Military Review Announcements

The May-June Edition of Military Review is now online!

Fri, 6 May 2011 02:00:00 -0600

A U.S. Foreign Area Officer with extensive South Korean expertise argues that the Korea-U.S. alliance must be updated for the 21st century. Read his concerns and solution.

The Chief of Counterinsurgency at the COIN Center of Excellence and a Kansas State University professor argue that the root cause of the Afghan insurgency is not poverty or lack of school supplies, but religion. Coalition forces must quit applying a Western perspective to Afghan conditions and stop devoting so much effort and resources to "getting them to like us."

A former Special Forces battalion commander offers his insight on village stability operations, a key component of COIN.

Have Afghan warlords already benefited too much from the West's "spending culture"? A former economic development officer argues that the troop surge in Afghanistan should not include a corresponding surge in financial aid.

An Estonian officer reflects on his two tours in Afghanistan: the first being with the Soviet Army in the 1980s!

A social anthropologist posits that our use of armed UAVs are doing far more harm than good in Afghanistan.

The Commander of the 2nd Infantry Division argues that stability and counterinsurgency skills have come at the expense of the Army's ability to conduct major combat operations. See his suggestions for the way ahead.

Check out these articles and more in the latest edition of the Army's professional journal!

May-June 2011 English Edition

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Network maintenance scheduled for Saturday, April 23rd

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 02:00:00 -0600

To all readers of Military Review: on Saturday, 23 April, from 12am to midnight, the website will be unavailable due to network upgrades.

The March-April 2011 edition of "Military Review" is now online!

Tue, 1 Mar 2011 02:00:00 -0600

In an adapted excerpt from his new book, "The Wrong War," former Assistant Secretary of Defense Bing West offers his views on Afghanistan. He says that protecting the population should not be the main effort, since that assumes a "social contract" that the locals have not honored and a nation-building budget the American people will not tolerate. Instead of a giant Peace Corps, the coalition units should become advisor task forces, fighting the Taliban with the Afghans in the lead.

Lieutenant General Robert L. Caslen, Commander of the Combined Arms Center, introduces the recent update to Field Manual 3-0, "Operations," as a way for the Army to institutionalize hard-earned wisdom from the last decade, particularly the concept of mission command, design methodology, principles of information and cyber/electromagnetic activities, and the increasing importance of security force assistance.

Two senior military analysts, Drs. Jacob Kipp and Les Grau, wrestle with the notion of strategy in a postmodern environment of non-state threats, criticizing attempts to substitute appropriate theory with mere technology. They call into question the simplistic division of military and political goals, emphasizing the need for political and economic considerations in responsible war planning.

Read these and other timely articles on important topics in the latest edition of "Military Review," the Army's professional journal since 1922!

March-April 2011 English Edition

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Announcing the 2011 General DePuy Writing Competition

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 02:00:00 -0600

In support of the Year of the Profession of Arms and TRADOC's mission, Military Review is accepting unpublished papers on "Communicating the Profession of Arms to our Civilian Leaders and the Media."

First Place: Award of $1,000 / Certificate of recognition signed by the commanding general / Publication as a featured essay in Military Review.

Second Place: Award of $750 / Certificate of recognition signed by the commanding general / Special consideration for publication in Military Review.

Third Place: Award of $500 / Certificate of recognition signed by the commanding general / Special consideration for publication in Military Review.

Fourth Place: Award of $250 / Certificate of recognition signed by the commanding general / Special consideration for publication in Military Review.

Honorable Mention: Award of $100 / Certificate of recognition signed by the commanding general / Consideration for publication in Military Review.

Deadline is 30 June 2011. For more details, click here.

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November-December 2010 English Edition Now Online!

Fri, 5 Nov 2010 02:00:00 -0600

The November-December 2010 edition of Military Review has been posted online.

Featured in this issue of Military Review is "Identifying the Center of Gravity of Afghan Mentoring," by Major David H. Park. Park asserts that cultural differences make it difficult for us to mentor Afghan National Army staff officers, but they must learn a systemic Military Decision Making Process to be operationally proficient.

