The United States began expanding its engagement with Burma (Myanmar) in 2009, which went largely unnoticed outside of the Asian studies community. Burma's cautious political opening and pursuit of cease fire agreements to end decades-old ethnic rebellions presented an opportunity for the U.S. to pursue engagement to advance the Obama administration's Asia policy of linking the U.S. economically and militarily with East and South Asia. Burma's geographic location, resources, and emerging role in ASEAN make it a critical linkage in this policy framework. Burma's history is complicated, fraught...
The United States began expanding its engagement with Burma (Myanmar) in 2009, which went largely unnoticed outside of the Asian studies community. Bu...
The "Shock and Awe" campaign that brilliantly launched Operation IRAQI FREEDOM ended with a thud as a right-sized invasion force proved too small to be an effective stability force once it removed Saddam Hussein from power. The Iraq conflict highlights the latest example where a senior leader dogmatically advocated the use of an inappropriate doctrine or unproven concept in war. This thesis explores the reasons why this occurs, looking at how mental traps expose senior leaders to decision errors during war planning and strategy development. The thesis uses the case study method to evaluate...
The "Shock and Awe" campaign that brilliantly launched Operation IRAQI FREEDOM ended with a thud as a right-sized invasion force proved too small to b...
Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEOs) are military operations executed at the request of and led by the Department of State in order to remove American citizens and other designated personnel from a host nation where the security environment is no longer at a level in which their safety can be ensured. The Department of State has conducted numerous drawdowns of personnel from host nations without the assistance of the Department of Defense and has only requested support from the Department of Defense on a handful of occasions. What has led to so few NEOs actually occurring?
Noncombatant Evacuation Operations (NEOs) are military operations executed at the request of and led by the Department of State in order to remove Ame...
The Al Qaeda Network is a global insurgency; however, the United States and much of the western world continue to identify it as a "global terrorist organization." This improper label misleads planners at both the strategy development level and the operational level. As a result, the national strategy and operational approach are not properly focused. By ignoring the fact that the Al Qaeda Network is a global insurgency using terrorist tactics, the U.S. limits its ability to develop a holistic solution to defeat and destroy, rather than simply disrupt, the network. The U.S. approach towards...
The Al Qaeda Network is a global insurgency; however, the United States and much of the western world continue to identify it as a "global terrorist o...
As the Earth sets new record highs in temperature almost every year, the Arctic could begin experiencing ice free summers as early at 2013. With a new ocean opening up, the Arctic's future is unclear. In addition to the opening sea lines of communication, many fear that an ice free Arctic will lead to a resource race for the oil, natural gas, and minerals that the Arctic is expected to hold. Of the eight Arctic nations, only the U.S. remains non-party to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Becoming a party to the convention would provide the framework necessary for the U.S....
As the Earth sets new record highs in temperature almost every year, the Arctic could begin experiencing ice free summers as early at 2013. With a new...
On August 9, 2010, the Secretary of Defense announced a number of cost cutting recommendations to include the closure of U.S. Joint Forces Command in Norfolk, VA. As rationale for the recommendation to close U.S. Joint Forces Command, the Secretary opined "the U.S. military has largely embraced jointness as a matter of culture and practice." The Secretary's recommendation to close the sole combatant command charged with advocating for jointness indicates either that U.S. Joint Forces Command has served its purpose and accomplished its mission; or the command has become such an expensive...
On August 9, 2010, the Secretary of Defense announced a number of cost cutting recommendations to include the closure of U.S. Joint Forces Command in ...
