Military Review

Changing the Army for Counterinsurgency Operations

A reprint of an article by Brigadier Aylwin-Foster published in the Seaford House Papers is presented. Here, Aylwin-Foster assesses the US Army's counterinsurgency operations based on his experiences and background.

To Create a Stable Afghanistan: Provisional Reconstruction Teams, Good Governance, and a Splash of History

While trying to establish a legitimate and stable government in Afghanistan, Roe suggests that the Coalition force should look to earlier British management of the North-West Frontier for an example. He adds that many of the British lessons from the North-West Frontier can be incorporated to support a coherent four-step plan for the reconstruction of Afghanistan. Some of the lessons learned and recommended actions are detailed.

Lessons Learned: Multinational Division Central-South

The mission of the Polish Armed Forces in Iraq began in March 2003 with the first phase of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Poland, as "a lead nation," decided to structure a multinational division (MND) with 24 contingents from 24 nations and conduct a stabilization mission, not an offensive one. Operating under the authority of the US and the UK, the Polish Military Contingent deployed to Iraq with approximately 2,300 soldiers and took over an area of responsibility in the Central South (CS) sector...

Persistent Surveillance and Its Implications for the Common Operating Picture

Pendall discusses persistent surveillance and its implications for the common operating picture. He notes that persistent surveillance creates transformational conditions for acting against the adversary within the battlespace.

'Seeing the Other Side of the Hill': The Art of Battle Command, Decisionmaking, Uncertainty, and the Information Superiority Complex

The current growth in military information technology and network-centric warfare (NCW) theory leads many military professionals and theorists to suggest that new technology will revolutionize the way commanders execute battle command by reducing uncertainty and friction, enhancing visualization and decision-making, and increasing the ability to gather and analyze information. Nicholson claims that the capabilities of NCW greatly enhance military operations, but the commander still must maste...

Drug Wars, Counterinsurgency, and the National Guard

The National Guard has vital experience the US should harness in counterinsurgency operations around the world. Here, Cole describes the US Army National Guard Counterdrug Support Program that has proved helpful in solving some of the problems conventional forces faced.

Defining the Information Campaign

No official military definition for an information campaign exists, despite the frequent use of that term to describe a technique used in information operations. Beavers defines what the information campaign is all about. With the current review of Joint Publication 3-13, Joint Doctrine for Information Operations, they present an opportunity to officially define and describe the information campaign as a viable technique for information operations and an alternative to perception management.

Racing the Enemy: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan

Kalic reviews RACING THE ENEMY: Stalin, Truman, and the Surrender of Japan by Tsuyoshi Hasegawa.

A World Challenged: Fighting Terrorism in the Twenty-First Century

Leonard reviews A WORLD CHALLENGED: Fighting Terrorism in the TwentyFirst Century by Yevgeny M. Primakov.

Operation Knockout: Counterinsurgency in Iraq

On Nov 12, 2005, Coalition and Iraqi forces demonstrated the flexibility and agility needed in successful counterinsurgency (COIN) operations against a smart, adaptive foe. After concentrating large-scale operations for months in Ninewah and Al Anbar Provinces northwest and west of Baghdad, Coalition forces conducted a new, no-notice operation in Diyala Province, northeast of Baghdad named Operations Knockout, which demonstrated that Iraq is on the road to defeating the insurgents and ensurin...

Republic of Korea Forces in Iraq: Peacekeeping and Reconstruction

Under the authority of the 2004 UN Security Council Resolution 1546, Multinational Force-Iraq (MNF-I) moved from conducting offensive operations against anti-Iraqi forces (AIF) to developing the Iraqi Security Force to allow the political process to proceed unhindered. The change in policy emphasized civil-military operations (CMO) and reconstruction over offensive military operations. Korea's Zaytun Division supported Operation Iraqi Freedom by maintaining security in its area of responsibil...