"Counterinsurgency in Nangarhar, Eastern Afghanistan, 2004 to 2008," written by State Department foreign service officer Robert Kemp, discusses counterinsurgency and counternarcotics operations in Nangarhar Province. U.S. forces and agencies and the Afghan government worked together to reduce poppy cultivation and increase legal agricultural yields.

Lieutenant Colonel Mark E. Johnson's insight on "Reintegration and Reconciliation in Afghanistan" acknowledges the Afghan government's efforts to make reconciliation a national priority; however, that government must offer security, governance, and economic development to convince insurgents to return home.

November-December 2010 English Edition

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September-October 2010 English Edition Now Online!

Mon, 6 Sep 2010 02:00:00 -0600

The September-October 2010 edition of Military Review has been posted online.

The featured article in this issue of Military Review is “Talking Grand Strategy” by Commander John T. Kuehn, who calls for a review of our national defense posture and suggests that a return to our post-WWII stance may be in order. He recommends that we “divest ourselves of commitments made in haste . . . in error . . . and those that have outlived their utility.”

“The Top Seven Myths of U.S. Defense Policy Toward the Americas,” written by the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere, Frank O. Mora, and his special assistant, Nicholas F. Zimmerman, explains the rationale and purpose of U.S. defense policy in the Western hemisphere.

Also featured is “Thoughts on the Battle for the Minds: IO and COIN in the Pashtun Belt” by Commander Larry LeGree. He shares lessons learned from his time in Afghanistan as the leader of the Asadabad Provincial Reconstruction Team.

September-October 2010 English Edition

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July-August 2010 English Edition Now Online!

Tue, 5 Jul 2010 02:00:00 -0600

The July/August 2010 edition of Military Review has been posted online.

This issue includes the article "Unmanned Aerial Systems," a piece that discusses the pros and cons of current practices and suggests a philosophical way forward for employing these increasingly complex weapons. The author, Captain Kyle Greenburg, has seen extensive service with UAVs and has several pointed insights that may help shape the future of system integration with Joint forces.

Also featured are three significant articles influenced by current operations: "Security Force Assistance Operations: Defining the Advise and Assist Brigade" by Colonel Phillip Battaglia and Lieutenant Colonel Curt Taylor, "Human Terrain Team Operations in East Baghdad" by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan D. Thompson, and "Unit of Action: Organizing the Brigade Combat Team for Future Wars" by Colonel Scott Efflandt.

Highlighted in the back of the book is an important review essay by Colonel (Retired) Peter R. Mansoor that discusses Major Doug Pryer's study "The Fight for the High Ground," a comprehensive review of interrogation operations in Iraq.

July-August 2010 English Edition

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March-April 2010 English Edition Now Online!

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:14:19 -0600

The March/April 2010 edition of Military Review has been posted online.

This issue includes the article "Field Manual 5-0: Exercising Command and Control in an Era of Persistent Conflict" by Colonel Clinton J. Ancker, III, U.S. Army, Retired, and Lieutenant Colonel Michael Flynn, U.S. Army, Retired. This article highlights the debut of the new manual.

The "featured" article is an important discussion of "design" in the context of FM 5-0: "Unleashing Design: Planning and the Art of Battle Command" by Brigadier General (P) Edward C. Cardon, U.S. Army, and Lieutenant Colonel Steve Leonard, U.S. Army. Also significant enough to merit making the cover is another visionary piece from Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege, U.S. Army, Retired: "NetWar: Winning in the Cyberelectromagnetic Dimension of Full Spectrum Operations."

Highlighted in the back of the book are also two articles written as "Insights." The first is a fascinating new take on the lessons of the Vietnam war written by a high ranking Foreign Service officer who was intimately involved in the war's progress. His view on the lessons that may be most relevant now may surprise some. The second "Insight" (and the final article in the book) discusses the wisdom of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell."

