War

The Atlantic – When Women Lead Soldiers Into Battle – 9 September 2016

  http://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/OSD014303-15.pdf The US ban on women in ground combat has been lifted and all combat roles are now open to women – who stand poised to take command of combat units for the first time. http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/09/women-combat-leaders/498800/?utm_source=fbia and see https://fas.org/sgp/crs/natsec/R42075.pdf and see http://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/632536/carter-opens-all-military-occupations-positions-to-women and see Carter Names First Female Combatant…


Joint Force Quarterly – What It Means to Be Expeditionary: A Look at the French Army in Africa – 3rd Quarter, July 2016

“A recently published RAND study of French army operations in Mali in 2013 noted that in many ways, France’s army epitomizes the characteristics General Odierno and General Milley have highlighted.” http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_reports/RR700/RR770/RAND_RR770.pdf Cited with authority in: http://ndupress.ndu.edu/JFQ/Joint-Force-Quarterly-82/Article/793271/what-it-means-to-be-expeditionary-a-look-at-the-french-army-in-africa/


MWI – A Civil War Vignette that Explains Modern Civ-Mil Relations – 22 August 2016

http://www.mwi.usma.edu/fidelity-frankness-collide-portrait-grant/ This essay from MAJ Dan Maurer is a shortened version of a chapter appearing in the author’s forthcoming book on American strategic civil-military relationships, tentatively titled A Necessary Measure. Relevant to MAJ Maurer’s study, after the Mexican War, General Winfield Scott’s occupation was such a model of excellence that Ulysses S….



CNN – Newly released US drone policy explains how targets can be chosen – 7 August 2016

“The Obama administration has released a previously [top] secret 18-page policy guidance document that lays out how potential drone targets may be chosen and approved and the President’s role in the decision-making process.” Read the full story: http://www.cnn.com/2016/08/06/politics/obama-administration-drone-policy/ For the actual, declassified document, see: https://www.justice.gov/oip/foia-library/procedures_for_approving_direct_action_against_terrorist_targets/download For a related policy, see:…


MWI – Cyberwarfare a Double-edged Sword for Authoritarian States – 1 August 2016

MWI Contributor Robert Potter argues that authoritarian states are more vulnerable to the impacts of cyberwarfare than democracies in today’s War Council Blog. http://mwi.usma.edu/cyberwarfare-double-edged-sword-authoritarian-states/ For more on cyberwar, see: https://global.oup.com/academic/product/cyber-war-9780198717492?lang=en&cc=us  



The Intercept – Leaked Data Reveals How the U.S. Trains Vast Numbers of Foreign Soldiers and Police With Little Oversight – 13 July 2016

https://theintercept.com/2016/07/13/training/ And see, e.g., Weapons Given to Iraq Are Missing By Glenn Kessler Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, August 6, 2007 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/05/AR2007080501299.html And see: Stabilizing Iraq: DOD Cannot Ensure That U.S.-Funded Equipment Has Reached Iraqi Security Forces GAO-07-711, Published: Jul 31, 2007. Publicly Released: Jul 31, 2007. http://www.gao.gov/products/GAO-07-711 But see:…


Modern War Institute (MWI) – War on the Rocks: A Military Guide to Accessing Research on Fragile States – 22 June 2016

A Military Guide to Accessing Research on Fragile States see also: http://fsi.fundforpeace.org/ The Fund for Peace is an independent, nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) non-profit research and educational organization that works to prevent violent conflict and promote sustainable security. The twelfth annual Fragile States Index (FSI) focuses on the indicators of risk and…


The Report of the Iraq Inquiry (Chilcot Report) – 6 July 2016.

http://www.iraqinquiry.org.uk and see: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/07/world/europe/chilcot-report.html?smprod=nytcore-iphone&smid=nytcore-iphone-share and see: Govern, Kevin H., Rethinking Rule of Law Efforts in Iraq (2007). JURIST Forum (http://jurist.law.pitt.edu), February 26, 2007. Available at SSRN: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2093497