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Joint Reception Staging Onward Movement and Integration (JRSOI): The Commanders Role in Integration
From the Thesis Abstract: "The US Army's Joint Reception Staging Onward movement and Integration (JRSOI) operations were perfected during World War II and provided Allied Forces the ability to amass overwhelming combat power on Axis Forces during Operation Overlord. The study follows VII Corps and Major General J. Lawton Collins during the winter of 1944 as he prepares the corps for the amphibious assault on Utah Beach in England. Major General Collins conducts multiple iterations of JRSOI throughout the Operation Overlord campaign while simultaneously conducting tactical operations to meet mission objectives. The case study investigates Major General Collins integrations of VII Corps in England in the winter of 1944 until D-Day and examines the JRSOI operations during the days following D-Day as VII Corps attempts to generate combat power to move inland to capture the city of Cherbourg, France on 26 June 1944."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Isreal, Elias M.
2019-06-14
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Autonomous Weapons: The Future Behind Us
From the Thesis Abstract: "Militaries have long used weapons with varying degrees of autonomy. However, recent technology advances have made possible more capable autonomous weapons, sparking calls by civil society groups and discussions in the United Nations (UN) on banning autonomous weapons. This thesis identifies potential military uses of autonomous weapons and makes prediction on their use through 2030. This is accomplished by analyzing past and present uses of autonomous weapons, ongoing technology developments, and developing an ontology for defining and describe autonomous weapons."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Noyes, Matthew
2019-06-14
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How the United States Can Reinforce India as a Counterbalance to China in the Indian Ocean Region from a Military Standpoint
From the Thesis Abstract: "Security of the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is of vital geo-strategic and geo-economic importance to the world. China is gradually seeking to control the region. Although the United States must act to balance China's actions, it cannot do so alone, and India is its most natural partner in the region. This study analyzes how the United States can influence the rebalancing of power in the region by answering the primary research question, 'Given that India represents a counterbalance to China in the IOR, how can the United States reinforce that counterbalance from a military standpoint?' Offering recommendations for this question required an understanding of the United States' strategic intentions in the region and the military situation in the region. A qualitative analysis of China's and India's military capabilities, limitations, and activities examined the military situation. The analysis and results confirmed that the United States should support India to become a more credible military deterrent and expand United States-India defense and security cooperation in the IOR."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Talone, Andrew J.
2019-06-14
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Learning Agility - Preparing Leaders to Fight and Win in a Complex World
From the Thesis Abstract: "The implicit role of the Maneuver Captains Career Course (MCCC) is preparing leaders to command at the tip of the spear. These leaders employ their skills where experience, judgment, problem solving, and critical and creative thinking come face-to-face with the enemy. This study uses descriptive research and the grounded theories approaches to achieve a qualitative analysis of how the Army currently develops learning agility within the broader framework of leader development at the MCCC. Specifically, this study uses the MCCC, as a part of the Armor and Infantry Officer's professional military education program, to analyze an organization that intentionally seeks to develop mental agility through efforts at the institutional, operational, and individual level. Using the Korn and Ferry Five Factors of Learning Agility, this study will qualitatively assess the curriculum and organizational efforts that contribute to the development of learning agility. Broadly, the research finds that the MCCC serves as a model organization for enhancing learning agility and developing leaders, with small opportunities to further increase effectiveness across leader development domains. The recommendations are intended to further optimize leader and leadership development across the maneuver force."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Stilwell, Kyle D.
2019-06-14
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Discarding the Mongol Way of War: A Geostrategic Analysis of the Mongol Expeditions to Conquer Japan
From the Thesis Abstract: "The Yuan Dynasty (1271 to 1368) commissioned two expeditions to Japan in 1274 and 1281. These limited-liability campaigns aimed to subjugate the insular island nation as a vassal to the Yuan Dynasty, a 'khanate' of the Mongol Empire. Despite the great resource potential of Japan, its subjugation was not a vital security interest for the dynasty. As a result, the expeditions were not aligned with the dynasty's strategic imperatives which included maintaining its territorial integrity, enforcing regional stability, and protecting the legitimacy of Kubilai's claim as 'khan' of the Mongol Empire. These strategic priorities necessitated the investment of the preponderance of the dynasty's critical financial, material, and human capital resources in the pursuance of vital national interests rather than the peripheral interests associated with the expeditions to Japan. These strategic resource allocation decisions, coupled with the unique requirements of governing a massive agrarian population in China, deprived the expeditions of the warfighting capabilities required to employ the Mongol way of war. As a result, Yuan Dynasty's war against Japan ended in abject failure."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Schultz, Matthew J.
