Few historical changes occur literally overnight, but on 13 August 1961 eighteen million East Germans awoke to find themselves walled in by an edifice which was to become synonymous with the Cold War: the Berlin Wall. This new history rejects traditional, top-down approaches to Cold War politics, exploring instead how the border closure affected ordinary East Germans, from workers and farmers to teenagers and even party members, 'caught out' by Sunday the Thirteenth. Party, police, and Sta...

Current Special Forces doctrine is very limited concerning the conduct of guerrilla warfare combat operations in urban environments. The focus of the current doctrine is on conducting combat operations in rural environments. The material available on urban environments is defined in broad terms primarily focused on the larger picture of unconventional warfare. Some considerations and characteristics of urban tactical operations are addressed but are so general they could be applied to a co...

This monograph develops an alternative approach to counterinsurgency, and explains how the current narratives in the field of counterinsurgency are not completely accurate. Counterinsurgents only need to properly understand the environment and then concentrate their efforts in that critical area of the insurgency identified as the sustainer of that insurgency. The U.S. counterinsurgency (COIN) plan does not need to address all those lines of effort not directly related to the root cause of...

This book encapsulates the essence of peacekeeping leadership and expounds on the invaluable contributions of those who serve at the helm of the military component of the United Nations peacekeeping missions.In today’s dynamic geopolitical landscape, Force Commanders in United Nations peacekeeping operations play a pivotal role in the politico-diplomatic process for the accomplishment of the Mission’s mandate. Charged with the daunting task of leading multinational forces in some o...

This thesis studies the successful Japanese Centrifugal Offensive of 1941-42. The Japanese lacked realistic strategic objectives for the offensive, and the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), which was trained and equipped to fight the Soviet Army on the plains of Manchuria, had neither sufficient logistics structure nor appropriate equipment for a dispersed jungle campaign. Despite these severe strategic and operational failings, IJA tactical units achieved all of their objectives within six mo...

This study investigates the German spring offensive of 1918 to determine how the Germans achieved tactical success, yet failed to reach their strategic objective. The study covers the development of new German infantry tactics during limited offensive operations and conduct of the "elastic defense" on the western front It investigates the development of artillery tactics on the eastern front, and the incorporation of these artillery and infantry tactics into larger scale offensives at Capo...

This research paper focuses on oil and its importance to operations in the Pacific during World War II. It specifically concentrates on the period before Japanese-U.S. hostilities, through the strike on Pearl Harbor, and concludes with operations in the Solomon Islands. A secure and reliable source of oil was one of the primary reasons that Japan chose to go to war with the United States that fateful Sunday in December 1941.The Japanese understood their country's need for oil and ot...

After 9/11, controversy had stirred when news broke that the U.S. military was conducting a War on Terror initiative. Many American civilians and civic groups have relentlessly expressed their disdain against sending American soldiers to Afghanistan to participate in this war-on-terror. Nonetheless, despite these protests, off-shore military operations still continue. What many Americans need to understand is why these kinds of military actions and interventions are necessary. MY T...

This book asks the reader to reassess the Cold War not just as superpower conflict and high diplomacy, but as social and cultural history. It makes cross-cultural comparisons of the socio cultural aspects of the Cold War across the East/West block divide, dealing with issues including broadcasting, public opinion, and the production and consumption of popular culture.

Writing and briefing are fundamental to the intelligence profession. The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and coherently is basic to all intelligence disciplines, even the most technical. Communicating with Intelligence, Third Edition is a handbook on writing and briefing intelligence based on the decades of practical experience of James S. Major. The book is designed primarily for faculty and students pursuing studies in intelligence, national security, and homeland sec...

A terribly funny and lovably louche novel about five friends growing older, if not always up, from Andrew Martin, author of Early Work and Cool for America.“All four narrator performances are consistently humorous, real, and winning." — Kirkus (Earphones Award Winner)This program features multicast narration.Without Cassandra, Aaron would probably be dead. Fortunately, she won’t leave him—despite t...

This monograph investigates the historical use of cavalry in low intensity conflict (LIC). This investigation is to determine the possible strengths and weaknesses of our current light infantry division's reconnaissance squadron in terms of organization, equipment, doctrine, and techniques for employment in LIC. The intent of the paper is neither to produce a paradigm on the use of reconnaissance forces in LIC nor simply to conduct a historical study, but rather to see if our past actions ...