Part 6 ISIL Support and Recruitment

January 2017 No Comments

SMA CENTCOM Reach-back Reports – Part 6: ISIL Support and Recruitment. Author | Editor: SMA Program Office. This is Part 6 of a 9 part series of SMA Reach back responses to questions posed by USCENTCOM. Each report contains responses to multiple questions grouped by theme. At the request of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), […]

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Part 2 Learning From the Fight Against ISIS

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SMA CENTCOM Reach-back Reports – Part 2: The Fight Against ISIS. Author | Editor: SMA Program Office. This is Part 2 of a 9 part series of SMA Reach back responses to questions posed by USCENTCOM. Each report contains responses to multiple questions grouped by theme. At the request of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), […]

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Part 1 A Compendium of Messaging Reports

January 2017 No Comments

SMA CENTCOM Reach-back Reports – Part 1: Messaging. Author | Editor: SMA Program Office. This is Part 1 of a 9 part series of SMA Reach back responses to questions posed by USCENTCOM. Each report contains responses to multiple questions grouped by theme. At the request of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), the Joint Staff, […]

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Syria Da’esh Insurgency

January 2017 No Comments

Question (R3 QL7): How does Da’esh’s transition to insurgency manifest itself in Syria; which other jihadist groups might offer the potential for merger and which areas of ungoverned space are most likely to offer conditions conducive for Da’esh to maintain some form of organizational structure and military effectiveness? Author | Editor: Polansky (Pagano), S. (NSI, […]

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Regional Interests Analysis

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Question (S2): In light of their divergent goals and interests, what are the necessary factors that would permit the U.S.-led Coalition, regional stakeholders (including Israel, Russia, and Iran), or jihadist groups to achieve their aims in Iraq? Where do disparate groups’ interests align and where do they diverge? What can the U.S. coalition do to […]

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Round 1 Questions Compilation

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Compilation of Round 1 Questions. Author | Editor: Rhem, S. (SRC & SMA Team). Round 1 Questions Quick Look What are the factors that could potentially cause behavior changes in Pakistan and how can the US and coalition countries influence those factors? What are the strategic and operational implications of the Turkish Army’s recent intervention […]

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Achieving Coalition Goals in Iraq/Syria

January 2017 No Comments

Question (Sim#3): What must the coalition do in the information environment to achieve its objectives in Iraq and Syria and how can it deny adversaries the ability to achieve theirs? Part 2 Author | Editor: Sutherlin, G. (Geographic Services Inc). We have acknowledged that the enemy has been very agile in the information environment thus […]

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Coalition Activities and Terrorism

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Question (S#1): What are the correlations between the US/coalition operational and tactical actions in theater effecting terrorist activity throughout the world (i.e., external events). For example, does the loss of ISIL controlled territory or kill/capture of an ISIL high value target lead to an increase/decrease in terrorist attacks in other areas of the world? Can […]

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Russian Interests in Syria

December 2016 No Comments

Question (R2 Special): What are indicators of change in Russian strategic interests in Syria? Author | Editor: Astorino-Coutois, A. (NSI, Inc). This paper found that Russia¹s strategic interests in the Middle East are fairly stable. What could change is how Russia prioritizes its interests in the wake of the US election and change in administration. […]

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Discussion with NPS Experts – Dec 2016

December 2016 No Comments

SMA Reachback Panel Discussion with Experts from Naval Postgraduate School. Author | Editor: Robinson, G. (Naval Postgraduate School) & Canna, S. (NSI, Inc). On 1 November 2016, a team of experts from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) prepared a two-hour panel discussion based loosely on the first round of CENTCOM¹s reach back questions. The team […]

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