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Doctrine, Policy & Technology


Lessons Learned and Unlearned: The Drivers of US Indirect-Fire Innovation

Lessons Learned and Unlearned: The Drivers of US Indirect-Fire Innovation

MAJ Brennan S. Deveraux

Art of War Scholars Series

191 Pages

Published: 2024

Lessons Learned and Unlearned analyzes nearly a century of US artillery innovation and adaptation, focusing on the pressures of incorporating new technology, applying combat experience, and assessing external threats. Indirect fire’s role on the battlefield has been repeatedly reshaped by new technologies on the one hand and organizational and doctrinal changes on the other. This research examines successful and unsuccessful historical indirect-fire adaptations since the birth of indirect fire—identifying innovation themes, insights into future issues, and recommendations for more effective indirect fire.


Whose Role is it Anyway?

Whose Role is it Anyway?

The Inter-Service Race to Develop Intermediate-Range Ballistic Missiles

MAJ Brennan S. Deveraux

Art of War Scholars Series

107 Pages

Published: 2023

Evaluating emerging technology to capitalize on technological innovation—while avoiding unnecessary effort duplication—is an enduring problem for any military organization. The 1950s DoD management of missile development strained a dwindling defense budget, limited the modernization of conventional capabilities, and fractured an already tenuous relationship among the services. MAJ Brennan S. Deveraux explores the historical lessons offered in his Art of War Scholars examination of missile-development and the responsibilities therein.


Not Just Lucky

Not Just Lucky: How Patton’s Third Army Adapted to Generate Information Advantage, 1944

Spencer L. French, Major, US Army

Published: 2023

In August 1944, Patton’s Third Army smashed through German defenses in Normandy and broke out in a rapid pursuit across France. Third Army’s success was substantially due to its effectiveness at generating operational level information advantage. Information advantage enabled Third Army to gain and maintain the initiative, anticipate decisions, and extend operational reach. Yet when Third Army activated in England in the Spring of 1944, it possessed neither the information forces nor the staff processes to generate information advantage effectively. This study examines how Patton successfully embedded a unique military culture that encouraged rapid adaptation within Third Army’s information forces. Specifically, it explores how Patton’s visionary leadership created a sense of organizational urgency, reducing change resistance. It also analyzes how Patton’s coalition established robust feedback loops and a culture of self-criticism and experimentation. Finally, it looks at how Patton leveraged diverse expertise to develop devastatingly effective solutions to complex problems. Improvements in Third Army’s ability to generate information advantage resulted not from any technological advance or material factor but from a military culture that encouraged adaptation.


Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences

Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences

Timothy G. Heck and Walker D. Mills

Published: 2023

In Armies in Retreat: Chaos, Cohesion, and Consequences, editors Timothy Heck and Walker Mills have culled together a collection of essays that fills a critical gap in publications and literature covering large-scale combat operations. Every battle has two sides: the victors and the vanquished. This book explores retreating armies—those that maintained cohesion and later succeeded and others that devolved into chaos. Ultimately, this book is about surviving defeat and designed to inform leaders about what to expect when the unexpected happens, to prevent the shock and mitigate some of the terror on every side so they can respond with resilience and cohesion. Retreat, while unpalatable, can ultimately lead to military or national survival, even victory.


Retaining Talent: Lessons from Australia, Norway, and Sister Services

Lessons in Unit Cohesion: from the United States Army’s COHORT (Cohesion, Operational Readiness, and Training) Experiment of 1981 to 1995

by MAJ Michael R. Kearnes

153 Pages

Published: 2022

In 1981, The United States Army experimented with its personnel management philosophy to examine the benefits of a unit-based system over an individual system. In this Art of War series contribution, MAJ Michael R. Kearnes examines the historical background of personnel management from WW II to the Vietnam War, leading up to the COHORT experiment of the 1980s and 1990s. COHORT aimed to build cohesion via stability at the company and battalion levels on a three-year life cycle. Kearnes concludes that personnel stability is a prerequisite to cohesion and unit effectiveness and that the personnel system ought to focus on building unit cohesion through personnel stability, and account for individual concerns when possible, in both peace and war.


A Talent for Logistics: Sustaining the Army of the Potomac in 1862 and 1864

A Talent for Logistics: Sustaining the Army of the Potomac in 1862 and 1864

By Dr. Curtis S. King

Published: 2022

Few Civil War histories review the intrinsic link between logistics and operations. This Leavenworth Paper examines two major Civil War campaigns in Virginia—Maj. Gen. George Brinton McClellan’s 1862 Peninsula Campaign and Lt. Gen. Ulysses Simpson Grant’s 1864 Overland Campaign—and helps fill this gap in scholarship by providing insights into the critical role logistics played in these campaigns. McClellan and Grant possessed a broad grasp of sustainment and its impact on operational reach. Both recognized the capabilities and limitations of their logistical support and tried to maximize their options. Dr. Curtis King’s contribution to the Leavenworth Paper series offers Army Leadership lessons in understanding effective wartime planning.


Climate Change & National Security: Implications for the Military

Climate Change & National Security: Implications for the Military

By Dr. Albert Palazzo

Published: 2022

Climate change poses a major threat to US national security and the survival of the American people. The US military will need to prepare for a more dangerous and disruptive future, both domestically and internationally, to safeguard the nation’s citizens. In Climate Change & National Security: Implications for the Military, the former Director of War Studies for the Australian Army and current adjunct professor at the University of New South Wales, Dr. Albert Palazzo, examines the risks and challenges the military will face in providing for the nation’s security, and the effect climate change will have on the character of war. Additionally, this book provides recommendations for what the military will need to prepare for a climate-affected future.


Avoiding the Paris Gun Trap: The Future of America’s Strategic Artillery

Avoiding the Paris Gun Trap: The Future of America’s Strategic Artillery

By Ian P. Grundhauser, Major, US Army

98 Pages

Published: 2022

 In an attempt to end the stalemate on the Western Front during World War I, German scientists and engineers created a supergun capable of firing a 233-pound projectile over 75 miles to bombard the citizens of Paris, France. These weapons, The Paris Guns, possessed the potential to achieve an exponential military advantage for the German Military. The Germans’ folly became clear as they developed a weapon without first considering its ability to achieve the effects they desired. Today, the United States Army seeks to develop superguns capable of exponentially increased range, the strategic long-range cannons. The United States Army has defined a role for these weapons in deterring in competition, and penetrating and dis-integrating anti-access and area denial networks in armed conflict. This study examines the history and effects of The Paris Guns at the strategic level. It then measures the accumulation of these effects across the operational variables. This study concludes that The Paris Guns achieved some strategic effects; these effects did not benefit the Germans. Additionally, this study concludes that the United States Army’s pursuit of strategic long-range cannons is viable, provided the pursuit avoids the same strategic errors of The Paris Guns during World War I.


Mustering for War

Mustering for War

By Michael G. Anderson

178 Pages

Published: 2021

In Mustering for War, author Michael G. Anderson provides the ten-year evolution of National Guard mobilization processes in preparation for America’s Global War on Terrorism. Anderson offers a synthesized appraisal of how the United States Army altered its deploying structure to fit a protracted, rotational war that involved the “wholesale rotation of units within an all-volunteer force instead of individual replacements supported by conscription.” Between 2001 and 2011, the Army Guard transitioned from a strategic reserve force into a more operationally responsive component, but not without its growing pains. Anderson’s book details the issues faced by the Army National Guard during mobilization and how they solved problems encountered in manning the force, equipping the force, health readiness, and training the formations for overseas service.


The Resupply of Duffer's Drift

The Resupply of Duffer's Drift

By William C. Latham Jr.