Army Transformation at Sea: The New Theater Support Vessel

Trauth et al describe the Army's new Theater Support Vessel (TSV), which is a rapidly developed response to the transformational operational maneuver and sustainment demands of force-projection operations. They note that the TSV is a fast-moving, shallow-draft vessel that can simultaneously move troops and their equipment together as combat-ready units within theater and deploy them with little or no reception, staging, onward movement, and integration activities at undeveloped ports.

Maginot Line or Fort Apache? Using Forts to Shape the Counterinsurgency Battlefield

Demarest and Grau express that a good fortification can be an effective part of an offensive strategy in counterinsurgency and can increase the probability of success in friendly offensive operations especially when placed across enemy line of communications. Since fortification networks can contribute to success, they suggest that military engineers revisit fortification and control architecture, doctrine writers go back and see where forts are missing in the doctrinal literature, intelligen...

America's First Response to Terrorism: The Barbary Pirates and the Tripolitan War of 1801

In 1785 Barbary pirates seized a US merchant ship and initiated events that led to America's first war on terrorism--the Tripolitan War of 1801. Smith claims that the challenges we are confronting today are much the same as those we faded in 1785. While the geopolitical stage has changed significantly, with nations realigning along different cultural and economic lines, the Tripolitan War still presents lessons to heed to avoid the repeating past errors. A comparison to the Global War on Terr...

Canadian Military Emergency Response: Highly Effective, but Rarely Part of the Plan

The response to Hurricane Katrina caused the Pres George W. Bush to wonder aloud about expanding the Army's role in domestic emergencies. But, there is a question on how might a still-skeptical public react if the role is expanded. Here, Scanlon considers Canada's Armed Forces for few answers. He claims that the Canadian military also responds to civil emergencies that usually takes direction from civilian authorities; however, although the upper levels of the Canadian Government appear conce...

Information Operations, Stratcom, and Public Affairs

Keeton and McCann talk about how WATERSHED events gave rise to a fledgling democracy in Afghanistan after more than 25 years of war and violence. These events also signaled a change in military strategy in Afghanistan from combat operations and counter terrorism to counterinsurgency, reconstruction, and development.

American Counterinsurgency Doctrine and El Salvador

Orellana reviews American Counterinsurgency Doctrine and El Salvador by Benjamin C. Schwarz.

Hitler's Spy Chief: The Wilhelm Canaris Mystery

House reviews HITLER'S SPY CHIEF: The Wilhelm Canaris Mystery by Richard Bassett.

Men of Steel: 6 Armoured Division in the 1965 War: War Dispatches of Major General Abrar Husain

Schofield reviews MEN OF STEEL: 6 ARMOURED DIVISION IN THE 1965 WAR: War Dispatches of Major General Abrar Husain.

Separated at Birth: How North Korea Became the Evil Twin

Williams reviews SEPARATED AT BIRTH: How North Korea Became the Evil Twin by Gordon Cucullu.

Letters

Book Reviews

Soldier-Artist of the Great Reconnaissance: John C. Tidball and the 35th Parallel Pacific Railroad Survey

Alfier reviews SOLDIER-ARTIST OF THE GREAT RECONNAISSANCE: John C. Tidball and the 35th Parallel Pacific Railroad Survey by Eugene C. Tidball.

Washington On Washington

Swallow reviews WASHINGTON ON WASHINGTON edited by Paul M. Zall.

Napoleon: A Political Life

Kuehn reviews NAPOLEON: A Political Life by Steven Englund.

The Peloponnesian War

Bernstein reviews THE PELOPONNESIAN WAR by Donald Kagan.

The First Way of War

Alessi reviews THE FIRST WAY OF WAR by John Grenier.

The Ideas That Conquered the World: Peace, Democracy, and Free Markets in the Twenty-First Century

Barnhill reviews THE IDEAS THAT CONQUERED THE WORLD: Peace, Democracy, and Free Markets in the Twenty-First Century by Michael Mandelbaum.

Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

McKane reviews SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Romeo Dallaire.

The War for Muslim Minds: Islam and the West

Aboul-Enein reviews THE WAR FOR MUSLIM MINDS: Islam and the West by Gilles Kepel.

T.E. Lawrence

Stephenson reviews T. E. Lawrence by Malcolm Brown.