No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / Okinawa serves as a strategic base for U.S. forces in maintaining regional security and protecting Japanese and American interests based on the 1960 Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States and its 1951 predecessor. This thesis assesses the developing factors in Japan's constitutional debate after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It examines the myriad issues influencing the reinterpretation or potential revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution and what implications revision would have on Japan-based U.S. forces stationed primarily in Okinawa. This thesis argues that Tokyo's reinterpretation or revision of Article 9 of Japan's constitution would not require a major withdrawal of U.S. forces from Okinawa. Regional threats still validate the half-century old U.S.-Japan Security Alliance and most of its current structure. The major questions the thesis addresses are how and why Japan is reinterpreting or may revise its constitution, what dangers threaten Japanese and American security and interests, and how Okinawa's bases contribute to the security and stability of the region and at what price. Furthermore, this thesis evaluates the validity of perceptions regarding U.S. troops on Okinawa, and it seeks to clarify the situation on Okinawa. This thesis' arguments set the stage for a policy-prescriptive conclusion which is predicated on six individual premises. A major point is the validation of a viable and proven U.S. expeditionary force to remain stationed within Japan. Also, it offers practical recommendations for what is next for U.S. forces on Okinawa, including maintaining the status quo with certain adjustments, overhauling public relations and media interactions, and examining the merits of Kadena Air Base and Ie Island for the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma. / Captain, United States Marine Corps

While Special Operations Forces are commonly identified with the pursuit of foreign policy, they may also be used within the domestic security infrastructure. Given the long-practiced use of the military in developing countries in internal security roles (inclusive of Jamaica), and given the rise to prominence of transnational threats over traditional threats in Jamaica, a need has arisen for an evolution in the military to adequately meet these new unconventional threats. Such a capability may be embodied in a SOF properly selected, trained, equipped and organized to mitigate these irregular threats such as terrorism, illicit arms and narcotics trafficking, and organized crime which currently face Jamaica. This study examines the value, utility, and possible roles of such a unit in the Jamaican security landscape, and makes recommendations for the establishment and employment of such a unit in Jamaica.

The three objectives to this thesis are: to determine through historical investigation the primary motivations and impetuses behind the creation and development of special operations forces (SOF) within the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China; to provide a detailed briefing of modern PLA SOF; to determine whether PLA SOF contingents will develop an American "Green Beret"-type Unconventional Warfare (UW) capability in the immediate future. The third objective will be ascertained through a brief investigation of the history, motivations and national strategy behind the United States Army Special Forces. It will also examine the doctrinal leanings of Local War Under High Tech Conditions, as well as the strategic and political objectives of the People's Republic of China (PRC), and how both factors pertain to and affect the missions of PLA SOF. Through the course of this thesis' research, it was discovered that doctrinal changes within the PLA, post-1979 PLA modernization and professionalization efforts, financial constraints on regional power projection goals, and the First Gulf War were the primary drivers behind the creation and development of PLA SOF. At present, an integral UW capability within PLA SOF is constrained by the Chinese military's current doctrinal emphasis--fighting a short war--and the PRC's strategic and political goals--translating regional economic interdependence into regional dominance.

Growing world-wide commitments and potential naval threats in the future will challenge the U.S. maritime forces to become more integrated and interoperable. The Total Fleet Concept calls for a maritime force for the nation that essentially combines the assets and unique capabilities of each maritime agency available to the U.S. government and forms a scalable force that can be employed around the globe to accomplish missions in the national interest. The U.S. Navy is the preeminent maritime power in the world. However, it has concentrated almost exclusively on maintaining its capability at the Blue-water level of operations. In light of the emerging asymmetrical threat from non-peer competitor forces, the Navy has embarked on a stated program of building up its littoral and lowlevel regional capability in order to engage these adversaries in their own environment. This thesis studies the Navy's budget requests of the Future Years Defense Program. It also examines whether these budget requests and the long-range 30-year shipbuilding plan is leading to the transformational Fleet that is envisioned by the Total Fleet Concept, or is a continuation of the predominantly Blue-water operations focused Fleet and the assets that accompany that strategy. / US Navy (USN) author.

This thesis describes the evolution of the defense budget process in Ukraine, from independence to 2006. It identifies and evaluates factors that directly affected the development of the defense budget process and determined the distribution of power in that process and examines the efficiency of defense budgets as policy tools. This study contributes towards an understanding of the relative power of the executive versus the legislative branch in shaping defense policy. It concludes that important but limited progress has occurred in the defense budget realm in Ukraine since independence. The absence of a clear political guidance, deficiencies of defense legislation, and insufficient levels of co-operation between the executive and the legislative branch of the government are key problems involved in defense budgeting and reform in Ukraine. Certain improvements and overall intensification of efforts occurred as a result of the NATO-Ukraine Action Plan in 2002. Actions undertaken by the Ukrainian government during the period from 2002 to the beginning of 2006, including the introduction of the law On Organization of the Defense Planning in 2004, had a minimal impact because of insufficient interest at the legislative level.

Throughout American history, there has been a tension between conventional and unconventional forces on the field as well as between the commanders; we even see this at the strategic level. Force misperceptions created a gap between U.S. conventional and unconventional forces that reached a peak at the conclusion of the Vietnam War. This gap has slowly been reduced with the creation and efforts of SOCOM; however, inefficiencies in the conduct of major combat campaigns still remain as a result of poor integration. The Burma Campaign and the Liberation of the Philippines 1942-1945 provide two unique case studies in which unconventional forces worked under the overall guidance and command of a conventional leader. Throughout the Burma Campaign and the struggle for the Liberation of the Philippines, conventional forces relied heavily on the ability of unconventional forces to support and contribute to the overall campaign strategy. Direct and indirect communication, coordination, and autonomy of operations between these forces resulted in strategic successes enroute to victory in World War II. The coordination and roles of these forces throughout the campaigns provide valuable insights and lessons learned that can be applied to today's forces, who find themselves working together - and needing to work together - in conflicts abroad. / US Navy (USN) author.

This study analyzes the responses of enlisted reserve personnel to the 2000-2001 Navy Reserve Career Decision Survey using multivariate logistic regression. Enlisted Naval Reservists' retirement intentions are assessed with respect to the effect of demographic and military background characteristics, unit-type, and reserve experiences. Among the reserve experience variables, perceptions about the importance of training, accomplishment recognition, family impact, civilian job impact, education benefits, leadership, career development, personal meaning, and time spent working in a primary designator are all significant influences on career plans. Marital status, pay grade, time in the Selected Reserves, and prior duty status are also significant predictors. While unit type and rating variables are not individually significant, each group of variables is jointly significant. Marital status, pay grade, time in service, and reserve experience variables have the greatest effects on a respondent's intent to stay to retirement and should be considered when evaluating and creating retention policies and/or programs for the Naval Reserve organization. It is recommended that follow-on studies be conducted to compare the 2005 responses with the 2000-2001 responses to the Reserve Career Decision Survey to provide a better understanding of enlisted reserve retirement intentions in the 9/11 military environment.