Browsing by Author "Taylor, Tom"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    An Analysis of the U.S. Army Reserve's Use of Civilian-Acquired Skills
    (2011-04-20) Mitchell, Tazra
    Civil Affairs (CA) are activities that foster relations between military forces and civil societies. These activities improve mission effectiveness and help achieve military objectives. The post-9/11 shift from fighting traditional warfare to irregular warfare elevated the importance of “soft power” and CA activities. The number of CA units is expanding to meet U.S. national security obligations. Yet, the Center for Strategic and International Studies asserts that the demand for CA forces is outpacing the supply of CA forces. This shortfall gives rise to the importance of maximizing the efficiency of CA activities and forces. However, recent reforms in the U.S. Army have the potential to hinder the capability and efficiency of CA units to deliver its missions. Reform of the CA doctrine in 2006 included the decision to emphasize general competencies over functional specialties. This reform works against the ability of the U.S. Army Reserve to capitalize on its members’ unique functional expertise, which plays a significant role in performing well in CA operations and civil-military operations. The Report examines three policy alternatives that may improve the U.S. Army Reserve’s use of its soldiers’ civilian-acquired skills: (1) study and re-write the skill identifiers; (2) require CA personnel to apply for skill identifiers; and (3) remodel the U.S. Army Reserve Civilian Acquired Skills Database. These alternatives are weighed against the criteria of (1) improve the ability of the U.S. Army Reserve to identify the actual level of functional expertise currently resident in the CA force, (2) close the U.S. Army Reserve’s CA capability gap in order to better execute reconstruction and stabilization operations, and (3) enhance the U.S. Army Reserve’s participation in whole-of-government planning efforts related to CA activities.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Counter-Marketing Foreign Terrorist Organizations: Best Practices from the Truth Initiative
    (2017-06-09) Williams, Michael
    In the sixteen years since the 9/11 attacks, the United States government continues to execute a military-centric counterterrorism (CT) strategy in the Middle East and Africa, absent an integrated and synchronized information component to what is now recognized as a generational “War of Ideas.” The void of information alternatives enabled the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014 to acquire prolific brand recognition and global market share, which in turn, fueled the organization’s unprecedented foreign fighter recruiting efforts. U.S. government and partner efforts to counter-messaging and propaganda from ISIS, al Qaeda (AQ), and other Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), continue to face criticism. This project recommends the Global Engagement Center (GEC) use a “Truth-like” counter-marketing methodology to discourage youth from joining FTOs. As a component of a long-term U.S. counter-terrorism (CT) strategy, the GEC should target the 200 million Arab youth currently under the age of 25, use a brand-based approach to unify partner efforts, and establish a digital repository of incriminating FTO and counter-marketing material that can be shared with global partners. This project consists of a policy problem assessment, a case study of the Truth Initiative and Campaign, a comparative analysis of other U.S. government activities, and a series of policy recommendations. This project identifies a number of counter-marketing best practices from America’s largest non-profit anti-tobacco organization, the Truth Initiative, which could improve the GEC’s counter-messaging mission against FTOs. The Truth Initiative, previously known as the American Legacy Foundation, created one of the most successful advertising campaigns in history, the Truth Campaign. It is important to acknowledge that the counter-marketing of tobacco and terrorism are not perfect comparisons, and this paper does not intend to imply that they are. This project recognizes a counter-marketing approach to CT messaging will not be a panacea, as a media campaign will not fix poor governance, or address legitimate grievances that lead individuals and FTOs to commit violence. However, a well-executed counter-marketing campaign should be used to undermine and diminish the recruiting influence that FTOs exert on global youth.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Legal Accountability of State Department Private Security Contractors in Iraq
    (2011-04-21) Beelaert, Jeffrey
    This project focuses on addressing the jurisdictional loophole for private security contractors employed by the U.S. Department of State. In Iraq, the United States has approximately the same number of civilian contractors as it does soldiers. Without civilian contractor support, agencies like State could not effectively execute their missions. As the military begins to transition out of Iraq in 2011, State will hire more civilian contractors. Private security contractors are a subset of civilian contractors who provide protection to convoys, guard embassies and consulates, and act as the personal security detail for diplomats. Like the military, PSCs carry weapons and use deadly force. Just like the military, they have committed (and will likely continue to commit) crimes in Iraq. In terms of legal accountability, there is a big difference between the military and PSCs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Toward a North Carolina Commission of Inquiry on Torture
    (2011-04-13) Whiteman, Allison L.
    Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, the US has been fighting a global “War on Terror.” The military action is not a “war” in the traditional sense; its general objective is to eradicate the Al Qaeda terrorist network and secure Afghanistan and Iraq. One way the US has handled national security concerns brought on by the global War on Terror is through extraordinary rendition. Extraordinary rendition is “the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.” The CIA contracts with a number of civilian corporations to transport detainees. Aero Contractors, a Delaware corporation with its principal office in Smithfield, North Carolina, has provided logistical support for the CIA. Aero Contractors is an aviation company that operated two planes—tail numbers N313P and N379P—that a number of authors allege carried detainees to CIA detention facilities abroad, including Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, and Kabul, Afghanistan. Many flights began and ended in either Smithfield or Kinston, NC. A number of detainees, including Binyam Mohamed, Bisher Al-Rawi, Abou El-Kassim Britel, and Khaled El-Masri, have claimed they were flown by Aero Contractors and subsequently tortured. NC Stop Torture Now is a grassroots coalition of individuals interested in investigating the role of North Carolina businesses in the War on Terror. State and national efforts to provide accountability for torture have been ineffective, and detainees have been unsuccessful in bringing lawsuits against Aero Contractors and other defendants. NC Stop Torture Now wants to create a Commission of Inquiry to investigate concerns that Aero Contractors violated international prohibitions against torture and extraordinary rendition. This Masters Project evaluates models for a Commission of Inquiry.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Women in Combat: A Plan to Implement the Repeal of Combat Exclusion Policies
    (2012-04-18) Selenich, Sarah
    “Women in combat” is a controversial issue among members of the military, politicians, and the public. However, on March 7, 2011, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission (MLDC) released a report recommending that DoD eliminate combat exclusion policies for women. The present exclusion policies stem from a 1994 memorandum by then-Secretary of Defense Les Aspin. The memo states, “women shall be excluded from assignment to units below the brigade level whose primary mission is to engage in direct combat on the ground.” It also bars women where privacy costs are prohibitive, units physically collocate with direct ground combat units, units are engaged in long range reconnaissance or Special Forces missions, and physical requirements would exclude most women service members. The Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 1994 requires that the Secretary of Defense notify Congress at least 30 days prior to the implementation of any changes to these policies. The Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services (DACOWITS) concurred with the MLDC’s recommendation in its annual report. In addition, On February 9, 2012, in partial-response to the MLDC report, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta gave notice of the intent to eliminate the co-location portion of the policy and to permit women to serve at the battalion level in military occupational specialties (MOS) already open to them. Yet, neither the MLDC report nor the DACOWITS annual report explains how DoD should implement the elimination of combat exclusion policies for women. Similarly, the February 9th report to Congress outlines few details and indicates that significant research, resources, time and effort are needed. The report concludes, “changes to DoD’s policies will require time to implement fully. There are serious practical barriers, which if not approached in a deliberate manner, could adversely impact the health of our Service members and degrade mission accomplishment.” There are concerns regarding cohesion, good order and discipline, privacy, physical differences between men and women, pregnancy and menstruation, effects on military families, and cultural norms.