Published: 2021

In "The Resupply of Duffer's Drift" William Latham has pulled the lessons from the original 1905 fictional account into the 21st Century. Through a series of dream scenarios, 2LT Anderson relives a mission over and over again, each time failing and learning from those failures in the next scenario until he finally absorbs the lessons and accomplishes the mission. The lessons learned throughout the story provide a framework for young leaders in how to effectively manage time and personnel, while taking into account the importance of leadership in dangerous situations.


Addressing the Fog of COG: Perspectives on the Center of Gravity in US Military Doctrine

Addressing the Fog of COG

Perspectives on the Center of Gravity in US Military Doctrine

By Celestino Perez Jr., Ph.D. (Gen. Ed.)

185 Pages

Published: 2012

Nearly twenty years ago, as a new student in the Army’s Command and General Staff Officer’s College, Infantry Branch officers introduced to me the relatively newly codified doctrinal term “center of gravity.” Throughout the “best year of our lives” as students, we wrestled with how to apply or integrate center of gravity with the Military Decision Making Process. We read Clausewitz’ On War. I marked every reference he made to center of gravity. We consumed Army Field Manual 100-5 AirLand Battle. I dog-eared the few center of gravity references it had. Some of us stayed at mother Leavenworth for a second year and studied even more Clausewitz, even more Field Manual 100-5, and studied the application of center of gravity in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

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Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire in Modern War - CSI Research Survey No. 1

Amicicide: The Problem of Friendly Fire in Modern War -

CSI Research Survey No. 1

CSI Faculty

158 Pages

Published: 1985

War is aften depicted in the textbooks as a wellorchestrated, albeit violent, exercise in which opposing units strive to achieve tactical and strategic objectives. That each side will suffer casualties in the process is taken for granted; they are the inevitable, if regretable, consequence of such a deadly undertaking. That each side is almost certain to suffer casualties inflicted by its own forces is not generally taken for granted, Yet, in each of America's wars, especially those of the twentieth century, a significant number of soldiers have been killed or wounded as the result of friendly fire.

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Occasional Paper 29 Army Support During the Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Army Support During the Hurricane Katrina Disaster

Occasional Paper 29

By James A. Wombwell

281 Pages

Published: 2009

The Combat Studies Institute (CSI) is pleased to announce its latest publication in the Long War Series, Occasional Paper 29, Army Support During the Hurricane Katrina Disaster, by Mr. James A. Wombwell. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall as a Category 3 storm and was the costliest hurricane as well as one of the five deadliest storms in the history of the United States. It caused extensive destruction along the Gulf coast from central Florida to Texas. The most severe loss of life and property damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana, where the levee system catastrophically failed, flooding the city and large tracts of neighboring parishes.

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Art of War Papers: An 'Exit Strategy' Not a Winning Strategy? Intelligence Lessons Learned From the British 'Emergency' in South Arabia, 1963-67

An 'Exit Strategy' Not a Winning Strategy? Intelligence Lessons Learned From the British 'Emergency' in South Arabia, 1963-67

Art of War Papers

Stephen Andrew Campbell, Major, British Army

152 Pages

Published: 2014

The British Army is often praised for a particular skill in small wars or counter-insurgencies (COIN). Some attribute this to the special challenge of maintaining order across a global empire with a relatively small force; others cite the intellectual inheritance of great British military theorists and an inherent flexibility present within a small army used to adaptation. Recent scholarship has challenged this view, suggesting that the UK’s record of success in COIN is inconsistent and ignores many failures.

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ARTILLERY STRONG - Modernizing the Field Artillery for the 21st Century

ARTILLERY STRONG

Modernizing the Field Artillery for the 21st Century

Boyd L. Dastrup, Ph.D.

299 Pages

Published: 2018

The newest book from Army University Press tells the story of the US Army's Field Artillery over the last 25 years. Since Desert Storm, the Field Artillery has modernized its equipment and organization to address new adversaries, new missions, and new technology.

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CSI Report No. 2: A Comparative Look at Air-Ground Support Doctrine and Practice in World War II

A Comparative Look at Air-Ground Support Doctrine and Practice in World War II

CSI Report No. 2

By LTC Kenneth Steadman

42 Pages

Published: 1991

This study summarizes the air-ground support doctrine and systems employed by both the Allies and their adversaries in World War II. 1 It is intended to identify similarities and differences in the doctrinal and procedural systems employed by the combatants; it is in no sense a complete historical study of air-ground operations during the war. The value of the study lies in its narrow focus on a specific application of air power and in its comparative examination of this application.

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Asymmetrical Warfare, Transformation, and Foreign Language Capability

Asymmetrical Warfare, Transformation, and Foreign Language Capability

By Clifford F. Porter

24 Pages

Published: 2003

For the Department of Defense (DOD) to transform itself for modern asymmetrical warfare, foreign language capability must be understood as an integral component. There is no doubt that the current global war on terrorism is an asymmetrical war against an unpredictable enemy rather than the predictable or symmetrical threats against self-important dictators or the Soviet Union. Understanding how our enemies think and act—specifically, what motivates their murderous ideology—will be the key to combating terrorism and identifying centers of gravity and critical vulnerabilities from the strategic to the tactical level of war.

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Books for the Military Professional

Books for the Military Professional

By CSI Faculty

28 Pages

Published: 1995

Knowledge is power. With knowledge, Army leaders will have a basis for understanding the present and developing a vision for the future. They will be able to cope with change and perhaps even shape it. How can knowledge, understanding and vision be obtained? There is no simple answer, but reading and serious reflection on then and ideas of others are essential parts of the process. That is why the Combat Studies Institute (CSl) of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College has prepared this list of books. The intention is to help members of the profession of arms grow professionally and personally by providing this key to information, insights, and collective wisdom.

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Boots on the Ground: Troop Density in Contingency Operations - Occasional Paper 16

Boots on the Ground: Troop Density in Contingency Operations

Occasional Paper 16

By John J. McGrath

211 Pages

Published: 2006

John McGrath’s Troop Density is a very timely historical analysis. While the value of history is indeed timeless, this paper clearly shows the immediate relevancy of historical study to current events. One of the most common criticisms of the U.S. plan to invade Iraq in 2003 is that too few troops were used. The argument often fails to satisfy anyone for there is no standard against which to judge. Too few troops compared to what? Too few troops compared to which historical analogy? Too few troops compared to which policy maker or retired general’s book?.

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Carl Von Clausewitz: Two Letters on Strategy

Carl Von Clausewitz:

Two Letters on Strategy

CSI Faculty

78 Pages

Published: 1984

This edition of Carl von Clausewitz's Two Letters on Strategy was made possible by the Army War College Foundation and by the Art of War Colloquium of the Army War College, which sponsors the volume as part of its program of republishing military classics for the professional development of the officer corps. The Army War College wishes to express its gratitude to the co-editors and translators, Professor Peter Par et, Spruance Professor of International History at Stanford University, and Dr. Daniel Moran.

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Combat Multipliers: African-American Soldiers in Four Wars

Combat Multipliers:

African-American Soldiers in Four Wars

By Krewasky A. Salter

151 Pages

Published: 2003

This study by Lieutenant Colonel Krewasky A. Salter represents a dedicated effort to draw attention to African-American units and service members over four major wars covering some 170 years. His background in military history and African-American history, along with his numerous professional research, publications, and teaching experiences in both civilian and military institutions, makes him imminently qualified to undertake this project. As a battalion command selectee, Salter has had a remarkable career on the military side as well.

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Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939

Combined Arms in Battle Since 1939

Dr. Roger J. Spiller, ed.

299 Pages

Published: 1992

In 1927, Lieutenant Colonel George C. Marshall left his faculty position at the Army War College for a tour of duty as the assistant commander of the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning, Georgia. Marshall was already well known in the U.S. Army. He had been a student and then an instructor at Fort Leavenworth’s Army service schools-later the U.S. Army Command and General Staff Collegewhile only a Iieutenant. He had also served two tours of duty in the Philippines, and after America’s entry into World War I, he rose steadily through the staff of the American Expeditionary Forces (AEF) in France to become the G3 (Operations) officer of the General Headquarters, AEF.

