A Different Kind of War: The US Army in Operation Enduring Freedom: October 2001 – September 2005

History

Combat Studies Institute Press

Wright, DONALD

Military

Independently published

Since the early 20th century the US Army has used Civil War and other battlefields as “outdoor classrooms” in which to educate and train its officers. Employing a methodology developed at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1906, both the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and US Army War College conducted numerous battlefield staff rides to prepare officers for duties in both war and peace. Often interrupted by the exigencies of the nation’s wars, the tradition was renewed and reinvigorated at Fort Leavenworth in the early 1980s. Since 1983 the Leavenworth Staff Ride Team has guided military students on battlefields around the world.For those unable to avail themselves directly of the team’s services the Combat Studies Institute has begun to produce a series of staff ride guides to serve in lieu of a Fort Leavenworth instructor. The newest volume in that series, Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Gudmens’ Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Shiloh, 6-7 April 1862 is a valuable study that examines the key considerations in planning and executing the campaign and battle. Modern tacticians and operational planners will find themes that still resonate. Gudmens demonstrates that leaders in Blue and Gray, in facing the daunting tasks of this, the bloodiest battle to this point on the continent, rose to the challenge. They were able to meet this challenge through planning, discipline, ingenuity, leadership, and persistence—themes worthy of reflection by today’s leaders.

Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Shiloh, 6-7 April 1862

Gudmens, Jeffrey

Americas

In August and September 1862 Confederate armies were on the move northward. Robert E. Lee was invading Maryland, Earl Van Dorn and Sterling Price were moving into Tennessee, and Braxton Bragg and Edmund Kirby Smith were advancing into Kentucky. James McPherson, in his acclaimed Battle Cry of Freedom, cites this period as the first of the four major turning points of the American Civil War. The Confederate counteroffensive defeated Union hopes to end the war in 1862. However, by mid-October, hard on the heels of the broad Confederate advance the Union forces had regained the strategic and operational advantage, cited by McPherson as the second turning point of the war. Union victories at Antietam in the east and Perryville in the west carried significant weight in determining the final outcome of the conflict.While vast literature surrounds the former battle Perryville has been somewhat neglected. This work seeks to alleviate that lacuna. The US Army has used Civil War and other battlefields as "outdoor classrooms" to educate and train its officers. Since 1983 the Combat Studies Institute has produced a series of staff ride guides to assist units and classes in this training. The most recent volume in that series, Dr. Robert Cameron's Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Perryville, 8 October 1862, is a valuable study that examines the key considerations in planning and executing the September-October campaign and battle. Modern tacticians and operational planners will find themes that still resonate. Cameron demonstrates that Civil War leaders met their challenging responsibilities with planning, discipline, ingenuity, leadership, and persistence--themes that are well worth continued reflection by today's officers.

Staff Ride Handbook for the Battle of Perryville, 8 October 1862

Cameron, Robert

Battlefield Atlas of Price’s Missouri Expedition of 1864

Collins, Charles D.

This work studies the evolution, organizational structure, and employment of the maneuver brigade. In passing, it will also discuss other army brigades, such as those consisting of field artillery, aviation, and engineer units, not usually used in a maneuver role.As an organization, the brigade has a long history in the US Army going back to the very first organization, the Continental Army. General George Washington established the first brigades on 22 July 1775.7 The term brigade itself first entered the English language, like most military terms, from the French language. The word is first attested in the 15th century as a term for a larger military unit than the squadron or regiment and was first adopted when English armies began to consist of formations larger than a single regiment. The term's origin is found in two French roots, which together meant roughly "those who fight."8 It is totally fitting that the brigade be designated as "those who fight" because the organization has, throughout most of its existence in the US Army, been a purely tactical, or combat, organization, and currently is where the combat power of the US Army is found.At the start of the 21st century, debates on the future of warfare and the transformation of the US Army to adjust to this future environment are ongoing. The brigade is usually at the center of transformational organizational structures, either as a replacement for the division as the basic building block for projecting combat power or as the Unit of Action (UA), a flexible organization designed to fight and win battles. While debates and final decisions on this structure are ongoing as of the publication of this work, it is vital that planners understand the history and theory behind the evolution of the US Army maneuver brigade.This special study outlines and illuminates the history and evolution of the brigade as an organization in the US Army, from the earliest days to the current era. The work follows both the organizational structure and how it was actually employed on the battlefield.

The Brigade: A History, Its Organization and Employment in the US Army

McGrath, John J.

Combating a Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism is number eight in the Combat Studies Institute's Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Paper series. This work resulted from discussions at Fort Leavenworth about the nature of the enemy facing the United States and its allies since 11 September 2001. Osama bin Laden and his terrorist network had been present at some level in the national and international consciousness since the late 1990s. The events of 11 September 2001 and subsequent global operations taken against Al Qaeda have brought this group to the forefront of the GWOT. While successes have been achieved in the GWOT, the enemy has proven to be resilient and adaptive. This study by Mr. Sean Kalic, of the Department of Military History, US Army Command and General Staff College, examines modern transnational terrorism from the 1960s to the present day, with special emphasis on the adaptation Al Qaeda and other nonstate actors have taken in response to the actions of the United States and its allies. This work provides a cautionary warning about the likelihood Al Qaeda will continue to survive and execute missions in the current operating environment. Mr. Kalic synthesizes much of the pertinent literature and offers insights into the actions taken to &#64257;ght terrorists. Most importantly, he advises a continual reevaluation of the threat, based on Al Qaeda's &#64258;exibility, resiliency, and adaptability. Of&#64257;cers and soldiers who have recently served in operations against the terrorist worldwide will certainly see utility here. As the US Army continues its efforts in combating terrorists, the thoughts found in this narrative are well worth considering.

Combating the Modern Hydra: Al Qaeda and the Global War on Terrorism

Politics & Social Sciences

Kalic, Sean N.

Politics & Government

Eyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units is the 10thstudy in the Combat Studies Institute (CSI) Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) Occasional Paper series. This work is an outgrowth of concerns identified by the authors of On Point: The United States Army in Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. Specifically, these authors called into question the use of long-range surveillance (LRS) assets by commanders during that campaign and suggested an assessment ought to be made about their continuing utility and means of employment.

Eyes Behind the Lines: US Army Long-Range Reconnaissance and Surveillance Units

Gebhardt, James F.

Written by a reserve officer who spent a tour in the Philippines producing a classified history for US Special Operations Command, this first-ever publicly available history of OEF-P provides both a detailed accounting of the operation's successes and a model for trainers and advisers providing assistance to host-nation security forces around the globe. Stentiford emphasizes that what made OEF-P a success was an adherence to time-honored principles of counterinsurgency: insisting that host-nation forces take the lead and conducting operations with a minimal footprint that bought the essential time for the mission to succeed. Success in the Shadows is both a fitting tribute to the operators who performed this vital mission and a primer for those who will be called upon to do so in the future.

Success in the Shadows: Operation Enduring Freedom–Philippines and the Global War on Terror, 2002–2015

Stentiford, Barry M.

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. Though many constitutional provisions, laws, and legal rulings govern this question, in the minds of many, the Posse Comitatus Act has prominence. Most individuals think they know what the Posse Comitatus Act allows and disallows; most of them are wrong.

The Posse Comitatus Act and the United States Army: A Historical Perspective

Matthews, Matt.

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.

Scouts Out! The Development of Reconnaissance Units in Modern Armies

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