This issue also has a significant and insightful book review of Jon Krakauer's Where Men Win Glory, the story of Pat Tillman.

March-April 2010 English Edition

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2009 Arabic Editions Now Online!

Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:11:36 -0600

The 2009 Arabic Editions are now available online in digital format. These editions were not printed in hard copy and are only available electronically.

2009 Arabic Editions

2008 Arabic Editions

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January-February 2010 English Edition Now Online!

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 10:50:25 -0600

The January/February 2010 edition of Military Review has been posted online. This issue’s theme is "Comprehensive Approach," featuring "Strengthening the Bridge: Building Partnership Capacity," by Admiral James G. Stavridis and Colonel Bart Howard. Other articles of interest include "Providing Security Force Assistance in an Economy of Force Battle," by Colonel Anthony Deane and "Forward in Africa: USAFRICOM and the U.S. Army in Africa," by Major General William B. Garrett, Colonel Stephen J. Mariano, and Major Adam Sanderson. There are several other articles dealing directly with interagency issues from bureaucracy to culture and leadership.

January-February 2010 English Edition

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2nd Quarter and 3rd Quarter 2008 Arabic Editions Now Online!

Mon, 21 Dec 2009 10:51:11 -0600

The 2nd and 3rd Quarter 2008 Arabic Editions are available online in digital format only. These editions were not printed in hard copy and are only available electronically. More editions will be made available as soon as possible.

2008 Arabic Editions

Arabic 3rd Quarter 2008

Military Review Homepage

November-December 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 11:26:39 -0600

The November/December 2009 edition of Military Review has been posted online. This issue’s theme is “Developing Agile and Adaptive Leaders,” featuring “Competency vs. Character? It Must Be Both” by LTC Joe Doty and MAJ Walt Sowden. Other articles of interest include “Developing Creative and Critical Thinkers,” by COL (Ret) Charles D. Allen and COL (Ret) Stephan J. Gerras, and “Getting Off the Treadmill of Time, coauthored by the COL Chris Robertson, the chief of the Officer Personnel Management System Task Force, and LTC Sophie Gainey. The article cautions that “the system is going to break” and calls for an overhaul of the promotion system to give officers time to serve in developmental assignments.

Other features include “Refighting the Last War: Afghanistan and the Vietnam Template,” which juxtaposes the Afghanistan and Vietnam conflicts to highlight potential pitfalls and suggest a better way forward. “Transformation and the Irregular Gap,” by MAJ Kenneth J. Burgess, asserts that today’s transformation does not properly prepare the Army for future irregular conflicts, and calls for the majority of the brigade combat teams to be designed with stability operations as their core task.

November-December 2009 English Edition

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Readership Survey

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 07:49:12 -0500

Military Review is excited to know how it can better serve its readers. We have put together a short 5 question survey to get to know you better. Your feedback will help us improve the journal. Please complete the survey now and thank you for your support!

September-October 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Tue, 1 Sep 2009 07:29:17 -0500

The September/October 2009 edition of Military Review has been posted online. This “Year of the NCO” edition focuses on NCO leadership development and includes the winners of the 2009 General William E. DePuy Combined Arms Center Writing Competition. One of our featured articles is “Fostering a Culture of Engagement” by LTG William B. Caldwell IV, LTC Shawn Stroud, and Mr. Anton Menning. The authors call for embracing a culture of engagement to build sustainable relationships with the American public.

Other features include an interview between Thom Shanker and MG(P) Mark Hertling on the military-media relationship. In this article, a general and a journalist express their ideas about truth, trust, and getting the story right. GEN Peter W. Chiarelli introduces “Revisiting Priorities for the Army’s Future Force,” calling for Army leaders to vigorously debate whether rapid deployment capability should have a higher priority than Soldier survivability in future force design. Our Insights include “What Turned the Tide in Anbar?” penned by COL Mark F. Cancian. Cancian challenges the notion that intelligence fusion and extensive raiding by various special operations units played a key role in turning the tide in Iraq in 2006 and asserts that the “Awakening,” which came before the raids and the “surge, was the key event that turned the tide.

