The Fog of War: Large-Scale Smoke Screening Operations of First Canadian Army in Northwest Europe

Smoke screens have been employed in sea and land warfare for many centuries for a variety of purposes. They have been used to conceal troop movements, to deceive the enemy as to combat strengths, point of attack, and preparations for offensive operations. During the Second World War all armies made use of smoke screns in their operations to a greater or lesser extent. Canada was no exception and was considered to be extremely innovative in the use of smoke equipment in ways for which it was not designed. The First Canadian Army first employed large-scale non-artillery-projected smoke screens during the campaign in Northwest Europe. For the first time, at least in the history of Canadian operations, units of trained specialists worked to lay down smoke screens in the field

Application of Simulation Modelling Means in Management Decisions-making within the Security and Defence Sector

Problems and modern tendencies in the field of creating complex models of combat operations are considered. The systematic analysis of existing models of combat operations is carried out and their conformity to modern conditions and development of military art is defined. Features of combat operations models development when using means of simulation modelling are exposed with the use of a method of mathematical simulation. The structure of the complex simulation modelling of actions of forces is formed. The composition of standard models of components of the security and defence sector is determined and the sphere of their application is outlined, which allows controlling the unit in different situations at the stage of choosing decisions at different levels of management. The main directions of the development of modelling complexes and systems are determined. The practical implementation of these approaches, along with the implementation of the principles of cost-effectiveness of models, their coordinated development, system compatibility of models for different purposes and large-scale use of proven commercial decisions will create a cluster of combat operations models, which is a real tool for effective decision-making on troops management and allows laying down technical requirements for the development of a modern complex of simulation modelling. Doi: 10.28991/esj-2021-01294 Full Text: PD

Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadershipin Wartime

This is an extraordinarily timely work, published when the United States may be about to conduct large-scale combat operations in the Middle East. It exam- ines the relationship in a democracy be- tween military and political leadership, “or more precisely, . . . the tension be- tween two kinds of leadership, civil and military,” especially in time of war

THE APPLICATION AND EMPLOYMENT OF SPECIAL FORCES TO EFFECTIVELY OPERATE IN THE MULTI-DOMAIN OPERATIONS ENVIRONMENT OF LARGE-SCALE COMBAT OPERATIONS

With the U.S. military’s shift in focus to large-scale combat operations (LSCO) in a multi-domain operations (MDO) environment, special forces (SF) must adapt and develop new strategies to operate and succeed in a new technologically enabled combat environment. MDO warfare has evolved and now includes the 4th dimension of information, electronic, and cyber warfare. The prevalence of information through open-source internet, radio, and television as well as a high reliance on electronic communications equipment has enhanced the offense opportunities for both the United States and its adversaries alike. Designed and assembled in an era prior to the MDO environment, the SF force structure currently lacks some of the capabilities to effectively operate and thrive on modern battlefields. Capabilities such as electronic warfare or employment and exploitation of cyber space hold significant influence on the battlespace, which SF units are ill prepared to employ or exploit. As a result, SF units should reconsider their capabilities when it comes to penetrating and disabling the anti-access area denial (A2/AD) bubbles established by our enemies. SF should also consider the tools required to destroy or disable A2/AD. Ultimately, SF must reanalyze how they are positioned and employed within LSCO. A look at modern-era case studies show that SF must adapt its capabilities and force structure if it is to remain relevant and effective in future conflicts.Major, United States ArmyMajor, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Analyzing the Impact of Blood Transfusion Kits and Triage Misclassification Errors for Military Medical Evacuation Dispatching Policies via Approximate Dynamic Programming

Members of the armed forces greatly rely on having an effective and efficient medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) process for evacuating casualties from the battlefield to medical treatment facilities (MTF) during combat operations. This thesis examines the MEDEVAC dispatching problem and seeks to determine an optimal policy for dispatching a MEDEVAC unit, if any, when a 9-line MEDEVAC request arrives, taking into account triage classification errors and the possibility of having blood transfusion kits on board select MEDEVAC units. A discounted, infinite-horizon continuous-time Markov decision process (MDP) model is formulated to examine such problem and compare generated dispatching policies to the myopic policy of sending the closest available unit. We utilize an approximate dynamic programming (ADP) technique that leverages a random forest value function approximation within an approximate policy iteration algorithmic framework to develop high-quality policies for both a small-scale problem instance and a large-scale problem instance that cannot be solved to optimality. A representative planning scenario involving joint combat operations in South Korea is developed and utilized to investigate the differences between the various policies. Results from the analysis indicate that applying ADP techniques can improve current practices by as much as 29% with regard to a life-saving performance metric. This research is of particular interest to the military medical community and can inform the procedures of future military MEDEVAC operations

SIMULATION ANALYSIS OF U.S. ARMY RESERVE’S MOBILIZATION POLICY

The U.S. Army Reserve must mobilize and equip soldiers quickly in order to support combatant commanders worldwide in the event of large scale combat operations (LSCO) and less than large scale mobilization (LSM). There are many steps in the process of mobilization: orders creation, troop movement, equipment readiness and movement, and other processes that take multiple steps to prepare a soldier and equipment. The current mobilization process that occurs during large scale mobilization operations (LSMO) is lengthened with bottlenecks manifested by long wait times for equipment mobilization and soldier readiness which affects the timeliness of support needed to conduct operations. Many sources, such as constraints and inefficiencies related to resource allocation, decision-making, and communication protocols, lead to mobilization delays in soldier and unit readiness while maneuvering through the mobilization process. Comprehensive simulation and data analytic techniques aimed at identifying delay-causing steps in the LSMO process will help gain insights into the mobilization procedures and protocols. Creating a deterministic activity network within Python will capture the primary structural elements of the mobilization process and observe the precedence relationships and processing times. Adding stochasticity in the model along with a comprehensive design of experiments that explore the parameter space, will provide more information on the sensitivity of each process.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Captain, United States ArmyUS Army Reserve, 4710 Knox St., Fort Liberty, NC 2831

Is Combat Exposure Predictive of Higher Preoperative Stress in Military Members?

