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), […]
Continue ReadingSMA 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), […]
Continue ReadingSMA 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, […]
Continue ReadingQuestion (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, […]
Continue ReadingQuestion (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 […]
Continue ReadingCompilation 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 […]
Continue ReadingQuestion (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 […]
Continue ReadingQuestion (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 […]
Continue ReadingQuestion (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. […]
Continue ReadingSMA 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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