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Compound Warfare: An Anthology

Compound Warfare:

An Anthology

Thomas M. Huber, ed.

334 Pages

Published: 2002

In the long history of warfare, a recurring theme is the combined use of regular and irregular forces to pursue victory. The American colonists relied upon regular Continental Army troops and local militia in their war for independence. British troops commanded by Wellington fought alongside Spanish peasant guerrillas against Napoleon in Spain. The Chinese Communists under Mao Zedong organized local militia units, regional forces, and a regular army for use in their struggle to topple the Nationalist government.

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Cultural Perspectives, Geopolitics & Energy Security of Eurasia

Cultural Perspectives, Geopolitics & Energy Security of Eurasia

Is the Next Global Conflict Imminent?

By Dr. Mahir J. Ibrahimov; Mr. Gustav A. Otto; COL Lee G. Gentile, Jr.

232 Pages

Published: 2017

Marking the anniversary of the Ukraine Revolution of 2014, the Army University Press is pleased to announce the publishing of "Cultural Perspectives, Geopolitics & Energy Security of Eurasia: Is the Next Global Conflict Imminent?" This anthology was written under the auspice of CREL Management Office (CRELMO), and provides insight and observations on the importance of the Eurasia region, including Russia and other countries of the former USSR. The articles that make up this work provide a detailed description of regional realities, including a contextual discussion of the current Ukraine situation, viewed through the prism of Russia’s traditional military-strategic culture. As with all countries in the Eurasian region, Russia’s traditional strategic interests play a critical role in the geopolitical and socio-cultural situation in that region. The observations and insights in this volume are important for Army professionals who lead Soldiers in a variety of missions across the globe. The anthology goes beyond the obvious military strategic nexus and seeks to identify new spaces for consideration by planners and policymakers alike. (From introduction by MG John S. Kem, Provost, Army University.) This and all other Army University Press publications can be accessed here.

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Deception Operations - CSI Historical Bibliography No. 5

Deception Operations

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 5

By Dr. Gary Bjorge

40 Pages

Published: 1986

The focus of this bibliography is on deception at the operational level of war. However, because successful deception at this level depends on successful tactical-level deception and excellent camouflage and concealment, material on these related topics is also included.

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Deception Operations - CSI Historical Bibliography No. 5

Deciding What Has To Be Done:

General William E DePuy and the 1976 Edition of FM 100-5, Operations - Leavenworth Papers No. 16

By Dr. Gary Bjorge

139 Pages

Published: 1988

The single most important or1gm of today's AirLand Battle doctrine was the establishment of the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in 1973 and the writing of a wholly new Field Manual (FM) 100-5, Operations, under the supervision of the first TRADOC commander, General William E. DePuy. The writing of that manual, the first doctrinal statement of the post-Vietnam years, is the topic of this Leavenworth Paper

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CSI Report No. 8: Discussions on Training and Employing Light Infantry

Discussions on Training and Employing Light Infantry

CSI Report No. 8

By MAJ Scott R. McMichael

27 Pages

Published: 1983

In 1983, General John A. Wickham, Chief of Staff of the Army, announced the decision to field one or more new light infantry divisions in the Resular Army force structure in order to improve the nation's capability for strategic response world-wide. Since then, the questions of light force composition and employment have occupied a central place in the wide ranging discussions which were generated by General Wickham' s decision. Historical studies, analyses, wargames, simulations, and seminars have been conducted to create and refine the structure and doctrine of the new light forces.

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Occasional Paper 7 Easier Said than Done: Making the Transition between Combat Operations and Stability Operations

Easier Said than Done: Making the Transition between Combat Operations and Stability Operations

Occasional Paper 7

By David P. Cavaleri

105 Pages

Published: 2005

Easier Said Than Done: Making the Transition Between Combat Operations and Stability Operations is another in the Combat Studies Institute’s (CSI) Global War On Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Papers series. The impetus for this series that concerns topics relevant to ongoing and future operations came from the Commanding General, Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth. Lieutenant General William S. Wallace, V Corps commander in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, directed CSI to examine historical topics that would benefit American and coalition soldiers and planners in both Iraq today, and in the broader GWOT spectrum now and in the future.

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Envisioning Future Warfare

Envisioning Future Warfare

By GEN Gordon Sullivan et al.

80 Pages

Published: 1995

The strategic environment at the end of the 20th century is characterized by two competing trends. First, the international system has entered a period of increased instability. Second, we are witnessing the maturation of information processing technology and its subsequent impact on economics, politics, and the conduct of war. This collection of three articles by General Gordon R. Sullivan and Colonel James M. Dubik explores these trends and seeks to envision their implications on future war.

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CSI Report No. 12: Evaluating Historical Materials

Evaluating Historical Materials

CSI Report No. 12

By Dr. Larry D. Roberts

18 Pages

Published: 1990

Many who read history make the mistake of accepting at face value all the information an author presents. This is true of those reading a single history book and those conducting historical research and analysis. In reality, only part of any historical work is uncontested fact; the rest is the author's interpretation or opinion of how and why things happened. In addition, errors of fact can easily be found in most books, articles, or documents due to the author's error or errors in the documents he used in his research. The realization of these failings often causes some readers to go to the extreme of doubting all that they read. History can be of immense value to any reader, including the professional soldier, if these shortcomings are recognized and the facts are carefully sifted.

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Faith and Hope in a War-Torn Land

Faith and Hope in a War-Torn Land

By Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Kenneth E. Lawson

212 Pages

Published: 2006

In Faith and Hope in a War-Torn Land: The US Army Chaplaincy in the Balkans, 1995–2005, Chaplain (Lieutenant Colonel) Ken Lawson has provided the Army with an unusual and much needed perspective on its history. The Combat Studies Institute is proud to add this study from the US Army Chaplain Corps to our Special Studies series of publications.

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For Man and Country: Atheist Chaplains in the US Army?

For Man and Country

Atheist Chaplains in the US Army?

By Valeria R. Van Dress, Major, Chaplain

166 Pages

Published: 2016

For Man and Country: Atheist Chaplains in the US Army? asks the question whether the US Army should allow secular humanist and other non-religious leaders into the Chaplain Corps. Major Valeria Van Dress, a serving Army Chaplain, examines the issue objectively, allowing all side to share their perspectives. Her recommendation si for the Army to adjust to the increase of non-religious Soldiers without changing the composition of the Chaplain Corps.

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Leavenworth Paper 24: Forging the Ninth Army-XXIX TAC Team The Development, Training, and Application of American Air-Ground Doctrine in World War II

Forging the Ninth Army-XXIX TAC Team

The Development, Training, and Application of American Air-Ground Doctrine in World War II

Leavenworth Paper 24

By Christopher M. Rein, Ph.D.

211 Pages

Published: 2019

Forging the Ninth Army –XXIX Team: The Development, Training, and Application of American Air Ground Doctrine in World War II by Christopher M. Rein, Ph.D. is the latest volume in the Leavenworth Paper series. This study tells the story of how before D-Day, the US Army developed new doctrine and training for its air-ground teams. As Dr. Rein shows, the close air support provided by these teams often proved decisive as the Allies fought their way across the Rhine and defeated Germany.

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Foundations of the Science of War

Foundations of the Science of War

By COL J. F. C. Fuller

339 Pages

Published: 1985

Major General John Frederick Charles Fuller was, and remains, the most brilliant, most stimulating, and most arrogant and aggravating military writer of the twentieth century. Fuller, an infantryman, first saw modern combat in the Boer War. During World War I, he was the GSO1 of the Tank Corps. Thereafter, he was one of the leading theorists of armored warfare in the 1920s and 1930s and wrote forty-five books on warfare, theoretical tracts, histories, and studies of generalship during an extraordinarily productive life as a molder of opinion on military affairs.

