Research for Military Actions

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March 1, 1994
The post-Cold War national security strategy engages U.S. power in all its form to shape a more secure world. Overseas presence--operating forces forward to influence what foreign governments think and do--is the most important and challenging of the tasks this strategy assigns the Armed Forces. This paper looks at the political and strategic case for presence and discusses some of its costs and risks. It draws conclusions about: (1) what presence means in our use of the forces we have now; and (2) what forces to buy for the future. It also suggests ways to make presence operations more efficient and issues deserving study in that regard.
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December 1, 1991
This volume of the Desert Storm Reconstruction Report summarizes the reconstruction of the operation of U.S. Navy forces during Operation Desert Storm. Because those forces were so heavily involved in the broader aspects of the war, as well as the preliminary operations during Desert Shield, some aspects of that broader involvement are also treated here. In particular, the Navy's contributions to building the Coalition through its work with the maritime interception force are discussed at length, as are the planning and conduct of Marine Corps amphibious operations. By means of a historical and analytical review, this paper seeks to identify the broader themes that should influence the critical decisions the Navy must take in the coming years of rethinking and retrenching U.S. defense policy and procurements. The paper does not, however, make any attempt to summarize Marine Corps operations ashore. See also 27 910178 thru 27 910190.
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October 1, 1991
The 1990 CNA Sea Power Forum panel, 'Beyond Afghanistan: Changing Soviet Perspectives on Regional Conflicts,' focused on how the war in Afghanistan has affected Soviet policy on involvement in regional conflicts. This summary documents the Soviet commentators' own perceptions and analyses of the lessons learned and experiences gained in Afghanistan. This emphasis is intended to provide insight into how the Soviet Union might respond to regional conflicts in the future.
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November 1, 1989
Since the end of World War II, the U.S. Navy has played a major role in at least 187 U.S. responses to international incidents and crises. This research memorandum provides a summary of these Navy crisis management operations.
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November 1, 1977
Over the period 1955-1975 the Navy and Marine Corps played an active role in U.S. crisis management diplomacy, responding to 99 international incidents and crises, exclusive of the Vietnam War. This paper provides a summary history of these operations, focusing upon major trends in the Navy's operations over the 21-year period. Particular emphasis is given to the employment of major projection forces (aircraft carriers and amphibious units) in these responses. Brief descriptions of the 99 incidents and responses are also presented. Volume II is a classified volume containing the following: Appendix C - Summaries of Incidents and Responses, 1955-1975, Appendix D - Additional Events Which are not Included in the Main List of Responses, Appendix E - Projection Operations, Appendix F - USN and USMC Responses to International Events, 1919-1939. See also CNA Research Contribution 429 and CNA Research Memorandum 85-71.
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