2019-06-14
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Strategic Shaping Capability of the Amphibious Force: The Case for Capital Ship Status for the Amphibious Fleet
From the Thesis Abstract: "US Navy amphibious ship shortfalls threaten the ability of maritime forces to meet current and future operational requirements. The post-Cold War era is characterized by a marked increase in the use of Amphibious Ready Groups with embarked Marine Expeditionary Units as the preferred crisis and contingency response force. Despite this trend, resource prioritization to the amphibious fleet is lacking when compared to current capital ship vessel programs. The increasingly contested nature of the global commons places United States power projection capabilities at risk. The current and future operating environment requires capacity that exceeds the amphibious ship inventory. Amphibious forces provide operational flexibility and directly support strategic shaping activities. A renewed focus on modernizing and maintaining the amphibious fleet is required to achieve the objectives outlined in current and emerging operating concepts and support national strategic interests."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Geiger, James M., III
2019-06-14
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Preventing Toxic Leadership Through Professional Military Education
From the Thesis Abstract: "Toxic leadership continues to plague the U.S. Army and other services, even though there are multiple publications written on leadership expectations. This thesis asks, if through the education at CGSOC [Command and General Staff Officer's Course], toxic leadership can be mitigated in the future Field Grade Officers. To do so this thesis uses the toxic triangle as a methodology to analyze a case study of a former Battalion Commander that was relieved of command after a 15-6 investigation deemed them a toxic leader and they created a negative command climate. This thesis makes two recommendations to help mitigate toxic leadership with education through CGSOC. First, a larger portion of the curriculum of CGSOC should focus on toxic leadership, the followers and environments that support it by integrating elements of the toxic triangle. Second, is to expand leadership doctrine to include a more in depth discussion on toxic leadership and how it effects organizations, to include examples. This thesis closes with a discussion on obstacles hindering the use of the toxic triangle in CGSOC."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Anderson, John A.
2019-06-14
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Post-Cold War Submarine Force Changes
From the Thesis Abstract: "This thesis addresses how the United States and the United Kingdom submarine force changed after the end of the Cold War in 1991. Specifically, this thesis examines reduction in the number of platforms, personnel, and funding of each nation's submarine force to that of their respective navies and armed forces over the next decade. This research identifies the changes to the submarine mission because of the changing international landscape and the personnel and funding reductions along with the introduction of the Tomahawk missile to each submarine fleet. Additionally, the fall of the Soviet Union introduced more changes to each country's submarine force including the cancellation of the expensive 'Seawolf' class attack submarine in favor of the cheaper 'Virginia' class, the elimination of diesel submarines from the Royal Navy, and the constraints placed by the START treaty [Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty] on ballistic missile submarines. Analysis of how and why these two countries changed their respective submarine forces following the end of the Cold War provides understanding of the reasons and basis for the size, composition, and use of each nation's submarine fleet. This understanding offers guidance for future decisions for military leaders involving submarines."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Branley, Justin M.
