Research for Research Memoranda

In this paper, we compare the in-house cost of conducting Department of the Navy program management and oversight in accordance with Department of Defense regulations and requirements, to the cost of conducting those same functions in accordance with commercial practice.

One issue the Commission on Roles and Missions of the Armed Services (CORM) is examining is the appropriate mix of Army and Marine corps capabilities for forcible entry. This research memorandum briefly examines the United States' use of military forces for forcible entry, sustained land operations, and sustained land combat since the Second World War. In terms of forcible-entry capabilities, it not only examines cases of forcible entry involving combat, but also highlights some non-combat and contingency-response uses of forcible-entry capabilities.

As part of the CNa project on the Marine Corps and Humanitarian Assistance Operations, sponsored by the Marine Corps Combat Development Center (MCCDC), this research memorandum examines USMC involvement in seven Humanitarian Assistance/Peace Operation (HA/POs). This project seeks to help MCCDC identify requirements (whether in doctrine, organization, training, or equipment) to improve the Marine Corps' ability to effectively perform HA/PO tasks. The project team is identifying the range of HA/PO requirements through a variety of methods, including seminar gaming, evaluation of existing doctrine and policies, and evaluation of the historical record.

With the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a new era, many of the overarching concepts behind U.S. defense policy are open to questioning. In the Cold War, deterrence was perhaps the key concept. The thinking about deterrence--both theoretical and policy-related consideration--focused on nuclear deterrence issues. In the new era, deterrence remains a key issue but the focus turns to 'conventional' deterrence. Key associated concepts in this emerging new world order are compulsion and reassurance. This paper provides some perspectives on the role of naval forces in deterrence, compulsion, and reassurance in the post-Cold War era. In addition to a brief overview of some of the theoretical issues surrounding deterrence, this paper focuses on some concrete examples of U.S. Navy and Marine Corps actions in response to or amidst international crises over the past 40 years. It discusses the ways these actions might have compelled an opponent to stop or reverse some action, deterred a potential adversary from taking some action, and/or reassured an ally to take some type of action.