“A Question of Character”
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A paper which looks at A Question of Character – Life Lessons to Learn from Military History by Simmons and Gaebelein, in terms of the way in which the authors perceive the importance of character and the impact which the character of individual leaders can have on community ethics and behaviour.
Filename: JLChar.rtf

“America the Vulnerable” by Stephen Flynn
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A 4 page review of the book “America the Vulnerable” by Stephen Flynn. No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAamvul.rtf

“Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War”: A Review of the Book by Mark Bowden
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A 5 page review of the book detailing the 1993 downing of two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters in Mogadishu and the fighting which extended through the night. This event now holds the record for the longest sustained American firefight since Vietnam. The author of this paper contends that if Bowden’s book can be criticized, that criticism would revolve around the fact that it devotes practically all of its attention to a bullet-by-bullet account of the fighting surrounding the downing of the American helicopters and their crews’ survival through the night and devotes relatively little effort to explaining the circumstances behind that downing. This paper fills in the gaps on those circumstances. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPblkHwk.rtf

“Blackhawk Down” and the Principles of War
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A 7 page paper which examines the book “Blackhawk Down” by Mark Bowden and discusses how well it applies to the principles of war. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: RAblckhk

“Blind Man’s Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage” by Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew
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A 10 page book report that considers some covert U.S. Navy operations that were never detailed by the news media. Bibliography lists 6 sources.
Filename: TGbmbluf.rtf

“Living System” Software
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A 7 page paper comparing software to a living system. Still in development by Sandia National Laboratories is MentorPal®, software that employs neural-network technology to automatically offer “individual real-time advice to soldiers and other government teams in the field.” MentorPal has many of the features of a living system, defined as a system with boundaries, metabolism, defining code, purpose, complexity and a defined size, that also is self-organizing and operates within a framework of conceptual meaning. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Filename: KSitSoftLivingSys.rtf

“Men Against Fire: The Problem of Battle Command in Future War”
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A 3 page review of the book by military historian S.L.A. Marshal. This paper notes the controversy surround the book but concludes that whether Marshal’s estimate of only fifteen to twenty-five percent firing by infantrymen under enemy fire are accurate or not, his visions of what enhanced battlefield competency yield little to be criticized. No additional sources are listed.
Filename: PPwwIImenAgainstFire.rtf

“The Clash of Civilizations”: Military Service
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A 3 page paper which argues how Samuel P. Huntington’s theories in “The Clash of Civilizations” will impact a person’s future military career. No additional sources cited.
Filename: RAclaci.rtf

“The Private History of a Campaign That Failed”
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A 4 page analysis of Mark Twain’s memorable short story. This paper laments the lack of leadership that could have turned Twain’s group into an effective military unit. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Filename: PPmilTwainCampaignFailed.rtf