2019-06-14
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Characteristics of Servant Leadership Can Complement the Army Leadership Requirements
From the Thesis Abstract: "Within the current complex operating environment, the Army needs leaders who can care for their Soldiers by prioritizing their personal and professional developmental needs as a means of accomplishing the mission and improving the organization. Servant Leadership, a theory developed in the 1960s by Robert Greenleaf, could be a way of providing a style of leadership that places the focus on the subordinates. This thesis explores how the process of U.S. Army leadership development might be improved if Servant Leadership characteristics were integrated into the Army Leadership Requirements Model (ALRM). The case studies of Jesus Christ and Southwest Airlines demonstrating and applying Servant Leadership characteristics were used as evidence to support the incorporation of Servant Leadership characteristics into ALRM."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Uddin, Shahin
2019-06-14
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Legacy of Ashes: The US Army and the Destruction of San Francisco
From the Thesis Abstract: "In the early morning of 18 April 1906, a massive earthquake struck the San Francisco Bay Area. The initial tremor was estimated at a 7.9 Moment Magnitude, leading to a conflagration that destroyed thousands of buildings, hundreds of millions of dollars of property, and led to the deaths of an estimated 3,000 individuals. In the hours following the earthquake a joint military force led by Brigadier General Frederick Funston of the US Army Department of California mobilized to provide security, firefighting, and disaster relief. The Army's actions during the crisis were fraught with legal and practical problems, ultimately leading to the unnecessary destruction of tens of millions of dollars of property and untold civilian casualties. This study proposes that military leadership in firefighting and security efforts were culpable for the unnecessary loss of property and human life during the crisis, while the humanitarian and medical relief efforts were critical in the recovery of the city following the conflagration. The thesis attempts to close the gap between civilian and military scholarship on this event and concludes with implications for Defense Support to Civil Authorities (DSCA) missions in the modern era."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Alfsen, Erik C.
2019-06-14
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'Army Training, Sir!': The Impact of the World War I Experience on the Evolution of Training Doctrine in the U.S. Army
From the Thesis Abstract: "The American Army's mobilization for World War I was fraught with difficulties, resulting in a number of failings that produced a capable but flawed expeditionary force. The traditional interpretation of the army's training during that conflict was that it was lackluster as it produced combat units that lacked critical capabilities. However, the experience of learning how to train and how to write training doctrine produced positive results that have largely gone overlooked by historians. This study examines the status of training in the pre-war army, to include both existing doctrine and institutional management organizations. It then chronicles the wartime experience and traces the evolution of training doctrine and practices during the war. It concludes by looking at the immediate post-war years to determine what lasting impacts the wartime experiences had on training doctrine and management. Overall, this study concludes that the training effort during World War I had significant long-term benefits for the army, as it produced the foundation of the army's training practices through World War II."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Hope, Gregory C.
2019-06-14
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Developing Understanding and Wielding Influence Through Expanded Maneuver - A Cognitive Dimension Approach
From the Thesis Abstract: "Developing understanding and wielding influence are an essential component of the value SOF [Special Operations Forces] provides the Nation. The SOF network of personnel, assets, and formations represent means by which to obtain early understanding of trends, emerging transregional threats, and opportunities. Employment of the SOF network also provides capabilities needed to shape and influence outcomes. In an era characterized by an increasing interconnected and complex environment highlighting the relevance of the population-centric aspects of competition and conflict, SOF must operate as part of a whole of government approach to mitigate our Nation's challenges in accordance with the 2017 National Security Strategy to upgrade, tailor and innovate the wielding of influence. Therefore, the Army and Joint Force writ large require an expanded concept of maneuver that considers both physical and cognitive dimension in and across multiple domains to move both force and ideas in time and space in pursuit of physical and cognitive objectives across the entire operational continuum, but particularly so in security environments below the threshold of Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO) where state and non-state actors seek to gain an asymmetric advantage by operating in the seam between peace and war."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Able, Kurt M.
2019-06-14
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Reintegrating Short Range Air Defense into the Maneuver Fight
From the Thesis Abstract: "As the United States faces growing global uncertainty, the need to renew key military capabilities is vital to fight and win across any conflict that threatens U.S. interests. To retain overmatch, the combination of our capabilities must be relevant to successfully deter our potential adversaries. The Army's investment to incorporate Maneuver Short Range Air Defense into each division is a move towards this end. This thesis examines the future readiness of these forces using a historical and an Australian case study as examples of successful integration of similar capabilities at similar echelons. This study leverages historical doctrine while comparing it to modern guidance. It synthesizes our current readiness with historical success, yielding areas for development prior to reintegration. The research aims to answer the question: How can the US Army best set the Leadership and Training conditions for reintegration of divisional Short Range Air Defense?"
