Foreign Armies Studies Office

Foreign Armies Studies Office is a United States Army research institution at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas focused on analysis of foreign armed forces, doctrines, and operational art. It provides unclassified and classified assessments to entities such as the Department of Defense, Office of the Secretary of Defense, United States Army Training and Doctrine Command, and civilian academics. The office has engaged with scholars from institutions including Harvard University, Princeton University, Stanford University, and Georgetown University to compare contemporary campaigns like the Gulf War, Iraq War, War in Afghanistan (2001–2021), and historical conflicts such as the Vietnam War and Korean War.

History

The office traces intellectual lineage to analytic efforts during World War II, the Cold War, and studies conducted at RAND Corporation, Center for Strategic and International Studies, and the Institute for Defense Analyses. It formalized activities alongside institutions such as the U.S. Army War College, National War College, and Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Early personnel engaged with figures and events including Dwight D. Eisenhower, Stalin, NATO, and the Warsaw Pact to evaluate force structures, doctrine, and campaigns like the Battle of Kursk and Operation Overlord. During the post-Cold War era the office addressed transformations related to Gulf War (1991), Operation Desert Storm, and the rise of non-state actors exemplified by al-Qaeda and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Mission and Functions

The office’s mission aligns with strategic analysis performed for audiences such as Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S. Central Command, U.S. European Command, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and congressional committees including the House Armed Services Committee and Senate Armed Services Committee. Core functions include order-of-battle analysis, doctrine comparison, wargame support, and lessons-learned synthesis relevant to campaigns like the Falklands War, Yom Kippur War, Soviet–Afghan War (1979–1989), and asymmetric operations in Somalia. It supports capability assessments involving platforms such as the M1 Abrams, T-14 Armata, F-35 Lightning II, and Su-57. The office informs procurement debates over systems including the Patriot missile, S-400, Aegis Combat System, and MQ-9 Reaper.

Organization and Leadership

Organizationally, the office has reported to or coordinated with headquarters such as the United States Army Combined Arms Center, TRADOC, and the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command. Notable directors and analysts have included military scholars with ties to RAND Corporation, Hoover Institution, Brookings Institution, and universities like Columbia University and University of Chicago. Leadership engagements have involved collaboration with figures associated with General David Petraeus, General Martin Dempsey, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, and defense intellectuals such as Andrew Marshall and Thomas Schelling. The office’s staff have included historians versed in events like the Spanish Civil War, Franco-Prussian War, and campaigns from the Napoleonic Wars.

Research and Publications

Research outputs range from unclassified monographs to classified assessments, and the office has produced works comparable in influence to studies from the Institute for the Study of War, International Institute for Strategic Studies, and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Publications analyze case studies including the Battle of Mosul (2016–2017), Siege of Sarajevo, Second Chechen War, and Yemen Civil War (2014–present). They address operational themes present in writings by historians such as John Keegan, Antony Beevor, Max Hastings, and theorists like Carl von Clausewitz and Sun Tzu. The office supports curriculum development for courses referencing texts like On War, The Art of War (Sun Tzu), and contemporary analyses such as The Utility of Force.

Collaboration and Impact

The office collaborates with allied institutions including NATO Allied Command Transformation, United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, French Ministry of Armed Forces, Bundeswehr, Australian Defence Force, and academic partners such as King’s College London, University of Oxford, LSE, and Johns Hopkins University (SAIS). Its research has influenced doctrine revisions, wargame designs, and strategic reviews conducted by entities like CENTCOM, EU Military Staff, and the United Nations peacekeeping divisions. Studies have been cited in policymaking involving treaties and agreements such as the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe and influenced thought leaders connected to NATO Summit deliberations, defense acquisitions debated in the Congressional Research Service, and analyses by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Category:United States Army