Perspectives on the American Way of War

Thomas A. Marks is Distinguished Professor and MG Edward Lansdale Chair of Irregular Warfighting Strategy at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) of the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC. He assumed this position after 12 years as Chair of the War and Conflict Studies (WACS) Department at CISA. Kirklin J. Bateman is Chair of the War and Conflict Studies (WACS) Department at the College of International Security Affairs (CISA) of the National Defense University (NDU) in Washington, DC. He assumed this position after previously serving as CISA Associate Dean of Curriculum Development.

• Introduction: Perspectives on the American way of war: the U.S. experience in irregular conflict Thomas A. Marks and Kirklin J. Bateman 1. The Mexican War: frontier expansion and selective incursion Craig A. Deare 2. Birth of the Cold War: irregular warfare first blood in Greece Andrew Novo 3. Organizing for the ‘gray zone’ fight: early Cold War realities and the CIA’s Directorate of Operations David P. Oakley 4. Counterinsurgency in Vietnam – schizophrenia until too late Rufus Phillips 5. Turning gangsters into allies: the American way of war in Northern Afghanistan Matthew P. Dearing 6. Iraq, 2003–2011: succeeding to fail Jeanne Godfroy and Liam Collins 7. The American way of war in Africa: the case of Niger LTC Joseph Guido 8. Too little, too late: protecting American soft networks in COIN/CT Steve Miska and Samuel Romano 9. Systems failure: the US way of irregular warfare David H. Ucko