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Norwood, David C.
2019-06-14
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Russian Fires Capability Gap: A United States North Atlantic Treaty Organization Coalition Answer
From the Thesis Abstract: "After 17 years of conducting counter-terrorism operations, the U.S. and its NATO partners have divested and reduced their ability to support maneuver operations with effective and lethal field artillery in Large Scale Combat Operations (LSCO). While we have focused on the Global War on Terrorism, our adversaries have continued to invest in and develop sophisticated fires and Anti-Access/Area Denial (A2/AD) capabilities. This thesis examines U.S., NATO, and Russian ground-based indirect fires by analyzing current doctrine, organizations, and material in the fires warfighting function. To further define the problem, this thesis analyzes current U.S. Army, U.S. joint, multinational, and Russian doctrine, as well as, periodical journals, academic works, and open-source published articles. To address the problem, this thesis identifies current capabilities and interoperability gaps, impediments to effective joint-multnational fires employment, the importance of combining capabilities, and provides recommendations to improve U.S.-NATO fires capability."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
O'Connor, Roderic J.
2019-06-14
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Sixth Military-Revolution: Warfare in the Fourth Industrial Revolution
From the Thesis Abstract: "Historians MacGregor Knox and Williamson Murray originally suggested only five military-revolutions had occurred in the history of the western way of war. However, in 2017 Murray published 'America and the Future of War' and said a sixth military-revolution was unfolding in the modern era and it was mostly influenced by rampant technological change. He went on to suggest that society was only in the nascent stages of understanding the 6th MR [military-revolution] and understanding what it might mean for present-day militaries. Thus, the researcher's aim in this thesis was to expand on Murray's basic description of the 6th MR by exploring the root causes of change in the first five military-revolutions in order to formulate an argument for what was driving change in the 6th MR. After the historical precedents for revolutionary changes to war were considered, the researcher used the lessons gleaned from that analysis to examine how technology and other factors were influencing the character of war in the modern era. Ultimately, the author's conclusions presented in this thesis offer an expanded explanation of the 6th MR and considers the implications for the present-day U.S. Military."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Champion, Jerry W., II
2019-06-14
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Motorcade Showdown
From the Thesis Abstract: "Motorcade Showdown is a wargame modeling motorcade operations in order to teach the fundamentals of the protection and disruption of motorcade movements. In this game, players can experience motorcade operations from the perspective of both the protection cell and also the disruption cell. It exercises the players' ability to make accurate decisions to facilitate delivering the principal safely to the venue, and aids in learning the cause and effect relationship of planning routes incorrectly, failing to anticipate potential threats, and reacting inappropriately to obstacles or dangers. It enhances an individual's critical decision-making abilities concerning basic motorcade skills, and understanding of adversary operations, in order to prevent incorrect choices during the conduct of motorcade operations."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Miller, William L.
2019-06-14
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Supporting and Enabling: Air-Land Cross-Domain Lessons from Major Conflicts
From the Thesis Abstract: "Current and forthcoming US military concepts stress the need for integrating and synchronizing effects across all domains to achieve cross-domain synergy. This thesis examines three case studies to determine the effectiveness and means by which militaries synchronized airpower and land power during large-scale combat between peer competitors. Since the American and British experiences in World War II and Desert Storm are already well researched in US academia, research focused on Germany and the Soviet Union during World War II as well as the Israeli Defense Forces in the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. For each case study, the author presents the operational theory underpinning the studied military's conduct, a background of the campaign, a conclusion regarding overall effectiveness, and a thorough discussion of the command and control mechanisms used. The final chapter puts forth six distinct lessons the US should consider when developing systems and perceptions for Multi-Domain or All-Domain Operations."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Brady, E. Aaron
2019-06-14
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Navigating Dangerous Shoals: Finding Equilibrium in Cambodia's Relationships with China and the United States
From the Thesis Abstract: "China's increasing geopolitical, military, economic, and social sphere of influence, both regionally and globally, imposes a challenge for Cambodia whether or not to become pro-China, pro-U.S, or remain neutral. While the U.S's foreign policy of pivot to Asia appears to establish reassurance for some allied nations, it, nevertheless, further complicates the geopolitics of Asia Pacific. Despite the claim of the so-called 'Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence,' China's rise is increasingly pressuring these regional countries to choose side. As an independent state and a member of ASEAN [Association of Southeast Asian Nations], Cambodia is struggling to define its own identity and best safeguard its national interests under the pressures of both sides, given its past history with these two powers. This paper uses qualitative methodology research with the three main assessing criteria, feasibility, acceptability, and suitability, to assess the relationship between China and Cambodia. The paper will scrutinize how China's utilization of economic instrument of national power to shape Cambodia's developmental path."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Chhon, Borey
2019-06-14
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Do Lessons Learned from Past Security Force Assistance Missions Validate the Creation of the United States Army's Current Security Force Assistance Brigades?
