From the editor

Military Review, March-April, 2003 by Melanie R. Reeder

In this issue Military Review examines several issues. One is force projection--the ability to project combat power into a theater of operations to meet military requirements. Military Review also continues its series on officership. Plus, the journal presents a potpourri of articles on subjects ranging from law to cybercombat.

Force projection is one of four strategic concepts that support the two national military strategies to promote peace and stability and to defeat adversaries when necessary. Force projection is the military element of national power that systematically and rapidly moves military forces in response to requirements of war or stability and support operations. "Winning War a World Away" reports on the Objective Force's vital, successful role in Vigilant Warriors '02, the third Army Transformation wargame, sited in the Caspian region.

Increasingly essential to successful force projection is reachback. Reachback is the practice of using communications technology to tap into the array of information resources found at higher headquarters and emerging knowledge centers in the continental United States or other locales to support operations in far away theaters. "Putting Reachback into Practice" discusses how the Army's Center for Army Lessons Learned is doing just that to support forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Reach: Leveraging Time and Distance" examines the Army's growing use of reachback and points out the challenges to successful reachback operations.

Three independent articles address a number of wide-ranging topics. "Military Commissions, Past and Future" provides a historical context for U.S. use of military commissions. "Civilian and Military Cooperation in Complex Humanitarian Operations" discusses the intricate cooperation demanded in humanitarian operations. "The Palestinian-Israeli Cyberwar" relates how cyberwar might affect the United States.

Continuing the series on officership, "Understanding Professional Expertise and Jurisdiction" defines what constitutes the Army officer's professional jurisdiction, his sphere of expertise and knowledge. "Officership: Character, Leadership, and Ethical Decisionmaking" examines the character issues of being an Army officer. "Leadership: More Than Mission Accomplishment" argues that to improve the Army's leader development program, the officer evaluation report needs to focus less on an officer's quantifiable achievements and more on leadership's intangible results.

Rounding out this issue are the Insights and Almanac articles, plus a Book Review Essay. "Precision Launch Rocket System" argues the value of precision munitions and the need for a precision-launch rocket system that lends itself to strategic airmobility. "'Come As You Are' Warfare" examines the Bataan experience to make the point that deployed forces might have to fight without benefit of extensive preparation. "Understanding the Tactics of the Algerian War of Independence" reviews Battle Stories, General Khalid Nezzar's memoir, published in Arabic, of the Algerian War of Independence that lasted from 1954 to 1962.