General Clinton Analysis

On July 30, 2008, a bloody battle involving Coalition forces took place in the mountainous eastern Afghan province of Nuristan. This was the Battle of Wanat and the devastating amount of Coalition casualties began a vigorous investigation by the United States Army. The village of Wanat, defended by Second Platoon, Chosen Company, Second Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team would fall victim to numerous bad decision made by higher command. Although the men of Chosen Company fought hard, they ended up surrounded, vastly outnumbered, and without any Battalion assets. This paper will argue the reasons for the disastrous outcome of the Battle of Wanat; examining the effective company leadership exploiting effective

Book Review This book is about the spy ring used by George Washington during the Revolutionary War. He used these spies to gather information on where the British were located and what they were planning to do next. The success of the Culper Ring was able to help George Washington as he was getting important intel on British strategy and it helped him prepare for the British attacks. The authors of the book were able to use both primary and secondary sources in writing this book which was made to be read by the average American instead of something written for the scholars on the subject to read.

On the research I conducted many economist agree that the Clinton presidency deserves some credit for the economic rise of the mid 90’s. According to multiple opinions the fact that Clinton allowed the Federal Reserve to manage interest rates in the way they deemed necessary, perfectly timed the market and avoided inflation, thus maintaining and even increasing the value of the US dollar. Effective interest rate management proved to be the key to maintain a low inflation rate. Each rise in the inflation rate was met by an even larger rise in the nominal interest rate. This kept the inflation rate from being volatile, for the more the Federal Reserve (Fed) responds to inflationary pressures, the less problematic inflation becomes.

Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Bunker Hill: A City, A Siege, A Revolution, successfully enables his readers to grasp the significance behind Boston and its neighboring cities during the rise of the Revolutionary War. Most Americans have a vague understanding of why events like the Battle of Bunker Hill are relevant and how this particular campaign played a pinnacle role in leading up to the Revolutionary War, but Philbrick does a service to Americans by beautifully illustrating these events from cover to cover. Not only is each occasion intimately detailed, but Philbrick records these instances in a precise and memorable rhythm. Although at times his novel might appear exhausting with vivid imagery, Philbrick’s thesis remains clear: In the

In a moment that would both define and impress Washington’s message in his troops’ eyes, Washington pulled out the pair of spectacles he had received a few weeks before. In preparation to read a letter from congressman Joseph Jones, Washington stated: “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country” (qtd. Sempa). The Newburgh Conspiracy ended in that moment of time. This simple statement reaffirmed Washington’s appeal to peace. As stated by Major Shaw: [the moment] “forced its way to the heart, and you might see sensibility moisten every eye” (qtd.

On June 14, 1778, British force commanded by Lieutenant General Sir Henry Clinton, abandoned Philadelphia and occupied New York. While planning the withdrawal of forces, the commander faced two viable courses of action: move all troops and supplies by sea or move over land. After he conducted what is now known as IPB, he achieved the desired end state by moving his forces over land. The French Navy, who moved into the southern port regions of New Jersey and Delaware (Frey, 1981), heavily influenced his decision to move his troops over land.

I can remember it like it was just yesterday that we were overtaken by the British from our blindside, and it was all our “great” generals fault, George Washington.

Book Review 2: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises by Richard Betts Summary: Betts starts off his book by recognizing the ambiguity around the advocacy of the use of force in a crisis by military leaders even though there is a prevalent assumption that military professionals are more aggressive than diplomats and politicians. He states he writes the book in order to provide a comprehensive survey of the postwar role of American military men in decisions on their most essential function, their use of force in combat. Betts acknowledges the vast availability of literature on military participation in decisions on defense budgets and weapons procurement, but feels there is a void when looking at decision-making from the perspective of military leadership versus civilian leadership.

“The spy ring established a sophisticated method of conveying information to Washington” (“Culper Spy Ring”). Washington had many mistakes in the past that he had to make the culper spy ring extremely secret. “George Washington

By definition, “mission command is the exercise of authority and direction by the commander using mission orders to enable disciplined initiative within the commander’s intent to empower agile and adaptive leaders in the conduct of unified land operations,” according to ADRP 5-0. Mission command is about knowing when to change the task to fit the purpose. This paper is intended to analyze the mission command of one side of the battle, focusing on the commander’s role in the operations process. The Battle of Bunker Hill was the most important battle of the American Revolution because of Colonel Prescott’s superior command and control.

Reliance on external militant friendly forces attributed to several significant mission command weaknesses. Competence, mutual trust, and shared understanding were principles that almost prevented the United States' victory in this case. Upon reflection, these are lessons learned and “serve as a cautionary tale for Americans convinced that our technological superiority is a foolproof defense against the element of surprise in the mountains of Afghanistan, the streets of Baghdad or on any other future battlefield” (Naylor, 2003). Successful completion of the “Hammer and Anvil” method was reliant on the competence of friendly Afghan forces, who ultimately were unorganized, untrained, and operated under their authority (Kugler, 2007).

In 1776, one of the most popular and well known founding fathers led the fight for independence in the royal colonies. In David Hackett Fischer’s book, “Washington’s Crossing”, he describes the troubles and even the unknowns of Washington’s experiences during the Revolutionary War. Fischer goes into detail about the first approach of the British as their massive naval fleet surrounds the state of New York all the way up to the point when the British became the defensive force rather than the offensive. “Washington’s Crossing” illustrates how the American Revolution wasn’t just pure success as at the beginning of the war, the Americans took many losses that almost completely crushed the revolution entirely. However, eventually the tides would

Thus the British could not capture the capital, which would end the war. The British had people in the colonies that were loyal to them, and used them to preserve control in the colonies. Though, when it came to using them in battle, the British Commanders chose not to. They did not trust them and felt that they lacked good fighting skills; this alienated possible collaborators.

When in fact they could work well together and still fail.  The Movie reaffirms the idea that the leadership of great generals even when working well together is not enough to overcome a stalled and confused operation. The lack of adequate supplies, faulty equipment and general confusion coupled with the fact that the commanders in the field allowed their armored forces and supply trains to push beyond the infantry bubble. All of which caused the forces to stall and not reach their objectives in time to prevent their destruction at the hands of the Germans.. Thus was the fate of the failed allied invasion of the Netherlands during  Operation Market Garden.

Eisenhower talked about the military and how much it had changed since World War II. “In the councils of the government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex” (Pearson). However, what exactly was the military-industrial complex? “The military-industrial complex refers to any set of relationships between military policy and industrial production” (Ball). General Turgidson’s mind was wired around the military-industrial complex because he believed that once something was done he should finish it and defeat the enemy while limiting collateral