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In celebration of our 100th anniversary, we have selected a small sample of articles from our archives that reflect the thoughts, interests, and concerns of our Army at the times of their publication. We have maintained the style, usage, and grammar of the original articles, so readers might notice some inconsistencies as they read through the selections. We hope you enjoy this special edition of Military Review.
—The Editors
Letter from Gen. James C. McConville, U.S. Army Chief of Staff
Letter from Lt. Gen. Theodore D. Martin, U.S. Army Commanding General
Letter from the Editor
December 1921
General Orders, No. 92
To support the reorganization of the School of Application for Infantry and Cavalry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, into the General Service Schools under the National Security Act of 1920, a supporting order was issued in 1921 that mandated “publication monthly of the titles and brief synopsis of leading news items of military value to the instructors of the school.” In time, the General Service Schools became the Command and General Staff College, and the scope of the publication broadened and evolved into a professional journal that was later renamed Military Review.
February 1922
Extract from Original Instructors’ Summary of Military Articles for January, 1922
In response to an Army order directing “publication monthly of the titles and a brief synopsis of leading news items of military value,” the General Service Schools at Fort Leavenworth published the first edition of what would eventually become Military Review.
June 1935
Tactical and Strategical Effects of the Development of the Fast Tank
Major L. S. Hobbs, Infantry
The interwar years brought many rapid technological advances in warfighting, including the rapid development of the tank. In this article, the author provides a foresightful discussion of the merits of tank warfare.
October 1943
Hints for Combat
Lieutenant Colonel E. H. Burba, Field Artillery
A combat veteran shares lessons in leadership and tactics he learned fighting in Tunisia during the first half of World War II. Leaders of all ranks have used Military Review over the last one hundred years as a way to share lessons learned.
April 1945
Military Review Latin American Editions
Military Review published its first Spanish and Portuguese editions in 1945 and celebrated their seventy-fifth anniversaries with their second quarter 2020 editions.
November 1951
Let the Women Do It
Colonel John W. Davis, Artillery Instructor, Army War College
During the Atomic Age, air defense of the United States was considered a priority for the Armed Forces. The author recommends employing women in a homeland defense role to meet the Army’s high manpower requirement to accomplish this task. The role of women in the Army has been a topic of much discussion in Military Review over the years.
April 1953
Supplying United Nations Troops in Korea
Major Pierre P. Kirby, Transportation Corps, Student, The Transportation School, Fort Eustis, Virginia
A transportation officer identifies logistical challenges faced during the Korean War and highlights how the Army used a “programmed movement of cargo and personnel” to meet those challenges.
April 1960
The Ratio of Troops to Space
B. H. Liddell Hart
A renowned military writer, historian, and theorist analyzes changes to the ratio of forces to space over time and applies his theory to calculate NATO force requirements for defense against the threat from the Soviet Union. Over the years, Military Review has published work by authors from the famous, like Hart, to the most senior military leaders, to Army privates.
April 1960
Nuclear Weapons Employment Training
Major DeBow Freed, Infantry
During the early years of the Cold War, serious consideration was given to the use of tactical nuclear weapons. The author discusses the shortage of trained nuclear weapons employment officers and noncommissioned officers to match technological advances in the delivery capabilities of that time.
February 1962
Fortieth Anniversary Supplement
The February 1962 issue of Military Review contained a fifteen-page “Fortieth Anniversary Supplement” featuring an article titled “The First 40 Years” by Arvid Shulenberger.
December 1962
Cultural Engineering
Theodore R. Vallance
Charles D. Windle
Two PhDs from the Special Operations Research Office consider the need for a cultural engineering function to help meet expanding military assistance operations involving the Military Assistance Program. According to the authors, “greater emphasis has been placed on counterinsurgency and other unconventional warfare capabilities, including the use of military forces for civic action.”
December 1965
Why They Fight
Lieutenant Colonel George S. Patton, United States Army
The Viet Cong were insurgents allied with North Vietnamese communists against South Vietnamese and U.S. forces during the Vietnam War. The son of World War II Gen. George S. Patton Jr. studies the psychology of the Viet Cong to determine their motivation to fight against foreign forces.
February 1966
Key to a Crisis
Lt. Col. Wallace J. Moulis, United States Army
Maj. Richard M. Brown, United States Army
During the Cold War, the Johnson administration was concerned with the potential spread of communism in Latin America, and in April 1965, the United States sent troops to intervene in an attempted communist coup in the Dominican Republic. The authors of this article explain the role of psychological operations in communicating with the Dominican populace during this successful military operation.
May 1966
Combat in Cities
Anthony Harrigan
Preparation for fighting in urban environments is a recurring theme throughout the one hundred-year history of Military Review. After the intervention in the Dominican Republic, the author encourages the U.S. military to revisit military operations in urban terrain.
February 1972
Military Review 50th Anniversary Edition
The February 1972 issue of Military Review provides a unique perspective of the U.S. military during the Vietnam War and the Nixon administration. “Military Review 1922-1972,” an article by Col. Forrest R. Blackburn, offers a detailed history of the first fifty years of Military Review.
September 1977
The All-Volunteer Armed Forces: Status, Prospects and Alternatives
William R. King
In 1973, the United States ended the draft after more than three decades and returned to an all-volunteer force (AVF). Four years later, the author conducts a rigorous study of the AVF and provides a detailed summary of his findings.
March 1983
To Change an Army
General Donn A. Starry, US Army
Then the commander in chief of the U.S. Readiness Command, Gen. Starry uses historical examples to describe how the U.S. Army must refocus its efforts on combating the Cold War threat from the Soviet Union after years of fighting in Vietnam.