Since September 11, 2001, the United States has been engaged in large-scale combat operations exposing numerous military service members to stressful, traumatic, and threatening environments. As a result, many of these individuals have experienced significant psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as physiological alterations, such as cardiovascular changes and neuroendocrine disturbances. The preoperative experience may be perceived as stressful, often increasing in magnitude as the patient progresses through the preoperative period. Military anesthesia providers frequently provide anesthetic care to military members with a history of combat exposure. Anecdotally, it is not uncommon for this patient population to require a more heavy-handed anesthetic regimen, potentially resulting in increased side effects or prolonged recovery. An enormous gap exists in knowledge related to the preoperative stress response, especially in military members with a history of combat exposure. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine predictive relationships between the number of combat experiences and the preoperative stress response in U.S. military personnel on the day of surgery. This prospective, descriptive study was conducted at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, enrolling active duty men and women undergoing elective surgery. One to 14 days prior to surgery, anxiety, depression, and PTSD symptoms were assessed. In addition, participants reporting a prior military deployment having received combat-related pay completed a U.S. Army-developed combat exposure scale. On the day of surgery, the preoperative psychological and physiological stress response was measured using the Visual Analogue Scale for Stress, Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist-Revised, and salivary alpha-amylase. This may be the first investigation to determine predictive relationships between varying degrees of combat exposure and the preoperative stress response in military personnel on the day of surgery

THE ROLE OF SMALL-STATE SOF IN LARGE-SCALE COMBAT OPERATIONS: THE BEGINNING OF THE HIGH NORTH DILEMMA

This thesis explores the future roles of small-state special operations forces (SOF) in the initial phase of large-scale combat operations (LSCO) in the High North. The research findings indicate that small-state SOF could provide strategic utility through expansion of choice and economy of force by indirectly and directly supporting the conventional force, conducting operations SOF is uniquely suited for, and imposing costs to change an adversary's decision calculus. Two core requirements for SOF were identified through wargaming: the ability to maneuver covertly over great distances and the need to be given the necessary authority to conduct operations in a timely manner. This leads to four key recommendations that will increase the effectiveness of Norwegian Special Operation Forces (NORSOF) in the initial phase of LSCO: first, develop NORSOF's capability to maneuver covertly in a denied environment; second, cultivate integration with the conventional force; third, enable immediate communication solutions with senior leadership; and finally, inform relevant decision-makers and partners about the capabilities that reside within NORSOF and collaborate with them.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, Royal Norwegian Nav

The C5ISR System Integrated with Unmanned Aircraft in the Large-Scale Combat Operations

The manner of conducting modern large-scale combat operations (LSCOs) is characterized by the increasingly frequent and diverse use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) integrated into the Command, Control, Computers, Communications, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4IRS) system. These aircraft are one of the most important types of weapons in modern LSCOs. Anyone that has the technology can process the latest information from the field and safely passes that information to the command center has a great advantage and a chance to cause great damage to units whose goal is to prevent further operational work. What is important is that UAVs must have some degree of self-protection through site selection action to reconnaissance and retreat routes. The paper presents the possibility of using UAVs for various missions in LSCOs, as well as a case study of their use in previous modern armed conflicts. Command Center; C4IRS; Large-Scale Combat Operation; UAV; UCA

OPTIMIZING FLEET TACTICS: SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES IN NAVAL WARFARE

The shift of the U.S. military away from the Global War on Terror (GWOT) to preparation for large-scale combat operations has created tension for Special Operations Command (SOCOM) between the dual imperatives of maintaining a sustained global presence and achieving optimal integration with conventional military units—particularly the Navy. This thesis builds on CAPT (Ret) Wayne Hughes’ seminal work on naval warfare, Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations, to argue that maritime-specialized SOF units can improve the operational capability of a battle fleet and should prioritize integration with the Navy over consistent presence abroad. To demonstrate the impact of SOF in naval combat, this study evaluates the performance of maritime special forces in three major naval campaigns—The Battle for the Mediterranean (1940-45), The South Atlantic Conflict (1982), and the Tanker War (1987-88)—according to Hughes’ concepts of firepower, scouting, and command and control. The analysis finds that maritime SOF excel in littoral environments, where they can leverage flotillas of fast attack craft, conduct sabotage missions, and employ sophisticated reconnaissance capabilities to enhance the lethality of the fleet, provided sufficient doctrinal integration is cultivated ahead of time.Distribution Statement A. Approved for public release: Distribution is unlimited.Lieutenant Commander, United States Nav