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From One Leader to Another

From One Leader to Another

By CSM Joe B. Parson (Gen. Ed.)

404 Pages

Published: 2013

This work is a collection of observations, insights, and advice from over 50 serving and retired Senior Non-Commissioned Officers. These experienced Army leaders have provided for the reader, outstanding mentorship on leadership skills, tasks, and responsibilities relevant to our Army today. There is much wisdom and advice “from one leader to another” in the following pages. CSI - The Past is Prologue!

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From One Leader to Another

From One Leader to Another Vol II

By CSM Joe B. Parson (Gen. Ed.)

322 Pages

Published: 2014

This outstanding resource contains a wealth of knowledge from some of the most experienced Non-Commissioned Officers from across our Army. Every NCO can learn important lessons from fellow NCOs and I encourage you to pass on that knowledge to your Soldiers.

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General Douglas MacArthur Military Leadership Writing Competition Command and General Staff College 2012 Award Winning Essays

General Douglas MacArthur Military Leadership Writing Competition Command and General Staff College 2012 Award Winning Essays

Award Winning Essays

74 Pages

Published: 2013

During each session of the Intermediate Level Education Course, the Command and General Staff College holds the General Douglas MacArthur Military Leadership Writing Competition. Students author and submit papers on various leadership topics. Winning papers are selected by a panel of judges and are evaluated on originality, scholarship, writing style and value to the profession.

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Guide to the Study and Use of Military History

Guide to the Study and Use of Military History

By John E. Jessup, Robert W. Coakley

498 Pages

Published: 1988

OVER the years the study of military history has had its ups and downs within the Army. Inthe education of the World War II generation of military leaders it played an important part; for the study of past operations held a preeminent place in the Army schools’ curricula in the period between the two great world wars. In the years immediately following World War II, it lost that place. This happened partly because the information explosion broadened so greatly the areas in which an officer had to be knowledgeable and partly because of a belief that the pace of change in technology had rendered the study of past experience irrelevant.

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A Historical Perspective on Light Infantry - CSI Research Survey 6

A Historical Perspective on Light Infantry

CSI Research Survey 6

By MAJ Scott R. McMichael

260 Pages

Published: 1987

What is the precise meaning of the term "light infantry"? How does light infantry differ from regular or conventional infantry? Are light infantry and dismounted infantry synonymous? Is light infantry merely conventional infantry given a light organization by stripping out heavy equipment and vehicles, or is it something quite different in terms of tactical style, attitudes, and utility? Are light infantry forces specialized elite forces or not? Do light forces have utility in low-, mid-, and high-intensity conflict?

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A Historical Review and Analysis of Army Physical Readiness Training and Assessment

A Historical Review and Analysis of Army Physical Readiness Training and Assessment

By Whitfield B. East

294 Pages

Published: 2013

Through the process of critical review, the purpose of this monograph is to analyze the history of physical readiness training and assessment in the United States Army. Although the evolution of Army physical readiness training (PRT) doctrine begins during the pre-Colonial period in America, in order to fully understand this evolutionary process we must first understand the development of military physical training in Europe and its role in shaping the philosophy and doctrine of US Army PRT.

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CSI Reprint: Introductory Material to a Summary of the Art of War

Introductory Material to a Summary of the Art of War

CSI Reprint

By Jomini

26 Pages

Published: 1854

The summary of the art of war, which 1 submit to the public, was written originally for the instruction of an august prince, and in view of the numerous additions which I have just made to it, I flatter myself that it will be worthy of its destination. To the end of causing its object to be better appreciated, I believe it my duty to precede it by a few lines upon the present state of the theory of war«

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Jean De Bloch: Selected Articles

Jean De Bloch:

Selected Articles

By M. Jean de Bloch

129 Pages

Published: 1993

Ivan (Jan) S. Bloch was a prophet. A Polish Jewish banker and railroad financier when Poland was a province of the Russian Empire, Bloch compiled an extensive, detailed analysis of the potential effects of a great power war at the end of the nineteenth century. Bloch's work was published in several languages and was widely known and discussed prior to World War I. It was most influential in the international pacifist movements.

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Art of War Papers: Lansdale, Magsaysay, America, and the Philippines

Lansdale, Magsaysay, America, and the Philippines

Art of War Papers:

By Andrew E. Lembke, MAJ, US Army

142 Pages

Published: 2013

Historians tend to agree that Ramon Magsaysay’s leadership and his relationship with Edward Lansdale are two of the most important features of the Philippine governments campaign against the Huks from 1946-1954. Yet the nuances of his leadership and the nature of their relationship deserve greater investigation. This thesis seeks to further illuminate Magsaysay and Lansdale’s relationship by focusing on the role of empathy and sociocultural understanding, in defeating the Huks and restoring the Philippine government’s legitimacy. US policy in the Philippines at the time, bolstered regimes riddled with corruption, graft, and nepotism, reinforcing poor governance, and resulting in a loss of government legitimacy.

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Large-Scale Combat Operations: The Division Fight

Large-Scale Combat Operations: The Division Fight

Art of Tactics Series

By Dennis S. Burket

325 Pages

Published: 2019

This new compendium is the first volume in the Art of Tactics series, sponsored by the Department of Army Tactics, US Army Command and General Staff College. This collection examines various aspects of division-level operations, to include Fires, Wet Gap Crossings, and Consolidating Gains, as part of the Army’s effort to refocus the force on large-scale combat against near peer and peer adversaries.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 4: Larger Units: Theater Army, Army Group, Field Army

Larger Units: Theater Army, Army Group, Field Army

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 4

By LTC Gary L. Bounds

28 Pages

Published: 1984

In late 1983, the Concept Development Directorate (CDD) at the Combined Arms Center queried the Combat Studies Institute (CSl) on the subject of larger unit operations. In response, CSI agreed to prepare a three-part study on larger units of which this annotated bibliography is a part. A search of primary and secondary source material in the Combined Arms Research Library (CARL) produced a substantial holding of subject-related material. A follow-up search of the holdings of the Military History Institute (MHl) revealed additional primary and secondary source material. This bibliography includes holdings from both agencies.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 2: Light Infantry Forces

Light Infantry Forces

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 2

By MAJ Scott R. McMichael

27 Pages

Published: 1984

This annotated bibliography was initially developed in conjunction with the initiative of the Department of the Army in 1983 to develop the force structure for 10,000-man light infantry divisions. Its goals were to provide annotated historical references for the combat experiences of previous light divisions and to list historical sources on the force design process, especially in regard to attempts to lighten the force or to respond to improvements in technology on the battlefield, The first draft of this bibliography was distributed in September and October 1983 as a quick reference to force planners across the Army.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 8: Military Classics

Military Classics

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 8

Dr. Robert Berlin, ed.

77 Pages

Published: 1988

Many of the books listed in this work are military classics, that is, books of recognized value that set a standard of historical or literary excellence. Others evaluate or expand on the military classics. Focused mainly on the history of land warfare, this bibliography begins with a general section. The books listed cover more than one chronological period or topical area, or are broad surveys of military history, or concentrate on a unique subject.

