MILITARY GEOGRAPHY
    FOR PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC

Contents

FOREWORD
PREFACE by John W. Vessey, Jr.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
AUTHOR'S INTRODUCTION 

1. OVERVIEW

    Military Considerations 
    Regional Quirks
    Avoidable Abuses
    Analytical Techniques 

PART ONE:
PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY

2. SPATIAL RELATIONSHIPS 

    Location 
    Size
    Shape

3. LAY OF THE LAND 

    Land Forms 
    Rivers and Reservoirs 
    Geology and Soils
    Vegetation

4. OCEANS AND SEASHORES 

    Sea Water Attributes
    Sea Surface Behavior 
    Marine Topography
    Representative Naval Ramifications 

5. EARTH'S ATMOSPHERE 

    Atmospheric Phenomena
    Climatology for Military Strategists
    Meteorology for Military Operators

6. REGIONAL PECULIARITIES

    Frigid Flatlands
    Frigid Seas 
    Mountainous Regions
    Arid Regions
    Tropical Rain Forests
    Wetlands
    Coastlands and Small Seas

7. INNER AND OUTER SPACE 

    Space Compared with Land and Sea 
    Region I: Aerospace Interfaces
    Region II: Circumterrestrial Space
    Region III: Moon and Environs
    Region IV: Outer Envelope
    Tips for Military Space Planners 

8. NATURAL RESOURCES AND RAW MATERIALS

    Sources and Shortages
    Compensatory Programs
    Resource Deprivation

PART TWO:
CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY

9. POPULATIONS

    Demography
    Physical Attributes
    Cultural Characteristics
    Current Attitudes
   National Personalities
    Cross-Cultural Skills

10. URBANIZATION

    Sites and Structures  
    Urban Sprawl 
    Conventional Urban Combat
    Unconventional Urban Combat
    Conventional Urban Bombardment
    Urban Centers and Nuclear Strategy
    Overall Urban Vulnerabilities

11. LINES OF COMMUNICATION

    Roads
    Railroads
    Military Airports
    Seaports and Harbors
    Spaceports and Flight Paths
    Inland Waterways
    Pipelines

12. MILITARY BASES 

    U.S. Home Bases
    U.S. Cold War Bases Abroad
    Post-Cold War Retrenchment

13. FORTRESSES AND FIELD FORTIFICATIONS

    Precedents and Prognoses
    Fortified Points
    Fortified Lines 
    Offensive Fortifications
    Fortifications in the Nuclear Age
    Citadels Versus CW and BW Weapons

PART THREE:
POLITICAL-MILITARY GEOGRAPHY

14. MILITARY SERVICE PREDILECTIONS

        Diversified Viewpoints
        Integrated and Updated Views

15. GEOPOLITICAL FRICTION

        Territorial Limits
        Strategic Friction
        Economic Friction
        Cultural Friction
        Environmental Friction

16. MILITARY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY 

    Global Subdivisions
    Regional Areas of Responsibility
    Useful Insights
    Theater and Tactical AORs

PART FOUR:
AREA ANALYSES

17. FORMAT FOR AREA ANALYSIS 

    Geographical Data Bases
    Military Missions
    Military Implications
    Effects on Courses of Action

18. OPERATION NEPTUNE 

    Selection of the Lodgment Area
    Description of the Lodgment Area
    Assessments of the Lodgment Area
    Effects on Allied Courses of Action
    Wrap-Up

19. OPERATION PLAN EL PASO 

    The Ho Chi Minh Trail
    Mission Planning
    Logistical Limitations Within Vietnam 
    Logistical Shortcomings Inside Laos
    Wrap-Up

20. FINAL REFLECTIONS

    APPENDIX A: Acronyms and Abbreviations
    APPENDIX B: Glossary of Geographical Terms
    APPENDIX C: A Basic Geographic Library
    INDEX
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

---

Contact Us
NDU Press Home Page
NDU Home Page
INSS Home Page

Last Update:  September 30, 2002