Foreign Military Studies Office
Encyclopedia
The Foreign Military Studies Office, or FMSO, is a research and analysis center for the United States Army
that is part of the United States Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth
. It manages the Joint Reserve Intelligence Center there.
, a well-known author on the Soviet military experience in the Second World War
, became it second director. FMSO was staffed by US Army foreign area officer
s and civilian scholars. With the end of the Cold War SASO became FMSO in 1991 and its focus initially broadened to Central and Eastern Europe.
FMSO was actively involved in research on the end of the Cold War, the challenge of ethno-nationalism to Post-Cold War Europe, and relevant foreign military experience, such as the Soviet-Afghan War and the Wars in Chechnya. FMSO developed a research programs on Latin American military affairs, Chinese military studies, and Eurasian military studies. In the post-Cold War era FMSO did address problems of asymmetric warfare
. In the last decade it has also addressed the problem of integrating cultural insights into COIN and played a key role in the initial development of the Human Terrain System, and is an active partner of the controversial cultural geography mapping project called México Indígena
.
- some 55,000 boxes of documents, audiotapes and videotapes relating to the government of Saddam Hussein, seized during the Iraq invasion in 2003 for the purposes of Document Exploitation (DOCEX)
. However, in early November 2006, the entire set of documents was apparently removed. Media reports stated that the website was taken offline because the documents included sophisticated diagrams and other information detailing nuclear weapon design that could be useful to anyone wishing to construct a nuclear weapon.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
that is part of the United States Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth is a United States Army facility located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, immediately north of the city of Leavenworth in the upper northeast portion of the state. It is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. and has been in operation for over 180 years...
. It manages the Joint Reserve Intelligence Center there.
Mission
The main purpose of FMSO is to conduct analysis relating to foreign military and security studies based upon open source research. FMSO's publications are available on its web site, and its researchers publish in many professional military and academic journals, where their products can be assessed in the market place of ideas. Originally created by LTG William Richardson, TRADOC Commander, as the Soviet Army Studies Office in 1986, SASO's first director was Dr. Bruce Menning. A primary area of focus was the development of operational art in the Soviet Union. Colonel David GlantzDavid Glantz
David M. Glantz is an American military historian and the editor of the Journal of Slavic Military Studies....
, a well-known author on the Soviet military experience in the Second World War
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
, became it second director. FMSO was staffed by US Army foreign area officer
Foreign area officer
A Foreign Area Officer is a commissioned officer from any of the four branches of the United States Armed Forces who is a regionally focused expert in political-military operations. Such officers possess a unique combination of strategic focus and regional expertise, with political, cultural,...
s and civilian scholars. With the end of the Cold War SASO became FMSO in 1991 and its focus initially broadened to Central and Eastern Europe.
FMSO was actively involved in research on the end of the Cold War, the challenge of ethno-nationalism to Post-Cold War Europe, and relevant foreign military experience, such as the Soviet-Afghan War and the Wars in Chechnya. FMSO developed a research programs on Latin American military affairs, Chinese military studies, and Eurasian military studies. In the post-Cold War era FMSO did address problems of asymmetric warfare
Asymmetric warfare
Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....
. In the last decade it has also addressed the problem of integrating cultural insights into COIN and played a key role in the initial development of the Human Terrain System, and is an active partner of the controversial cultural geography mapping project called México Indígena
México Indígena
México Indígena is the controversial prototype project of the Bowman Expeditions, an initiative of the American Geographical Society to organize international teams of geographers to research potentially important place-based issues and restore the role of geographers as advisers to U.S. government...
.
Operation Iraqi Freedom Documents
Through the site, the US government made publicly available the Operation Iraqi Freedom DocumentsOperation Iraqi Freedom documents
Operation Iraqi Freedom documents are some 48,000 boxes of documents, audiotapes and videotapes that were discovered by the U.S. military during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The documents date from the 1980s through the post-Saddam period. The U.S...
- some 55,000 boxes of documents, audiotapes and videotapes relating to the government of Saddam Hussein, seized during the Iraq invasion in 2003 for the purposes of Document Exploitation (DOCEX)
Document Exploitation (DOCEX)
Document Exploitation is the set of procedures used by the United States Armed Forces to discover, categorize, and use documents seized in combat operations. In the course of performing its missions in the War on Terrorism, members of the United States Armed Forces discover vast amounts of...
. However, in early November 2006, the entire set of documents was apparently removed. Media reports stated that the website was taken offline because the documents included sophisticated diagrams and other information detailing nuclear weapon design that could be useful to anyone wishing to construct a nuclear weapon.
See also
- Intelligence collection managementIntelligence collection managementIntelligence Collection Management is the process of managing and organizing the collection of intelligence information from various sources. The collection department of an intelligence organization may attempt basic validation of that which it collects, but is not intended to analyze its...
- List of intelligence gathering disciplines
- Document Exploitation (DOCEX)Document Exploitation (DOCEX)Document Exploitation is the set of procedures used by the United States Armed Forces to discover, categorize, and use documents seized in combat operations. In the course of performing its missions in the War on Terrorism, members of the United States Armed Forces discover vast amounts of...
- World Basic Information Library (WBIL)World Basic Information Library (WBIL)The World Basic Information Library is a joint United States Army and United States Navy program, which allows Reserve Component personnel of all United States Armed Forces branches to participate in contributing Open Source Intelligence information in accordance with tasking requirements from...