From the Thesis Abstract: "While the revised US Army Doctrine Reference Publication 3-0, Operations, and associated Field Manual shift the Army's focus to preparing for large-scale combat operations against a near-peer threat, security force assistance operations continue to be vital to promote regional United States interests. The Army created security force assistance brigades to relieve brigade combat teams from performing security cooperation operations. These much smaller regionally aligned advisor units will be challenged to fulfill the intense theater requirements for security force assistance operations. Brigade combat teams will continue to have to execute security force assistance and should synchronize their efforts with regionally aligned advisor units to meet the needs of combatant commanders. The case studies from past security force assistance operations in China during WWII and in Korea during the Korean War validate the Army's creation of the security force assistance brigades. These case studies will also highlight lessons learned that apply to today's security force assistance brigades."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Amador, Ernesto D., III
2019-06-14
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Future of the Republic of Korea-United States Alliance
From the Thesis Abstract: "The ROK [Republic of Korea]-US Alliance has demonstrated incredible resoluteness since its inception in 1953. It survived calls for a reduction in US combat power from President's Nixon and Carter. It responded to Secretary Rumsfeld's need to deploy US forces from the Korean Peninsula to the Middle East. It adapted to President Bush's nuclear weapons withdrawal. All of this has demonstrated the ability of the Alliance to adapt to changing military and geo-political conditions or risk becoming obsolete. This work explores a future scenario where the two Koreas are not at war and the Alliance must again adapt. This paper proposes that the Alliance be re-framed as a ROK-US integrated command tasked with a larger regional security role outside the Korean Peninsula."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Courter, David A.
2019-06-14
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Calculated Audacity: Case Studies of Special Operations During Large Scale Combat Operations
From the Thesis Abstract: "During the Global War on Terror, the United States relied heavily on Special Operations in order to achieve operational and strategic objectives globally. This phenomenon changes somewhat when the nation engages in Large Scale Combat Operations. Maintaining appropriate criteria for planning or accomplishing special operations, or committing special operations forces, becomes vitally important to achieve operational or strategic objectives, and to maintain force readiness and optimal capability. By examining four historical case studies of special operations against the backdrop of Large Scale Combat Operations, this research study determines under what conditions and based on what principles special operations may be employed in order to optimize operational success. Using a combination of principles established by joint doctrine and military theorists, the Jedburgh and Chindit operations along with the Doolittle Tokyo and Vermork Norway raids are qualitatively compared in order to offer conclusions on the effectiveness of special operations."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Campion, John
2019-06-14
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NATO Cohesion: The Threat Posed by ISIL
From the Thesis Abstract: "ISIL [Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]'s declaration of an Islamic Caliphate in June 2014 sent shockwaves through the international environment. A following trans-national terror campaign under ISIL's black flag resulted in several countermeasures against the new geopolitical threat that have reduced the terror organization geographical control over its previous conquered terrain, and has forced ISIL to transition to an insurgency organization. The thesis addresses ISIL's transition to the insurgency, and examine how the terror organization's strategy and current state may pose a threat to NATO within the next five years. First, the paper explains fundamental theories of terrorism and ISIL's history, before analyzing ISIL's strategy and ISIL's capabilities to impose its strategy. Second, NATO's critical vulnerabilities are discussed through a Center of Gravity analysis. In the final phase, the thesis answers the research question by discussing if ISIL has the intention (strategy) and capability to exploit any of NATO's critical vulnerabilities."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Hognestad, Eirik Wabakken
2019-06-14
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Assessing the Effectiveness of the Philippines De-Radicalization Program