September-October 2009 English Edition

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July-August 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0500

The July-August English edition of Military Review has been posted online. Afghanistan is the focues for this issue, and featured articles include “Tactical Leader Lessons Learned in Afghanistan” by Colonel William B. Ostlund, and “Exploiting Insurgent Violence in Afghanistan,” by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Brouns.

Other features include “The Israeli Defense Forces Response to the 2006 War with Hezbollah,” “ Misguided Intentions: Resisting AFRICOM;” and an opinion piece by George Washington University professor Amitai Etzioni calling for a update of the law of land warfare, “Terrorists: Neither Soldiers nor Criminals.”

July-August 2009 English Edition

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May-June 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 13:07:21 -0500

The May-June 2009 English edition of Military Review has been posted on-line. Featured articles include “Learning to Leverage New Media: The Israeli Defense Force in Recent Conflicts,” by LTG William B. Caldwell and others, on learning to embrace lessons from the explosion of information availability and the latent power of the new media.

Other features in this issue include FORCOM Command Sergent Major James Redmore’s, “Continuing Progress During the ‘Year of the NCO,’” Colonel David W. Shin’s “Awakening Beyond Iraq: Time to Engage Radical Islamists as Stakeholders,” and Commander Kavon Hakimzadeh’s”Iran and Venezuela: The Axis of Annoyance.”

May-June 2009 English Edition

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Call for Papers!!!

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 13:19:14 -0500

September-October 2009: "The Year of the NCO"
How the Noncommissioned Officer has been the backbone of our Army throughout history and into the future. Send your manuscripts in now!

November-December 2009: "Forming Agile and Adaptive Leaders"
How to best create leaders capable of critical and creative thought. Send manuscripts by 7 July.

January-February 2010: "Forging a Comprehensive Approach to Operations"
Addressing the key components of Defense, Diplomacy, and Development. Send manuscripts by 7 September.

March - April 2010: "Fostering a Culture of Engagement"
How to work in the new media environment to reach out to government officials and agencies, academia, think tanks and pundits, and the business sector. Send manuscripts by 9 November.

Counterinsurgency Lessons from Iraq

Wed, 1 Apr 2009 12:48:38 -0500

New Blog Post on "Counterinsurgency Lessons from Iraq" - Blog about it now!!!

The Iraq and Afghanistan wars have without question, become focal points for historians, think tanks, academia and “Monday Morning Quarterbacks,” on a global scale. Lessons learned are churning out in record pace in order to prepare military units with the most current information to insure success in an ever-changing operational environment. “Counterinsurgency Lessons From Iraq,” by Bing West is an insightful look at the strength and weaknesses of current doctrine. West also examines the effect of Sunni awakening and the surge, while investigating what changes might be needed if there is to be a continuance of successful trends.

Post Written by: LTC Robert Whetstone

All Our Eggs in a Broken Basket: How the Human Terrain System is Undermining Sustainable Military Cultural Competence

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 08:54:51 -0600

New Blog Post on "All Our Eggs in a Broken Basket" - Blog about it now!!!

Field-experienced warfighters and other experts in operational art have identified a range of weaknesses in military cultural training, education, and intelligence. Each “culture gap” has been painstakingly codified in military journals and official publications, most notably in Field Manual (FM) 3-24, Counterinsurgency (COIN). Finding an effective and lasting solution to these shortcomings has framed the latest phase of an ongoing debate over how to meet operational cultural requirements.

Military Review invites you to read and comment on the article entitled, "All Our Eggs in a Broken Basket" by Major Ben Connable USMC. We have already received several comments via email and have posted them here for your discussion.

Military Review Staff

March-April 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:47:01 -0600

The March-April English edition of Military Review has been posted on-line. Please note that our service agreement is coming to an end with our current email subscription service provider. To continue receiving email notifications when the latest Military Review is placed on the web, please click the following link.

