In this first book-length treatment of MELF, the authors assert that MELF represents an important contribution to our understanding of English as a Lingua Franca (ELF), in that existing ELF research has been limited to relatively low stakes communicative situations, such as interactions in business, academia, internet blogging or casual conversations. Medical contexts, in contrast, often represent situations calling for exceptional communicative precision and urgency. Providing both evidence from their own research and analysis from (the limited number of) existing studies, the authors offer a counterpoint to the optimism regarding communicative success prevalent in ELF. The book proposes a theoretical perspective on how the various features of healthcare communication serve as important variables in shaping interaction among speakers of ELF, further enlarging our understanding of this emerging sub-field.

This monograph on military theory examines the subject of fire support effectiveness and responsiveness. Despite the Army's effort to improve its ability to fight with fires, its effectiveness rate dropped. This hopes to explain how the Army's centralized control of fires to facilitate massing of fires, coupled with a poorly developed digital fire control system are the root causes of failure. Theory is further used to predict the role of fires in the future and shows that centralized control works directly against the Army's focus on high tempo, decisive maneuver operations.

After the 11 September 2001 surprise attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon by al Qaida terrorists, planners from all over the US Army were tasked to join an Army planning team to develop the Army's Strategic Campaign Plan (ASCP) in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. The Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations and Plans (DCSOPS) formed the team around officers from the office entitled DAMO-SS and other officers displaced from the Pentagon due to the damage caused by the terrorist attack. Three School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS) Fellows based out of Fort Leavenworth, Kansas were part of this team. The purpose of the ASCP was to permit the Army to quickly begin planning and to provide direction for the Army to meet its obligations under Title 10 of the U.S. Code. The Army needed to quickly transition from a peace time to a war time status and be prepared to rapidly respond to directions from the highest levels of the nation, the Joint Staff, and the warfighting CINCs. The ASCP in its final form established the basis for the rapid transition from peace to war. This monograph discusses the challenges of planning at the strategic level of war, the techniques used to address those challenges, and the lessons learned experienced by the SAMS Fellows.