From the Thesis Abstract: "This thesis assessed the effectiveness of the Philippine de-radicalization program. It sought to analyze the elements present in the program, the factors that impeded its success, and the areas for improvement. The comparative case study method was used to draw out the results of the study. The Singapore and Indonesian programs are studied in comparison to the Philippines' program. The author used the key components of a successful de-radicalization program introduced by Rabasa et al. as the foundation of the analysis. The results showed that Singapore is the most ideal program which can be the reason why there is no terroristic attacks within its territory. Indonesia, which started as a police initiative has vastly improved its approaches and has great potential to be successful. The current Philippines' program lacks the key components to achieve disengagement; more so, de-radicalization. The newness of its program, the kind and availability of data, and other influencing factors that are not part of the study challenged the assessment of its effectiveness. Though de-radicalization programs should be based on the uniqueness of each country, there are methods and approaches from Singapore and Indonesia that can serve as a basis for the Philippines."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Mabborang, Vicente B., Jr.
2019-06-14
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Command Responsibility in Multinational Operations
From the Thesis Abstract: "Under the principle of command responsibility, international courts can hold a commander responsible for crimes committed by his subordinates even though he did not directly take part in the commission of the crimes. However, some circumstances challenge the scope of this rule. One of these limitations proceeds from the increasing number of multinational operations and the lack of clarity in the application of the law when military forces act in coalitions. The different legal standards of states that contribute to multinational operations increase the difficulty of enforcing command responsibility by tribunals and international courts. The ambiguity of the existing rules combined with the lack of case law make it difficult to determine whether or not commanders of multinational operations can be held responsible for crimes committed by soldiers under their authority from other countries. Understanding the legal frameworks that apply in multinational operations is critical for fostering awareness in multinational commanders of their obligations regarding command responsibility and the steps they can take to avoid human rights violations and war crimes by the military forces under their command."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Diop, Babacar Amadou
2019-06-14
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Nature of the Boko Haram Security Crisis in the Lake Chad Basin
From the Thesis Abstract: "Boko Haram, a religious extremist organization opposed to western influences in the Nigerian society was created in 2002 in Bornu state by Mohammed Yusuf an extremist Muslim preacher. Due to an inappropriate management of this religious issue, the organization gained importance and rapidly came to control large territories in the North east of Nigeria, with active presence on Chadian, Cameroonian and Nigerien bordering regions. After almost a decade of fights, Boko Haram is still able to attack military bases, civilian populations and public services. The insecurity climate is real, despite important military efforts from these countries and partners. Therefore, the regional and national strategies implemented so far need to be assessed. The identification of the nature of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region is the first step. This study has revealed Boko Haram is an insurgency in Nigeria, but is a security crisis that did not turned into an insurgency in Cameroon, Niger and Chad; This difference on the nature of threats induces a difference of approaches at the national and at the regional levels."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Amboh, Esaie Beng
2019-06-14
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Advanced-Based Artificial Intelligence Capabilities Empowerment of the United States National Security
From the Thesis Abstract: "The twenty-first-century technological race includes many components; however, the technology of advanced-based artificial intelligence (AI) may be the most astonishing. The United States' adversaries, in particular China, are making a point to be the world's superpower in this technological advancement by 2030. The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) has a model of AI initiatives, data-centric technologies (such as advanced analytics) automation, deep learning, machine learning and human-machine teaming initiatives that other Department of Defense (DOD) components can emulate to reduce unnecessary repetitiveness and useless spending of national money and resources. This study explores the components of AI-based initiatives for successful establishment across the governmental apparatus to advance US national interests. Additionally, it compares the United States and China regarding AI, private sector innovation and ethical issues pertaining to AI; and lastly, 2018 NGA and Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) AI-based initiatives that will impact future decision-makers."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Gorman, Shannon L.
