Decision Making in Contingency Operations: Different Conflicts, Different Challenges.

摘要

This monograph deals with decision making in contingency operations. It begins with the observation that contingency operations are the most frequent method by which the United States projects power worldwide. Studying three areas which appear to differentiate contingencies from conventional operations, the author examines if these differences impose unique decision making challenges on leaders. The author uses three cases studies as evidence for the research question--Operation BLUEBAT, the 1958 intervention into Lebanon; POWER PACK, the 1965 intervention into the Dominican Republic and URGENT FURY, the 1983 intervention into Grenada. Through the use of elementary decision analysis and game theory, the differences observed in contingency operations are modeled and explained. The author concludes that differences do exists, and these differences are worthy of study. Keywords: Military operations; Military strategy; Contingency operations; Joint doctrine; Joint and combined operations; Decision making. (KT)