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Military History and Professional Development: Suggestions to Units and Formations (1985)

Military History and Professional Development: Suggestions to Units and Formations (1985)

By Lieutenant Colonel Gary L. Bounds, Lieutenant Colonel John A. Hixson, Lieutenant Colonel Gary H. Wade, Major Gary B. Griffin, Major Scott R. McMichael, Major Andrew N. Morris, Major Claude R. Sasso, Captain Thomas P. Odom

39 Pages

Published: 1985

This pamphlet is designed to provide ideas for the use of military history and military history related activities in fostering professional development. The ideas presented here, with some exceptions, do not require great expertise in the historical arena for their implementation. They are simply designed for use by service members, unit commanders, and school commandants to enhance soldier awareness of the past and thereby to instill in us pride and esprit de corps in our profession. This pamphlet is not limited to ceremonial programs and exhibits but encompasses a wide range of activities, such as battle analyses and staff rides. The broad scope of the pamphlet will aid the user in picking those ideas that best fit the needs of the individual, unit, or organization.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 7: Mobilization

Mobilization

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 7

By COL Charles A. Endress

24 Pages

Published: 1987

This bibliography provides those with access to the Combined Arms Research Library a starting point in the search for information relating to the mobilization and integration of reserve forces during national emergencies in the twentieth century.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 7: Mobilization

Moving the Enemy: Operational Art in the Chinese PLA's Huai Hai Campaign (revised)

Leavenworth Papers No. 22

By Dr. Gary Bjorge

282 Pages

Published: 2003

The genesis of this book lies so many years in the past that it is hard to imagine that it is actually being published. In 1986, as a member of the Research Committee in the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC), I was tasked to study the Huai Hai Campaign as an example of large-unit maneuver. As part of that assignment, I asked for, and was granted, an invitation from the Chinese Academy of Military Science (AMS) to visit China to conduct research on the campaign.

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Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II

Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II

By Christopher M. Rein

191 Pages

Published: 2018

"Multi-Domain Battle in the Southwest Pacific Theater of World War II" provides a historical account of how US forces used synchronized operations in the air, maritime, information, and land domains to defeat the Japanese Empire. This work offers a historical case that illuminates current thinking about future campaigns in which coordination among all domains will be critical for success.

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CSI Report No. 10: Night Combat Operations

Night Combat Operations

CSI Report No. 10

By MAJ Andrew N. Morris

54 Pages

Published: 1985

The U.S. Army has always recognized that combat operations of any nature (offensive or defensive) will usually continue curing the hours of darkness. Not since tne Civil War and Indian Wars has the luxury of discontinuing actons at sunset and picking up again at sunrise been available, and even these conflicts provide numerous instances of movement and preparation of positions at night. Yet, despite tne his~orical record, the U.S. Army has always emphasized aaylight operations and has frequently forfeited the night to the enemy. Sometimes this has been done deliberately, 1 but more often it has been a result of a massive American preponderance in indirect fires, total air superiority, and being untrained and uncomfortable with night operations.

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CSI Report No. 4: Notes on Military Elite Units

Notes on Military Elite Units

CSI Report No. 4

By LTC Gary Bounds

12 Pages

Published: 1984

The attached notes were prepared by the Combat Studies Institute in response to a request by TRADOC Chief of Staff, MG Robert Forman, to assist in formulating ideas on elite forces using a historical perspective, CSI staff members discussed the paper with MG Forman at a working luncheon during his visit to the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College on 16 March 1984. Present at the luncheon were the Deputy Commandant of the College, MG Dave Palmer, and four historians from the Combat Studies Institute.

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On Strategy: A Primer

On Strategy: A Primer

By Nathan K. Finney

276 Pages

Published: 2020

This book is a collection of essays that provide historical insight, lessons learned from experience, and illustrations of strategy in practice. Designed as a primer for mid-career military professionals, On Strategy culls the expertise of a diverse group of strategists who represent the brightest minds of the field. They offer a succinct breakdown and instruction on how to think and act strategically at every level. It is a comprehensive and useful book that connects foundational theory to contemporary complexities.

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Art of War Papers: Operations at the Border

Operations at the Border

Art of War Papers

By Eric Hunter Haas, MAJ, US Army

134 Pages

Published: 2012

Disrupting an insurgent’s access to sanctuary and safe-haven is a critical aspect of operational planning for counterinsurgent forces. By denying an insurgent’s access to safe-havens early in the conflict, the counterinsurgent will gain a marked advantage over the initially weaker force. Only through a deep understanding of how the insurgent is using international, tribal, or cultural borders to evade the counterinsurgent force can the counterinsurgent disrupt the insurgent operations. In order to accomplish this, the counterinsurgent must understand the physical terrain and cultural demographics, nest border operations into the overarching strategy, and employ security forces to reinforce success.

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Occasional Paper 17 - Out of Bounds: Transnational Sanctuary in Irregular Warfare

Out of Bounds: Transnational Sanctuary in Irregular Warfare

Occasional Paper 17

By Thomas A. Bruscino, Jr.

122 Pages

Published: 2006

In this timely Occasional Paper, Dr. Tom Bruscino analyzes a critical issue in the GWOT, and one which has bedeviled counterinsurgents past and present. He examines the role played by sanctuaries as they relate to irregular warfare in two conflicts. An active sanctuary refers to the practice of using territory outside the geographical limits of an irregular war to provide various forms of support to one side, usually the insurgent or guerrilla force.

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Art of War Papers: Perceptions of Airpower and Implications for the Leavenworth Schools: Interwar Student Papers Art of War Papers

Perceptions of Airpower and Implications for the Leavenworth Schools

Interwar Student Papers Art of War Papers

By David R. Jones, Major, US Army

153 Pages

Published: 2014

This thesis evaluates interwar period US Army officer perceptions of aviation as expressed in student papers written as part of the Command and General Staff School during the 1930s. The evaluation compares student perceptions to period airpower theory and doctrine and applies that study to weigh-in on the broader debate over the effectiveness of Fort Leavenworth during the interwar period.

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Principles of War, A translation from the Japanese

Principles of War

A translation from the Japanese

B yDr. Joseph West

129 Pages

Published: 1969

In connection with the planning of the Yalu River river—crossing attack at the beginning of the Russo-Japanese War, General Tamemoto Kuroki, Commander of the [Japanese] First Army, in one paragraph of his instructions to his assembled staff, stated that, "In the military operations of the First Army, particularly the operations at the beginning of the war, if we do not act so that future historians cannot raise even one point of criticism, we should fail in our samurai duty, ... Since the plan was made with such care and logic, even if the worst should happen, that would not be a matter for regret; it would be divine will.

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Occasional Paper 12: Public War, Private Fight? The United States and Private Military Companies

Private Fight? The United States and Private Military Companies

Occasional Paper 12: Public War

By Deborah C. Kidwell

82 Pages

Published: 2005

Former Army Chief of Staff J. Lawton Collins was inducted into the Fort Leavenworth Memorial Hall of Fame on 17 May 1983. The Hall of Fame was established to honor American soldiers who have contributed significantly to the defense of the United States. General Collins, recognized as the "best" corps commander during World War II, was elected by a panel of distinguished historians.

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Robots on the Battlefield

Robots on the Battlefield

Ronan Doaré, Didier Danet, Jean-Paul Hanon, & Gérard de Boisboissel, General Editors

301 Pages

Published: 2014

Robots on the Battlefield is the first work published in the United States by the Ecoles de Saint-Cyr Coëtquidan, the French military officer training facility. It is the fruit of cooperation with the Combat Studies Institute of the US Army Combined Arms Center, whom I wish to thank for their active part in this initiative. I look forward to seeing other joint publications from this original cooperation in the future.

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Leavenworth Papers No. 20 Russian-Soviet Unconventional Wars in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan

Russian-Soviet Unconventional Wars in the Caucasus, Central Asia, and Afghanistan

Leavenworth Papers No. 20

By Robert F. Baumann

231 Pages

Published: 1993

Primarily employing Russian sources, including important archival documents only recently declassified and made available to Western scholars, Dr. Baumann provides an insightful look at the Russian conquest of the Caucasian mountaineers (1B01-59), the subjugation of Central Asia ( 1839-81 ), the reconquest of Central Asia by the Red Army ( 1918-33), and the Soviet war in Afghanistan ( 1979--89). The history of these wars-especially as it relates to the battle tactics, force structure, and strategy employed in them-offers important new perspectives on elements of continuity and change in combat over two centuries. This is the first study to provide an in-depth examination of the evolution of the Russian and Soviet unconventional experience on the predominantly Muslim southern periphery of the former empire.

