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As the Commander of U.S. Central Command, General Frank McKenzie oversaw some of the most important - and controversial operations in modern U.S. military history. He had direct operational responsibility for the strikes on Qassem Soleimani and two successive leaders of ISIS, the many months of deterrence operations against Iran and its proxies, and the methodical drawdown in Iraq. He directed the noncombatant evacuation operation in Afghanistan, and our final withdrawal from that tortured country. The Melting Point has three themes. The first one is the importance of the primacy of civilian control of the military. It has become a widely perceived truth that this control has been eroded over the past few years. General McKenzie doesn't believe that to be the case, and he speaks with some authority on the matter arguing that the civ-mil relationship isn't perfect or frictionless, but it doesn't have to be, and probably shouldn't be. It is, however, more durable than many believe, and is supported and embraced by the military to a degree that some critics do not choose to recognize. The second theme is the uniqueness of being a combatant commander. Combatant commanders participate in the development of policy, although as junior partners. They are also responsible for the execution of policy once civilian leaders have formulated their decision, a unique position, and very different than the role of a service chief, or even the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. None of these officers are in the chain of command, and they have no ultimate, mortal responsibility or authority for execution. Only the combatant commander stands astride the boundary of decision-making and execution. Finally, the third theme that McKenzie argues is that leaders matter, and the decisions they make have a profound effect on what happens on the battlefield. McKenzie provides an honest assessment of his time in command-describing decisions that were sound, as well as some outcomes he wishes were different. He offers a vivid portrait of leadership in action in one of the most volatile regions of the world.
Russian Campaigns in Central Asia reprints two rare translations of Russian-language works covering the 1839 and 1873 campaigns in what is now Uzbekistan, originally issued in Calcutta by the government in India. The two accounts cover the campaigns, logistics and the forces involved.The first Russian attempt to subjugate Khiva occurred in 1717. Unsuccessful, this was followed up in 1839 by a Russian army led by Count Perovsky. Again, this attempt would fail before the task was successfully undertaken in 1873. The 1839 campaign is narrated by its commander, Perovsky. After a full discussion of the preliminaries, the campaign itself is described in detail, including notes on the preparations for the invasion, the nature of the march and organization of detachments, and a significant focus on the logistics of the campaign, which dominated the outcome, and ultimately hindered Russian attempts to bring it to a successful conclusion.A second attempt in 1873 saw the Russians succeed, partly down to their achievements on the battlefield and partly due to some luck with logistics. The narrative is detailed, including much on the organization of the Russian forces and their actions, as well as notes on the medium and long-term results of the expedition.Taken together, the two narratives within this book present detailed accounts of neglected aspects of imperial expansion during the nineteenth century and provide much information on the challenging factors involved in logistics related to such campaigning.
Great European planetary festival in Dresden: a serial killer sends out poison horoscopes.Police student Max, severely disturbed by combat missions in Afghanistan, and his Evi, a petty criminal bakery clerk from Upper Lusatia, go in search of clues. While she hunts poisoners in the pulsating Florence on the Elbe, he accompanies the star astrologer Scultetus as a bodyguard to the end of the world.Art Nouveau palace in Prague, Chinese pagoda on the Canary Islands, heavenly priests of the Sahara, Istanbul horoscope scholars, alpine castle with scary witch, planetary avenues on the Atlantic, Scottish druid circles, star hall in Øresund, secret studies in Warsaw, examination by granite-headed lodge brothers and odyssey through the Zittau mountains, escape and return to Dresden.Showdown on the roof of the European Central Bank in Frankfurt am Main. And on, on and on, to the city of dawn in distant India.
"Even before Russia's February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia had many ongoing and potential disputes with other countries, motivated by a variety of territorial, political, and economic issues. Furthermore, as Moscow has sought to expand its international role, it has increased Russian involvement in civil conflicts, using both overt and covert means. Russian activity in Syria and Libya has raised the prospect that the United States might find itself militarily entangled with Russia in various global hotspots. Therefore, the authors of this report sought to identify possible Russian flashpoints with countries in and near the U.S. Army Europe area of responsibility that could entangle the United States and present distinct military challenges to the U.S. Army. Using quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze historical data on Russian disputes and conflicts, the authors identified the key drivers of such flashpoints. They then leveraged these findings to derive planning implications for the United States and the U.S. Army in particular. The authors also examined two additional potential drivers of conflict not captured in historical data--Russia's use of private military contractors and its operations in the information environment--to see whether either might lead to a flashpoint in the future."--
The United States makes significant investments in military activities that are intended to deter Russian and Iranian aggression. These investments have only grown in Europe since 2014, when Russia invaded and subsequently annexed Crimea, and remain substantial in the Middle East despite the overall trend of the United States reducing its forward posture in that theater. The increased importance of deterrence as a military mission raises the question of how the United States can most effectively and efficiently deter Russia and Iran without crowding out investments in its other key military missions--including competing with China in the Indo-Pacific. To support defense planners in crafting effective and efficient deterrence strategies, RAND researchers conducted a multimethod analysis--consisting of a literature review, roundtables with subject-matter experts, quantitative analysis, and a case study of Ukraine--to examine conventional deterrence in two theaters: U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). Specifically, the researchers assessed the deterrent impacts of three categories of U.S. operations, activities, and investments (OAIs): U.S. forward presence; exercises and short-term deployments, such as bomber task force (BTF) missions; and security cooperation. In this report, the researchers describe their findings and offer recommendations for defense planners. This research was completed before the February 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. It has not been subsequently revised.
Weapon exports and the provision of security and military services abroad by China and Russia serve as a means for both countries to extend their influence around the globe. How do such activities affect India--an emerging great power--and what do they mean for India-U.S. security cooperation? A conference held on June 30 and July 1, 2022, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, was part of an ongoing project focusing on these questions. Participants explored Indian and U.S. views on important security issues across the Indo-Pacific and sought to identify areas of mutual interest and disagreement. Discussions were informed by six papers--three from the RAND Corporation and three from the Observer Research Foundation--that discussed common approaches to bilateral security cooperation, Russian arms sales to India, and the challenges posed by China to regional security. This report contains those papers, along with a summary of the issues discussed.
The dynamic and interconnected ways Afghans and Iranians invented their modern selves through literature.
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