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Featured articles this edition include Bing West’s article, “Counterinsurgency Lessons from Iraq.” In addition, we present the third in a series of insightful essays by retired Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege: “Unifying Physical and Psychological Impact During Operations,” on page 13. This article presents an argument about how to mesh psychological operations and military deception (“two vitally important elements that are especially ineffective today”) with doctrinal information engagement. Also included are the companion articles “Educating by Design: Preparing Leaders for a Complex World,” by Colonel Stefan J. Banach, page 96; and “The Art of Design: A Design Methodology,” by Colonel Stefan J. Banach and Dr. Alex Ryan, page 105.

There is also an advisory on page 104 providing contact information with links to the newly published Army Field Manual 3-36, Electronic Warfare in Operations, and the new Electronic Warfare Officer, Warrant Officer, and Enlisted Career Fields (29) approved by the Department of Army 26 January 2009.

March-April 2009 English Edition

Military Review Homepage

Subscribe to receive Announcements by Email

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 12:07:18 -0600

Do you prefer email over RSS Feeds? You can subscribe to our RSS Feed via email. Complete the FeedBurner subscription request form and it won't be long before you start getting the latest Military Review news delivered straight to your inbox.

Did you miss an article from one of the editions published in the year 2008? Check out our past editions.

Thu, 5 Feb 2009 09:10:19 -0600

Our most recent digital archives can be found on the CAC Products page. Because these archives are not yet complete please consult our past issues user guide for more information on other locations to find past issues.

2008 English Editions / Ediciones del año 2008 / Edições do ano 2008 / 2008 Arabic Editions

Creating a single repository of all our digital archives is an ongoing mission that is not yet complete. We are currently in the process of making all of Military Reviews Editions (in all languages) at the article level available. If there is an Edition that you are looking for and it is not listed, please let us know what article and edition you are looking for and we will post it as soon as possible. Contact Military Review

These links are from our old website and are provided as an additional resource for past issues that have not yet been updated: Arabic Past Editions / English Past Editions / EdiÇÃo Brasileira EdiÇÕes Anteriores / EdiciÓn Hispanoamericana Ediciones Anteriores

January-February 2009 English Edition Now Online!

Wed, 31 Dec 2008 08:55:53 -0600

The January English edition of Military Review has been posted on-line. Featured articles include the second in a series of essays by retired Brigadier General Huba Wass de Czege on coping with complexity in modern operational environments, titled "Systemic Operational Design: Learning and Adapting in Complex Missions." Other features in this issue include Thickening the Lines: Sons of Iraq, a Combat Multiplier, which describes how the the 3rd Squadron, 1st U.S. Cavalry Regiment, dramatically improved security in Mada’ in Qada through application of counterinsurgency (COIN) fundamentals and a fortuitous coincidence of outside events.

If you wish to be notified when a new edition is published online you can Subscribe to Military Review Announcements by Email

Help us preserve the Military Review Archives!

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 08:48:47 -0600

Since 1922, Military Review has provided a forum for the open exchange of ideas on military affairs matters of importance to the U.S. Army with a focus on the concepts, doctrine, and war fighting at the tactical and operational levels of war. Military Review is printed bi-monthly in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and quarterly in Arabic.

We are trying to preserve the many articles we have published over the years in hard copy and electronic format. We need your help to acquire some back issues of Military Review that we are missing from our archives. Do you have back issues of Military Review that you would like to donate? We are looking for almost any back issue in any language.

Subscribe to the Military Review RSS BLOG Feed

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 08:44:28 -0600

Welcome to the Military Review blog. Since 1922, our mission to stimulate thought and discussion about the profession of arms at the operational level has taken place primarily within the confines of a few short pages. Military Review enters the blogosphere with the hope that discourse previously held on the letters to the editor page can enter the virtual realm. Come discuss with us the articles that we publish and your thoughts about them.