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Scouts Out! The Development of Reconnaissance Units in Modern Armies

Scouts Out! The Development of Reconnaissance Units in Modern Armies

By John J. McGrath

272 Pages

Published: 2008

Reconnaissance and counterreconnaissance are battlefield missions as old as military history itself and missions for which many armies have created specialized units to perform. In most cases, these units were trained, equipped, and used differently from the majority of an army’s fighting units. Horse cavalry performed these missions for centuries, for it had speed and mobility far in excess of main battle units. Once the horse was replaced by mechanization, however, the mobility advantage once enjoyed by the horse cavalry disappeared.

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Seek, Strike, and Destroy - Leavenworth Papers No. 12

Seek, Strike, and Destroy

Leavenworth Papers No. 12

By Dr. Christopher R. Gabel

98 Pages

Published: 1985

On 3 December 1941, the War Department inaugurated a military concept unique to the U.S. Army-the tank destroyer. The term “tank destroyer” (TD) evolved into a broad concept that included personnel, equipment, and units alike. Born of a desperate need to counter the mechanized might of the so-called blitzkrieg, tank destroyer doctrine involved the pooling of antitank weapons into battalion%

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Selected Papers of General William E. Depuy

Selected Papers of General William E. Depuy

By COL Richard M. Swain

490 Pages

Published: 1994

William E. DePuy was likely the most important figure in the recovery of the United States Army from its collapse after the defeat in Vietnam. That is a rather large claim, and it suggests a precedence over a number of other distinguished officers, both his contemporaries and successors. But it is a claim that can be justified by the test of the "null hypothesis": Could the Army that conducted the Gulf War be imagined without the actions of General DePuy and those he instructed and inspired? Clearly, it could not. There are few officers of the period about whom one can make the same claim.

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CSI Report No. 14: Sixty Years of Reorganizing for Combat: A Historical Trend Analysis

Sixty Years of Reorganizing for Combat: A Historical Trend Analysis

CSI Report No. 14

CSI Faculty

72 Pages

Published: 1999

Throughout the twentieth century, the U.S. Army has periodically reviewed the structure and organization of its primary combat unit, the division, to posture itself better to meet changing requirements. Since 1939, the Army has conducted at least eleven such reviews with associated testing and validation exercises, the most recent being the reorganization of the light and heavy divisions in the mid-to-late 1980s. Given the significant changes in the world political environment since the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact in the early 1990s, another such review is warranted, if not overdue.

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Standing Fast - CSI Research Survey 5

Standing Fast

CSI Research Survey 5

By MAJ Timothy A. Wray

230 Pages

Published: 1986

Correctly foreseeing the nature of a future war is the most critical problem confronting military leaders in peacetime. Effective investments in training, equipment, and weaponry depend on the accuracy with which leaders can, in effect, predict the future. To aid them in their predictions, strategists often attempt to isolate relevant lessons from recent wars to guide them in their decision making.

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Strategy and tactics for learning, the Papers of General Paul F. Gorman, USA (R)

Strategy and tactics for learning, the Papers of General Paul F. Gorman, USA (R)

General Paul F. Gorman, USA (Ret)

Ike Skelton Combined Arms Research Digital Library

Created: 2017

This archive was created at the direction of the Commander, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), as part of an effort to preserve the legacy of TRADOC’s founding leaders at a time when many of the challenges the founders faced are again confronting an Army emerging from a long war in a period of financial stringency and technological change.


CSI Report No. 13: Tactical Responses to Concentrated Artillery

Tactical Responses to Concentrated Artillery

CSI Report No. 13

CSI Faculty

154 Pages

Published: 1990

The focus of this study is on how the armies of different nations; countered the threat of massive concentrated artillery and/or other types of preparatory fires. Not all were successful, and the reasons for the success or failure of each army provides the contemporary military commander an opportunity to learn from his "predecessors" and benefit from their hard-learned lessons.

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Art of War Papers: The Biggest Stick - The Employment of Artillery Units in Counterinsurgency

The Biggest Stick - The Employment of Artillery Units in Counterinsurgency

Art of War Papers

By Richard B. Johnson, MAJ, US Army

229 Pages

Published: 2012

This study uses a comparative analysis of the Malayan Emergency, the American experience in Vietnam, and Operation IRAQI FREEDOM to examine the role and effectiveness of artillery units in complex counterinsurgency environments. Through this analysis, four factors emerge which impact the employment of artillery units: the counterinsurgency effort’s requirement for indirect fires; constraints and limitations on indirect fires; the counterinsurgency effort’s force organization; and the conversion cost of nonstandard roles for artillery units.

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The Brigade: A History

The Brigade: A History

By John J. McGrath

251 Pages

Published: 2004

Boston native John McGrath has worked for the US Army in one capacity or another since 1978. A retired Army Reserve officer, Mr. McGrath served in infantry, field artillery and logistics units, both on active duty and as a reservist. Before coming to work at the Combat Studies Institute, he worked for 4 years at the US Army Center of Military History in Washington, DC, as a historian and archivist. Prior to that, Mr. McGrath worked fulltime for the US Army Reserve in Massachusetts for over 15 years, both as an active duty reservist and as a civilian military technician. He also served as a mobilized reservist in 1991 in Saudi Arabia with the 22d Support Command during Operation DESERT STORM as the command historian and in 1992 at the US Army Center of Military History as a researcher/writer.

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The Challenge of Army Adaptation – The US Army in the Aftermath of Conflict, 1953-2000 - Occasional Paper 27

The Challenge of Army Adaptation – The US Army in the Aftermath of Conflict, 1953-2000

Occasional Paper 27

By Robert T. Davis II

159 Pages

Published: 2008

The Combat Studies Institute (CSI) is pleased to present Long War Occasional Paper 27, The Challenge of Adaptation: The US Army in the Aftermath of Conflict, 1953-2000, by CSI historian Mr. Robert Davis. Using three case studies from the late twentieth century, Davis examines the processes by which the US Army sought to prepare itself for the future after the conclusion of a major conflict.

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CSI Reprint: The Defense of Duffer's Drift

The Defense of Duffer's Drift

CSI Reprint

By Captain E. D. Swinton

73 Pages

Published: 1935

The Boers, Dutch for farmer, first settled what is now Cape Province, Republic of South Africa in 1652. After Great Britain annexed this territory in 1806, many of the Boer-s departed on the “Great Trek’“and created the Republic of Natal, the Orange Free State, and the Transvaal. Gradual commercial control by the British and discovery of gold and diamonds, among other things, served to create hostility between the Boers and British, resulting in the South African War or Boer War from 1899 to 1902.

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The Dynamics of Doctrine

The Dynamics of Doctrine

The Changes in German Tactical Doctrine During The First World War - Leavenworth Papers No. 4

By Timothy T. Lupfer

76 Pages

Published: 1981

This latest Leavenworth Paper is a case study in the wartime evolution of tactical doctrine. Previous publications of the Combat Studies Institute have examined the peacetime development of doctrine and have increased our knowledge of how doctrine has been applied. With the publication of Captain Lupfer's study. "The Dynamics of Doctrine," the Combat Studies Institute adds another dimension to the history of the processes of doctrinal change.

Besides providing a summary of German Infantry tactics of the First World War, this study offers insights into the crucial role of leadership in facilitating doctrinal change during battle. It once again reminds us that success in war demands extensive and vigorous training calculated to insure that field commanders understand and apply sound tactical principles as guidelines for action and not as a substitute for good judgment. It points out the need for a timely effort in collecting and evaluating doctrinal lessons from battlefield experience.

Finally, this study reminds us of yet another fundamental lesson from the past-that tendencies toward accepting the battlefield as a routine can be a deadly error. Altering previously accepted tactics in the middle of a struggle, as the author points out, is a very urgent and serious matter. As members of the Profession of Arms, we must be sensitive to the demands of change, visionary in our examination of their implications, and creative in our adaptation of combat organizations, tactics, and techniques.

