Joint Professional Military Education Phase II

Dr. Williamson Murray once declared a want to develop his Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) seminar students into hand grenades. His comments were, of course, figurative, but Murray communicated a vision: his company grade students would read more deeply, think more critically, write with greater effect, and ultimately be more willing to challenge conventional wisdom than their peers. Murray, with EWS, engineered the course, from initial selection through the final seminars, to meet his goal of a competent, well-armed officer prepared to make and recommend just decisions grounded in history.

3. Due to the high turn-over of field grade officers this summer, Captain Bruce is the officer who is available and has the need and desire to complete this seminar. Although he is not selected to Major, he has the knowledge, background, and the drive to do extremely well. Captain Bruce has a lot to offer in his capacity as a Defense Systems Analyst

The United States has been facing an array of diverse threats from Foreign Intelligence Entities (FIEs), terror groups, International Criminal Syndicates, Multinational Industrial Competitors, and Cyber Intruders. In most instances, the FIEs and terror cells use intricate modern covert, overt, and clandestine techniques to gather crucial information regarding the U.S. government and its operations across the globe. However, following the disastrous attacks on 9/11, the U.S. government has been formulating security policies to secure its borders against the threat from terror groups such as al-Qa’ida and the Islamic State. The U.S. government also disburses over 30 billion dollars to aid the intelligence groups in the collection of

Since the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on 11 September 2001, there have been different U.S. strategies to try and combat the rise of global terrorism. The attacks made the entire world all too aware of the scale and scope of threats that terrorism can carry. The post-9/11 global climate has thus seen a shift in awareness of and response to terrorist threats. For the last thirteen years now the United States has denoted terrorism as one of the largest threats to national security and the “highest strategic objective of U.S. embassies worldwide”, a challenge which demands no less resolve than the was required to combat Nazism and Fascism during the last century. This is due to the subversive and penetrative nature of global terrorism, as terrorist groups have the potential to undermine governments and strike devastatingly and completely out of the blue. For this reason, the Unites States has ramped up its antiterrorism and counterterrorism efforts in order to combat the aforementioned transnational and global threat of terror.

Achieving national goals and maintaining balance in military, political/diplomatic, and economic objectives can be challenging. John Stillion’s proposal to engage in fighter pilot combat skills training during peacetime deployments presents an opportunity for advanced readiness in the case of potential future conflicts, yet I have some concerns with his rationale.

In 1931, General MacArthur could not have imagined many of the forms of warfare that would be used just a few years later during World War II. He understood, however, that changes in methods and weapons could alter the nature of the conflict. Just as machineguns, tanks, and aircraft changed the nature of conflicts, so did the telegraph, radio, television, and eventually the Internet. The advances today in the information world, specifically with the advent of social media and new media, may prove as profound (great) as any of these inventions. We must, therefore, observe and adjust our information communication strategies in order not to “go

The dynamic global environment necessitates U.S. Government (USG) optimally employ all of its forces in order to ensure policy makers and military planners have access to accurate and timely information. This is something the U.S. failed at several times in recent memory – as is evidenced by the Russian offensive against the Ukraine, the Islamic State’s rapid advance into Iraq, and the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. These events took United States Government by surprise by event and displayed that the U.S. was ill prepared. There are several USG entities, such as the Department of State, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Defense Intelligence Agency, that are responsible for monitoring and reporting on foreign activities and

The Information-Related Capability of Operational security (OPSEC) is defined as guarding information to help ensure that military operations stay safe, secure, and secret from enemy forces. This can include information such as Soldier numbers, times, dates, locations, Soldier strength, equipment availability, operation names and other data. OPSEC enhances mission success by preserving the advantages of secrecy and surprise. Terrorist organizations are continuously trying to gather information on U.S. military operations. The information they look for isn’t necessarily classified, but it is still difficult for someone outside the military community to obtain. Never underestimate the information you have, what you take for granted may be valuable

This essay aims to outline the role of the infantry in the future of combined arms operations and the training implications this creates. It may be seen that the role of the infantry as stated is as relevant as ever; however, with the increase in fighting in complex human, physical and informational terrain it may be pertinent to revise the challenges as they relate to the training and preparation of the infantry.

“Jointness implies cross-Service combination wherein the capability of the joint force is understood to be synergistic, with the sum greater than its parts (the capability of individual components). The joint force is a values based organization. The character, professionalism, and values of our military leaders have proven to be vital for operational success.” [JP-1 pg ix]

A study of warfare in the modern era suggest a progression through three distinct generations. Although U.S. Armed Forces are still coming to grips with the third of these, strong trends point to an emerging fourth generation. Those who would prepare for future warfare must consider the trends envisaged here and the challenges they would present to existing forces.

Throughout most of the wartime eras of the United States, there has been a symbiotic relation between the military and institutions of higher education. This relationship was precipitated by the Morrill Act of 1862, which provided grants of public land to states to establish institutions of higher learning to be operated in conjunction with state and federal governments (Renne, 1960). One particular focus of the land grant institutions was to focus on the teaching of military tactics. Considered an “afterthought stipulation” to the Morrill Act Legislation (Abrams, 1989, p. 16), this stipulation that required land grant institutions to offer military training as part of the curriculum would become pivotal in building the foundation for relationship between the military and institutes of higher education.

Warfare has been an ever-evolving aspect of human nature. Throughout human history, man has always invented new ways to annihilate one another. With recent advances in terrorism, counterterrorism has developed a new type of counter. After September 11, 2001 under President Bush the Central Intelligence Agency would be the first into Afghanistan, thus compiling names to a secret list of high-value target and could be killed without presidential approval (Shaw and Akhter, 2014, P11). This would begin a new strategy of gathering names of terrorist leaders would be the start of a new counterterrorism tactic that the United States would adopt and continues to use today. This type of counterterrorism tactic would also be adopted by the special

“Air Force units and personnel need to train in a complex tactical, operational, and strategic level environment, under all likely threat and weather conditions, emulating potential contingency locations world-wide, while integrating with composite, joint, and coalition partners.”XX

Terrorist organizations continue to develop around the world and carry out attacks to instill fear, hurt, and kill thousands of people. Despite anti-terrorism efforts, known terror groups continue to conduct terror attacks globally. Of the known terrorist organizations that are listed by the U.S. Department of State, the one most likely to conduct an attack in the United States would be the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Islamic State (IS) otherwise known as ISIS. Due to the complex capabilities of ISIS ideology, leadership, and distinct global threat; ISIS has become the greatest known threat to the U.S. Homeland.