America’s Frontier Wars: Lessons for Asymmetric ConflictsCongressman Ike Skelton
Congressman Ike Skelton suggests how to overcome the threat of asymmetrical warfare by examining yesteryear’s battles to develop strategies and tactics for tomorrow’s conflicts.
Revisiting CORDS: The Need for Unity of Effort to Secure Victory in IraqMajor Ross Coffey, U.S. Army
An innovative solution to unity of effort in Vietnam, CORDS offers a blueprint for realizing the national strategy for victory in Iraq.
Broad strategic
The Most Important Thing: Legislative Reform of the National Security SystemJames R. Locher III
Whatever its adequacy in a former era, today’s national security system is an inefficient anachronism. We need sweeping reforms that create a much more agile system.
Beyond Guns and Steel: Reviving the Nonmilitary Instruments of American PowerSecretary of Defense Robert M. Gates
The secretary of defense says the U.S. must develop a cadre of deployable civilians to strengthen the Nation’s “soft” power in today’s national security environment.
Learning From Our Modern Wars: The Imperatives of Preparing for a Dangerous FutureLieutenant General Peter W. Chiarelli, U.S. Army, with Major Stephen M. Smith, U.S. Army
Looking beyond the current wars, a former commander of the 1st Cavalry Division and Multi-National Corps-Iraq calls for significant changes to the way we train and fight.
FM 3-0 Operations: The Army’s BlueprintGeneral William S. Wallace, U.S. Army
TRADOC’s commander introduces the newest version of FM 3-0, the Army’s guide to operating in the 21st century.
FM 3-07, Stability Operations: Upshifting the Engine of ChangeLieutenant General William B. Caldwell IV, U.S. Army, and LTC Steve Leonard, U.S. Army
FM 3-07 is the first doctrine of any type to undergo a comprehensive joint, service, interagency, intergovernmental, and nongovernmental review. This FM will institutionalize a whole-of-government approach to combating insurgency and sustaining success in an era of persistent conflict.
Practical application
A Cause for Hope: Economic Revitalization in IraqPaul Brinkley, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Business Transformation
An interagency initiative, the Task Force for Business and Stabilization Operations is helping to quell insurgent violence by resuscitating Iraq’s old state-owned industries.
Combating a Modern Insurgency: Combined Task Force Devil in AfghanistanColonel (P) Patrick Donahue, U.S. Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Fenzel, U.S. Army
Two principals describe how Combined Task Force Devil employed a balanced strategy of military, economic, and political actions to quiet eastern Afghanistan during OIF VI.
Committing to Afghanistan: The Case for Increasing U.S. Reconstruction and Stabilization AidCaptain Craig C. Colucci, U.S. Army
The United States should increase R&S aid to Afghanistan immediately, so that Afghanistan does not become a staging ground for terrorist operations.
Preparing for Economics in Stability OperationsLieutenant Colonel David A. Anderson, U.S. Marine Corps, Retired, and Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Wallen, U.S. Air Force
During stability operations, economic actions become as important as military actions.
The Role of USAID and Development Assistance in Combating TerrorismColonel Thomas Baltazar, U.S. Army, Retired, and Elisabeth Kvitashvili
The USAID, now recognized as a critical component for fighting the War on Terrorism, is transforming to take on greater responsibilities to shore up unstable countries.
Counterinsurgency Diplomacy: Political Advisors at the Operational and Tactical LevelsDan Green
In the age of the strategic corporal, it is high time for the tactical POLAD.
Control Roaming Dogs: Governance Operations in Future ConflictMajor Troy Thomas, U.S. Air Force
Governance operations have been treated as tangential postconflict missions, leaving field commanders ill-prepared for governance tasks and delaying consolidation of political aims.
Monitoring and Evaluation of Department of Defense Humanitarian Assistance ProgramsColonel Eugene V. Bonventre, U.S. Air Force
Measures of effectiveness, normally ubiquitous throughout DOD, do not exist for monitoring and evaluating military humanitarian assistance activities. Making efforts to gauge these programs can pay dividends in stability operations.
Why We Need to Reestablish the USIAMichael J. Zwiebel
Since 1999, when the USIA was abolished, U.S. public diplomacy efforts have been spotty. Reestablishing the old agency would be one way to fix a glaring problem.
Postscript—A view from abroad
The Sole Superpower in Decline: The Rise of a Multipolar WorldShri Dilip Hiro
A widely-published author asserts that we are witnessing the rise of a multipolar world in which emergent powers are challenging American hegemony.