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The Evolution of Military Thought

The Evolution of Military Thought

By LTG Von Der Goltz

106 Pages

Published: 1991

"WAR should not be included in the domain of the arts:and sciences; but rather in the sphere of social life. It is 'a conflict of vast interests, which is solved in blood, and only in this respect docs it differ from other contests; A better comparison could be made with commerce than with any art whatever, for trade is also a conllict of human interests and activities; and much nearer to it still is politics, which, for its part, can be regarded as a species of trade on a larger scale. Besides, it is the lap in which war is developed; in it the features of war are already obscurely outlined, like the attributes of living creatures in their gerrns."-Clausewitz, "01i lVar," Book 2, Chapter I II.

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The Evolution of Operational Art

The Evolution of Operational Art

By Brigade Commander Georgii Samoilovich Isserson

140 Pages

Published: 2013

One can argue that the development of true doctrine required the formal adoption of the concept of operational art. Prior to the Great War, no army in the world possessed a codified body of thought that enabled senior military commanders to visualize the aggregate effects of tactical engagements across time and space. By 1918, after a dramatic revision of drill regulations into something approaching true doctrine, the German army was furthest in realizing this goal. Ultimately, though, the Germans could not translate tactical success into strategic victory because they could not resource military operations in sufficient depth to render local successes decisive.

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CSI Report No. 1: The Evolution of the Tank in the US Army, 1919-1940

The Evolution of the Tank in the US Army, 1919-1940

CSI Report No. 1

By LTC Kenneth Steadman

10 Pages

Published: 1982

This paper summarizes the evolution of the tank in the US Army during the period 1919-1940. It examines the US Army's post World War I concept of future war and explores the evolution of tank design, force organization, and mechanized doctrine through the interwar period. The issues and factors that were crucial to the early evolution of the tank in the US Army were largely responsible for the role the tank played during and after World War II.

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Leavenworth Papers No. 1 The Evolution of U.S. Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76

The Evolution of U.S. Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76

Leavenworth Papers No. 1

By MAJ Robert A. Doughty

63 Pages

Published: 1979

THE tactical doctrine of the US Army changed considerably between 1946 and 1976.The changes which took place were influenced by a variety of factors, including improved conventional weapons, increased mobility, the development of nuclear weapons, the desires of different military leaders, wartime demand, parochial clashes between various branches, interservice rivalry and evolving nationa security policy.

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The Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium Report

The Fort Leavenworth Ethics Symposium Report

Edited By Kristy G. Russell & Ted G. Ihrke

246 Pages

Published: 2015

Ethics is an integral aspect of everything we espouse as professionals. Ethics underpins leader development, moral decision making, and the trust relationships inherent within our organizations. Since 2009, the Command and General Staff College has partnered with the Command and General Staff College Foundation, Inc. to host an annual ethics symposium. These symposia provide an opportunity for a broad audience to think about and discuss topics that are important to our profession.

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CSI Reprint: The Future of War: In Its Technical Economic and Political Relations

The Future of War: In Its Technical Economic and Political Relations

CSI Reprint

By M. Jean de Bloch

468 Pages

Published: 1914

The death of M. Jean de Bloch, which occurred at Warsaw just as the year (1902) began, is a misfortune for the whole world. It is peculiarly so at this immediate juncture; for the imperative problem with the world at this time is how to get rid of war and substitute for it a rational way of settling international differences, and no other man in our time Has studied this problem so scientifically or contributed so much to its solution as Jean de Bloch.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 1: The Integrated Battlefield

The Integrated Battlefield

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 1

By MAJ Charles E. Heller & Elizabeth R. Snoke

53 Pages

Published: 1980

As part of its research and publication mission, CSI publishes a military history monograph series under the auspices of Military Review. This series is called Leavenworth Papers, and copies are available from Military Reviewor Combat Studies Institute. Leavenworth Paper #1 is "The Evolution of U.S. Army Tactical Doctrine, 1946-76," by Major Robert A. Doughty. Topics under consideration for future issues of Leavenworth Papers include the American intervention in Lebanon in 1958, winter warfare, the Nomonhan incident, and amicicide (casualties due to friendly fires).

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 3: The Operational Level of War

The Operational Level of War

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 3

By MAJ Scott R. McMichael

98 Pages

Published: 1985

Combat Studies Institute developed this bibliography in response to a growing interest by the Army in the operational level of war. Defined in FM 100-5, Operations (1982), as the planning, conducting, and sustaining of larger uni ts to obtain strategic goals within a theater, the operational level of war is new to the U.S. Army. Previous manuals have denied the existence of anything between strategic and tactical operations. Only recently has the necessity or desirability of an intervening level of war been accepted. This bibliography has been assembled to assist students of war in learning more about this newly adopted combat arena.

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The Other End of the Spear: The Tooth-to-Tail Ratio (T3R) in Modern Military Operations

The Other End of the Spear:

The Tooth-to-Tail Ratio (T3R) in Modern Military Operations

By John J. McGrath

123 Pages

Published: 2007

John McGrath’s The Other End of the Spear is a timely historical analysis and an important follow-on work to his earlier analysis of troop density trends in CSI Occasional Paper 16, Boots on the Ground. As that work showed, this paper also shows the timeless value of history and its relevance to current events. Boots on the Ground analyzed the ratio between the numbers of troops employed in military operations relative to the population in a number of irregular conflicts.

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The Posse Comitatus Act and the United States Army - Occasional Paper 14

The Posse Comitatus Act and the United States Army

Occasional Paper 14

By Matt Matthews

95 Pages

Published: 2006

Anytime the use of US Armed Forces in support of civil authorities is considered, government and military leaders, pundits, and citizens reflexively turn to the Posse Comitatus Act for guidance. Since 9/11, the US Armed Forces face an increased likelihood that they will be called on to participate in actions typically viewed as civil matters. Many have also called for an increased role for the US Armed Forces in responding to natural disasters.

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Art of War Papers: The Proximity Principle: Army Chaplains on the Fighting Line in Doctrine and History

The Proximity Principle: Art of War Papers:

Army Chaplains on the Fighting Line in Doctrine and History

Art of War Papers

By Chaplain Philip A. Kramer, Major, US Army

130 Pages

Published: 2015

The first official US Army chaplain doctrine appeared in 1926 and contained this guidance: “The duty of the chaplain lies with the men of his command who are on the fighting line.” This guidance reflected a principle of proximity — that is, chaplains minister wherever their soldiers are found, up to and including during direct ground combat. The primary argument of this thesis is that this proximity principle — both in chaplain history and chaplain doctrine — has been a dominant theme of the Army chaplain’s ministry.

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The Roots of Military Doctrine: Change and Continuity in Understanding the Practice of Warfare

The Roots of Military Doctrine:

Change and Continuity in Understanding the Practice of Warfare

By Dr. Aaron P. Jackson

134 Pages

Published: 2013

During the 1980s a fable circulated within the US Army concerning Soviet planning for a potential war with the United States. In the most common version, a Soviet general is alleged to have declared in frustration, “It is impossible to plan against the Americans because they don’t follow their own doctrine.” Many readers of this book will have heard (or said) that “doctrine is only a guide.” Indeed, the tactical agility demonstrated by the US Army on the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan is due in no small part to a cultural imperative that prizes solutions above all else.

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The Secret of Future Victories

The Secret of Future Victories

By Paul F. Gorman, General, U.S. Army, Retired

232 Pages

Published: 1992

The performance of our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines--individualcombatants and combat units--in Just Cause and Desert Storm provides self-evident proofthat today's combat forces are shaped and prepared by relevant, realistic training. Thestartling "first mission" effectiveness of those forces is less self-evident. In these battles,and in contrast to past conflicts, political and military leaders demanded, and the forcesdelivered, peak performance from the outset of combat operations. Key decisions ofDefense and combat leaders from the President to the platoon leader reflected highconfidence in "first mission" success in demanding, complex combat operations.

