentals of European and Atlantic security. This book analyzes the past, present, and future of German power, paying particular attention to the evolution of diplomacy and statecraft between Germany and the great powers in the period 1987-1990. This analysis is based, however, on a thorough examination of the role of Germany in the European states system from 1648 until the present. For no understanding of German power is possible without an astute appreciation of the impact of the past on the present and future. The main focus of the book thereafter...

This study considers how Serbian border security sector reform illuminates questions of force and statecraft in a southern European nation. In 2006, Serbia became a member of the Partnership for Peace (PfP), a step toward a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) membership; however, Serbia has indicated no intention to become a full NATO member. Also in 2006, Serbia entered into a Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union (EU) as part of the process of accession to EU membership; however, Serbia must meet EU conditions regarding border security reform and must...

Many observers need indirect fire but are not proficient in Call for Fire, the procedure used to request indirect fire. To alleviate this, we propose the development of an application, which we call the Untrained Forward Observer (UFO) Translator, capable of assisting untrained observers in performing Call for Fire by asking a series of simple questions to generate a Call for Fire in the proper format. As a prior Forward Observer with more than 12 years of Call for Fire experience, and as a former Supporting Arms instructor at The Basic School in Quantico, VA, the application outlined in this...

This thesis considers changes in the diplomacy of the Holy See with respect to the Middle East in the period between 1990 and 2003. Policies pursued by these changes were decisions of Pope John Paul II and involved (1) establishing full diplomatic relations between the Holy See and the State of Israel; (2) convening the Special Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for Lebanon, ending in the papal visit to Lebanon in May 1997; and (3) opposing the 1991 and 2003 U.S. led wars against Iraq. Asking whether ideas or interests explain these policies, the thesis argues that new circumstances occasioned...

Techno-strategic integration is the process through which militaries integrate technological advances into a strategy that maximizes their advantages. While sheer military might is a function of a variety of factors, technology has taken center stage in the past two centuries. The industrial revolution changed the way war was fought; and the changes had wide ranging effects. The calamity of the First World War was in some ways a failure to techno-strategically integrate industrial age technology. The history of military technology and strategy illustrates many obstacles to the integration of...

Ukraine's NATO ambitions form a controversial but vital international issue because they implicate the contradictory perspectives of Poland and Russia. The history and self-perceptions of all three states shape and reshape the question of Ukraine joining NATO, as a key step toward westernization, integration, and independence. The challenges of accommodating these competing visions of the past and future are relevant beyond the alliance to all practitioners and scholars of international affairs; in this connection, the question of Ukraine's NATO status also can serve as a case study of the...

Mine impact burial models such as IMPACT25, IMPACT28, and IMPACT35 have been used in the MIW community in an attempt to calculate the percentage of impact burial for sea mines. Until recently the models have been deterministic, using parameters such as sediment type, air and sea trajectories, drop angle, and mine type to calculate the percentage of burial. These models have been relatively effective in calculating impact burial, but little attention has been given to the temporal effects on mine burial, known as scour burial. Another shortfall of the deterministic modeling approach is the...

A military's ability to adapt its organization, doctrine, and technology strategy to meet the threats of its time influences the state's capacity to maintain great power status. This thesis uses a historical overview of military innovation among great powers throughout history to draw lessons for the U.S. military today. In this heuristic analysis, it is determined that great powers that integrated between and among their various elements of national power were able to maintain their positions better than those that did not. The study transitions from a descriptive to a prescriptive mode,...