January 1986
Space Power Is Land Power: The Army’s Role in Space
Major Linas A. Roe, US Army
Major Douglas H. Wise, US Army
Long before the Army’s focus on multi-domain operations, the space domain was discussed in Military Review. The authors considered space systems to be critical even then for success in future combat operations.
March 1986
Some Vagrant Thoughts on Doctrine
Jay Luvaas
A professor of military history describes the origin and evolution of military doctrine. This article held relevance for the Army of the 1980s, which was wrestling with doctrinal changes to combat the Soviet threat.
July 1986
Operation Urgent Fury and Its Critics
Captain Daniel P. Bolger, US Army
In October 1983, U.S. forces conducted a military operation on the island of Grenada to protect U.S. lives, restore the democratic government, and eliminate the Cuban influence there. The author analyzes and addresses criticisms of the operation.
September 1986
A Private’s Viewpoint on AirLand Battle
Private First Class Mark T. Schmidt, Army National Guard
Contributors to Military Review come from all ranks. In this article, a junior soldier discusses the Army’s doctrine of that time, AirLand Battle doctrine, and the need for soldiers at all levels to understand it.
April 1988
Centers of Gravity and Strategic Planning
Steven Metz
Lieutenant Colonel Frederick M. Downey, US Army
The authors discuss the concept of a center of gravity, its identification, and its use at the strategic level. They contend that the full implications and applications of the concept must be considered in greater detail by U.S. military strategic planners.
March 1991
JUST CAUSE and the Principles of War
Lieutenant Colonel William C. Bennett, US Army
The 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama was the first U.S. contingency operation after the fall of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. The author applies the principles of war as a framework to examine this operation and shares the insights and lessons he learned from his efforts.
January 1992
VII Corps in the Gulf War: Deployment and Preparation for Desert Storm
Lieutenant Colonel Peter S. Kindsvatter, US Army
Desert Storm demonstrated the successful transformation of U.S. forces into the post-Cold War world’s preeminent fighting force. The author chronicles the war in three articles; this first describes the planning, preparation, and deployment of U.S. troops to Southeast Asia.
December 1993
The Impact of Weapons of Mass Destruction on Battlefield Operations
Major General Robert D. Orton, US Army
Major Robert C. Neumann, US Army
While the invasion of Iraq during Operation Desert Storm revealed no weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Iraq had used them in the past. Its use of chemical weapons in 1988 during the Iran-Iraq War had a significant impact on the outcome, a rout of the Iranian forces. The authors review lessons learned regarding WMD from this war, the tactical effects of chemical weapons, and how to apply doctrine to reduce the impact of WMD.
January-February 1997
Military Review 75th Anniversary Edition
Military Review’s 75th anniversary edition features a selection of articles predominately from senior Army leaders that fall into two main categories: The Army and Society, and Leadership.
November-December 1999
US Army: Doctrinal Influence on the War in Bosnia
Mark Edmond Clark
The United States deployed forces from 1995 to 2004 as part of a NATO operation to enforce peace in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Bosnian and Croat commanders learned U.S. doctrine and applied the tenets of AirLand Battle doctrine to turn the tide of the war against their Serbian opponents.
November-December 2001
Attack on America: The First War of the 21st Century
David J. Shaughnessy
Lieutentant Colonel Thomas M. Cowan
In 2001, the United States was the world’s sole superpower. However, while no country could match the United States militarily, the Nation was vulnerable to asymmetric attacks by terrorist organizations. Such an attack occurred on 11 September 2001 against the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. Two intelligence specialis00681200ts explain how and why this was able to happen.
January-February 2007
Using Occam’s Razor to Connect the Dots: The Ba’ath Party and the Insurgency in Tal Afar
Captain Travis Patriquin, U.S. Army
A civil affairs officer applies Occam’s Razor—the principle that suggests the simplest explanation is most likely the best—to discern the factors that fueled the insurgency in Tal Afar, Iraq.
Special Editions
Counterinsurgency Reader Special Edition (October 2006)
Combined Arms Center Special Edition Interagency Reader (June 2008)
Counterinsurgency Reader II Special Edition (August 2008)
Various editions
Military Review periodically produces special editions dedicated to specific topics of current relevance to the military community. The editions range from counterinsurgency, to ethics, to Arabic language editions, to our most recent China Reader. Identified here are editions related to counterinsurgency, a topic of great interest and relevance during the Global War on Terrorism.
November-December 2010
Foreign Disaster Response: Joint Task Force-Haiti Observations
Lieutenant General P.K. (Ken) Keen, U.S. Army
Lieutenant Colonel Matthew G. Elledge, U.S. Army
Lieutenant Colonel Charles W. Nolan, U.S. Army
Lieutenant Colonel Jennifer L. Kimmey, U.S. Army
A devastating earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, crippling the impoverished island nation. U.S. forces were sent to aid in relief efforts at the request of Haitian President René Preval. In this article, the authors share their experiences and some of the lessons they learned during this humanitarian relief operation.
September-October 2018
Meeting the Challenge of Large-Scale Ground Combat Operations Today and Tomorrow
Lt. Gen. Michael D. Lundy, U.S. Army
The September-October 2018 edition was focused on the U.S. Army’s shift away from counterinsurgency operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to preparation for large-scale combat operations against near-peer opponents. A former Combined Arms Center commander describes the changes necessary to meet this challenge and the doctrine to drive this change, found in the then-new Field Manual 3-0, Operations.
January-February 2019
Emerging U.S. Army Doctrine: Dislocated with Nuclear-Armed Adversaries and Limited War
Maj. Zachary L. Morris, U.S. Army
The author opines that Army doctrine related to large-scale combat operations, specifically that found in Field Manual 3-0, Operations, fails to address the potential for nuclear conflict with near-peer adversaries.
January-February 2022
Army University Press Leadership, Staff Support, and Staff of Military Review
Directors from the past 100 Years
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