Foreign Language Resource for English-Speaking Military Trainers

Wed, 25 Jan 2006 08:33:02 -0600

Military Review publishes in Arabic on a quarterly basis, but did you know that we also have translated Field Manuals. Since 2006, Military Review has been involved in the translation of several Field Manuals into both the Arabic and Dari languages to aid and assist our many soldiers in their efforts to train, instruct and prepare soldiers in other armies such as those in Iraq and Afghanistan. All of these translations are available from the COIN Operations Forum on the BCKS Professional Forums site. BCKS requires you to become a member of the forum before being able to access documents.

CAC CG Priority Research List for 2008-2009

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:26:46 -0600

CAC is the "Intellectual center of the Army." Many organizations and people associated with CAC are conducting research. The intent of the following list is to provide focus and direction to CAC research activities, including MMAS students. Primary topics include Leader Development, JIIM - Interagency Emphasis, Information Engagement, COIN, Battle Command, Conflict Termination, Transition to MCO, Sustainment, Operations & Other, Coalition & Multinational Operations. See enclosure for more details.

U.S. Army War College - Strategic Landpower Essay Contest

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:13:14 -0600

The United States Army War College and the United States Army War College Foundation are pleased to announce the annual Strategic Landpower Essay Contest. The topic of the essay must relate to "Perspectives on Stability Operations and Their Role in U.S. Landpower." Anyone is eligible to enter and win except those involved in the judging. The Army War College Foundation will award a prize of $3000 to the author of the best essay, a prize of $1500 to the second place winner, and $500 to the third place winner.

2008 General William E. DePuy Writing Competition Results

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:08:30 -0600

The Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 General William E. DePuy Writing Competition. Thirty-five manuscripts were received and judged by a distinguished panel of invited experts. The winning manuscripts will be published in upcoming editions of Military Review, the professional journal of the U.S. Army. Honorable Mentions and distinguished submissions that were not formally recognized will be given preferential consideration for publication subject to space constraints and the continuing relevance of the topic.

Systemic Operational Design: Learning and Adapting in Complex Missions

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:50:43 -0600

Today’s complex operational environments have prompted changes in doctrine development and operational art, but at the heart of these changes is the dawning realization that the U.S. military’s operational culture is in need of revision. Theorists and practitioners alike are discursively evolving a holistic approach to strategic, operational, and tactical thinking that will enhance adaptive learning as a systemic organizational enterprise.

One current method for enculturation gaining critical interest is "systemic operational design," an approach developed by the Israeli defense establishment and in use in various forms at ARCENT and other American military institutions. Military Review is proud to invite you to read and comment on the article entitled, "Systemic Operational Design: Learning and Adapting in Complex Missions," by BG(R) Huba Wass de Czege.

Over the Beach: US Army Amphibious Operations in the Korean War

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 14:46:42 -0600

Over the Beach, written by historian and retired Army Colonel Donald W. Boose Jr., is the definitive history of the extensive but little known US Army amphibious operations during the Korean War, 1950-1953. Building on its extensive experience in World War II, the Army conducted three major landing operations during the war, including the assault at Inchon in September 1950. After the massive Chinese attacks two months later the Army executed a series of amphibious withdrawals as it fell back to more defensible positions farther down the peninsula. Throughout the war the Army also conducted a number of massive and complex over-the-shore logistical operations, as well as several amphibious special operations along the Korean littoral. Colonel Boose’s work, commissioned by DAMO-ODG, Operations and Technology Office, provides the historical context for any subsequent amphibious operations on the Korean peninsula. As such, this thought-provoking study may provide insights to modern planners crafting future joint or combined operations in that part of the world.

Pages: 502, Published: 2008, Available Formats: (PDF) (Hard Copy)

Year of the NCO 2009 Information

Mon, 2 Feb 2009 14:31:25 -0600

Military Review is seeking quality articles written by and about Noncommissioned Officers of the United States Army. As the Secretary of the Army has declared 2009 to be the "Year of the NCO: the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center will contribute to this initiative by publishing worthy NCO-related stories on a wide variety of topics, including the roles, norms, and values of the NCO Corps; history; leadership development; the sergeant's role in training and current operations; and the vision for NCOs as the backbone of the Army.