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The US Army and the Media in the 20th Century - Occasional Paper 31

The US Army and the Media in the 20th Century

Occasional Paper 31

By Robert T. Davis II

140 Pages

Published: 2009

The Combat Studies Institute is pleased to present Occasional Paper 31, The US Army and the Media in the 20th Century, by Dr. Robert T. Davis II. Dr. Davis surveys the US Army’s approach to media relations from the Spanish-American War to the first Gulf War. The relationship between the Army and the media is considered in the broader context of the US Government’s approach to information management.

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Through the Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Lens: Perspectives on the Operational Environment, Vol I

Through the Joint, Interagency, and Multinational Lens: Perspectives on the Operational Environment, Vol I

By Dr. David A. Anderson, Ms. Heather R. Karambelas, General Editors

196 Pages

Published: 2015

Life-long learning is a continuous endeavor. The Army profession expects our members to submit scholarly writings and share what they’ve learned through expertise, research and experience. These are invaluable contributions to broadening our institution’s professional body of knowledge. Publishing scholarly works benefits the writer’s professional qualifications, supports research efforts across the military, academic, and educational community, and enhances the organization’s collective wisdom.

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Through the Lens of Cultural Awareness

Through the Lens of Cultural Awareness

By William D. Wunderle

152 Pages

Published: 2006

Conducting the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) and projecting United States (US) influence worldwide has meant an increasing number of US diplomats and military forces are assigned to locations around the world, some of which have not previously had a significant US presence. In the current security environment, understanding foreign cultures and societies has become a national priority. Cultural understanding is necessary both to defeat adversaries and to work successfully with allies.

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To Fight or Not to Fight?

To Fight or Not to Fight?

By Robert S. Cameron, Ph.D.

656 Pages

Published: 2010

To Fight or Not to Fight? is a must read for those responsible for designing reconnaissance organizations, writing the related doctrine, establishing the materiel requirements, and training scouts. It is also recommended for those serving in reconnaissance organizations who every day discover new trails for others to follow.

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Toward Combined Arms Warfare - CSI Research Survey 2

Toward Combined Arms Warfare

CSI Research Survey 2

By Captain Jonathan M. House

235 Pages

Published: 1984

The concept of llCombined Arms” has existed for centuries, but the nature of the combination and the organizational level at which it occurred have varied greatly. Prior to the seventeenth century, for example I there was often no need to combine infantry, artillery, and cavalry at the small-unit level. Each branch served a specific function on the battlefield, and only the senior commanders present needed to coordinate the effects of the different arms.

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Occasional Paper 1 Traditions, Changes, and Challenges: Military Operations and the Middle Eastern City

Traditions, Changes, and Challenges: Military Operations and the Middle Eastern City

Occasional Paper 1

By Louis A. DiMarco

81 Pages

Published: 2004

The Middle East is one of the most urbanized regions of the world, and growth continues at an unprecedented rate. With operations ongoing in the Middle East today, it is fitting that this inaugural study should focus on military aspects of the urban areas of that region. There is an undoubted need for US military planners to possess a solid foundation of military history, cultural awareness, and an understanding of the intricacies of city design and function in this critical region. Each conflict brings its own challenges and dynamics. The challenges of a Middle Eastern fight require decisive involvement in that region’s cities. The enemy is adaptive—we must be adaptive as well. This call to study and understand history and culture is the first step along that road to critical thinking and adaptability.

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Unconditional Surrender, Demobilization, and the Atomic Bomb

Unconditional Surrender, Demobilization, and the Atomic Bomb

By Dr. Michael D. Pearlman

41 Pages

Published: 1996

In one way or another, George C. Marshall, the U.S. Army's Chief of Staff, had long been expecting a sharp reduction in military morale. He had witnessed, as aide-de-camp to General John J. Pershing, America's mood after World War I. Once Germany asked for an armistice (and before it signed a surrender), Congress and the public had demanded a swift demobilization. This indelible memory of November 1918 shaped Marshall's resolve to minimize military responsibilities after the Nazi capitulation.

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Occasional Paper 3: Understanding the “Victory Disease,” From the Little Bighorn to Mogadishu and Beyond

Understanding the “Victory Disease,” From the Little Bighorn to Mogadishu and Beyond

Occasional Paper 3

By MAJ Timothy Karcher

64 Pages

Published: 2004

As a result of America’s national strength and its demonstrated military prowess, US forces are quite susceptible to falling prey to the effects of the “victory disease.” The disease, by definition, brings defeat to a previously victorious nation or military due to three basic symptoms: arrogance, complacency, and the habit of using established patterns to solve military problems.

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CSI Report No. 3: Unit Reconstitution-a Historical Perspective

Unit Reconstitution-a Historical Perspective

CSI Report No. 3

By Edward J. Drea

87 Pages

Published: 1983

This CSI Report responds to a CAORA requirement for historical data to use in an ongoing CAORA study of the reconstitution of units. CAORA members focused on several questions.

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Occasional Paper 37 Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Historical Perspective

Unmanned Aerial Systems: A Historical Perspective

Occasional Paper 37

By John David Blom

153 Pages

Published: 2010

In the Long War, formerly called the Global War on Terror, the armed forces of the United States have utilized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) extensively to support combat, security, and stability operations. The concept of unmanned flight is nothing new to the military. Experiments with pilotless aircraft began at the end of World War I.

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Victory Starts Here: A 40-year History of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command

Victory Starts Here:

A 40-year History of the US Army Training and Doctrine Command

By Benjamin King

134 Pages

Published: 2013

am pleased to share this monograph, a concise chronicle of what the command has accomplished in the past four decades. At this, the 40-year mark in its history, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) remains one of the most unique organizations in our Army. TRADOC’s first commander, General William E. DePuy, long ago envisioned a command devoted to a trinity of training, doctrine, and the future.

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CSI Historical Bibliography No. 6: War on Film: Military History Education Videotapes, Motion Pictures, and Related Audiovisual Aids

War on Film: Military History Education Videotapes, Motion Pictures, and Related Audiovisual Aids

CSI Historical Bibliography No. 6

By MAJ Frederick A. Eiserman

275 Pages

Published: 1987

We live in an age of expanding media education, where television, film, and computer imagery routinely record historical events. Every day, newscasters describe wars, assassinations, economic developments, and political events from around the world. Additionally, numerous educational programs and television specials, often designed in part for entertainment, bring bits and pieces of history into our living rooms. Because of the recent boom in the home video market, the availability and variety of these audiovisual support materials has never been greater.

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War Termination: The Proceedings of the War Termination Conference, United States Military Academy West Point

War Termination:

The Proceedings of the War Termination Conference, United States Military Academy West Point

Colonel Matthew Moten (gen. ed.)

316 Pages

Published: 2010

This conference investigates war termination, one of the most important issues facing military and political leaders as they use or contemplate the use of use of military force in the pursuit of national aims. Prompted by the Unified Quest Training and Leader Development theme and discussions about the use of history in training and leader development, the US Army Training and Doctrine Command and the United States Military Academy partnered on this war termination project and invited renowned military historians to provide their views on the subject. The study began with several seminars following Unified Quest in May of 2009.

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Wrath of Achilles: Essays on Command in Battle

Wrath of Achilles: Essays on Command in Battle

By Colonel Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

220 Pages

Published: 2011

“Sing Goddess, of the wrath of Achilles, Peleus’ son.” So begins the Iliad, the greatest war epic in western culture. Since the dawn of recorded history, the history of man has been nearly synonymous with the history of war, a history that begins with Homer and continues today. Then as now, war remains the ultimate arbiter of human affairs, an awful and ever-present reminder of humanity’s failure to escape its wrathful roots.

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