2019-06-14
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Conventional Arms Proliferation in Sub Saharan African Countries: Stakes and Threats
From the Thesis Abstract: "Sub Saharan Africa continues to experience the destabilizing effects of the circulation and misuse of illegal Small Arms and Light Weapons (SALW). Significant human suffering and material and financial losses are the primary consequences. Since independence from European colonialism, many armed conflicts within the region often end in widespread stock piles of arms that are difficult to control by weak and inappropriate mechanisms. The purpose of this thesis is to highlight the primary factors contributing to the proliferation of illegal SALW in sub Saharan Africa, such as porous borders and weak institutions due to the absence of real political will, and corruption. State and non-state actors exploit the widespread availability of SALW to advance their interests through violent means, particularly in failed and corrupted states. To address this issue, the thesis proposes an integrated proactive approach using all national power instruments, including political, socio economic, and informational measures. The study focuses more specifically on the role of military action to address this issue."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Fiali, Rachid
2019-06-14
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Growing Influence of Russia and China and the Consequences for U.S. Interests as Related to Brazil
From the Thesis Abstract: "In recent times, Russia and China are making efforts to challenge U.S. hegemony, looking for improvement of their influence over countries that previously were under U.S. influence. One of those countries is Brazil. Historically, Brazil and the U.S. share consistent relations that are extremely significant for both countries. Nevertheless, the Russian and Chinese influence in Brazil can potentially change Brazilian priorities, affecting the status of relations with the U.S., which could affect U.S. national interests as related to Brazil. This thesis will address how and whether the growing influence of Russian and Chinese diplomatic, informational, military and economic instruments of national power in Brazil pose consequences for U.S. national interests. The conclusion pointed out that Russia is creating tension points in Latin America, and China is promoting economic competition with the U.S. in the region, in both cases with consequences for U.S. interests in Brazil."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Abbud, Felipe de Carvalho
2019-06-14
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Terrorists' Propaganda and the Use of Media: Case Study of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria
From the Thesis Abstract: "Terrorist organizations have long realized the invaluable benefits of traditional media platforms in general and social media, in particular, in achieving their tactical, operational, and strategic goals. They have figured out how to make an impact through social media. ISIS [Islamic State of Iraq and Syria], in particular, produces the most technologically sophisticated propaganda compared to other terrorist groups. The present study examines terrorists' use of media by focusing on ISIS media as a case study. Case Study methodology has been used to analyze ISIS use of media. Research findings suggest that employing media as a weapon in combat is vital to ISIS strategy to establish an Islamic Caliphate. ISIS uses media for three central goals: promoting its propaganda, recruiting new fighters, and inciting violence."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Alemian, Tareq Ibrahim Hasan
2019-06-14
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Gas Attack: Simulating Large-Scale Chemical Warfare at the Second Battle of the Marne, 1918
From the Thesis Abstract: "This wargame thesis seeks to answer the question: 'Can the employment of chemical weapons be effectively represented to illustrate its impact on maneuver in large-scale combat operations in a competitive wargame set in a scenario from World War One?' The United States has not effectively experienced chemical since World War One, but the threat heightens in the context of large-scale combat. The 2nd Battle of the Marne on the western front from around 14 July 1918 to 6 August 1918 is an optimal scenario for a wargame because it features peer level adversaries employing chemical warfare on a large scale to support maneuver operations. Research and experimentation with various existing wargames and models inspired the development of mechanics and key aspects of the wargame that create a functional, playable, and adaptable simulation. The wargame's foundation is based on historical research on the 2nd Battle of the Marne and data on German and American capabilities in 1918 during World War One. The author selected key aspects of the historical data based on warfighting functions, applied gaming mechanics, and adjusted balancing in order to create a competitive wargame."
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
Bradley, John F.
2019-06-14
