Home - Library Alert 07/11/2016 - The "Report of the Iraq Inquiry" (also known as the "Chilcot Report"), Brexit, and Transgender Military Service - USAHEC at U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center

General Note: Content

Today’s Library Alert will be more detailed than normal, because of several important recent events.

1. The British Government recently published the “Report of the Iraq Inquiry,” also known as the “Chilcot Report”. The Iraq Inquiry’s mission was to examine the United Kingdom’s participation in Iraq. Specifically, it considered “the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken, to establish, as accurately as possible, what happened and to identify the lessons that can be learned. Those lessons will help ensure that, if we face similar situations in future, the government of the day is best equipped to respond to those situations in the most effective manner in the best interests of the country.” This report is analogous to an After Action Report / Lessons Learned document for the United Kingdom as regards its participation in Iraq. Some commentary is provided.

2. The full implications of Brexit, the 23 June Referendum in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, are not fully known, but are expected to be major. Additional resources about Brexit, along with a link to the Brexit Library Alert dated 5 July 2016, are shared.

3. As of 30 June 2016, Transgender persons are allowed to openly serve in the US military. Resources from the US Department of Defense as well as relevant studies from RAND and the Palm Center are shared.

“Report of the Iraq Inquiry” (Also known as the "Chilcot Report")

“Report of the Iraq Inquiry” by the Iraq Inquiry (UK Government)
“The former Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, announced on 15 June 2009 that an Inquiry would be conducted to identify lessons that could be learned from the Iraq conflict. At the launch, the Chair of the Inquiry, Sir John Chilcot, outlined its scope: ‘Our terms of reference are very broad, but the essential points, as set out by the Prime Minister and agreed by the House of Commons, are that this is an Inquiry by a committee of Privy Counsellors. It will consider the period from the summer of 2001 to the end of July 2009, embracing the run-up to the conflict in Iraq, including the way decisions were made and actions taken, to establish, as accurately as possible, what happened and to identify the lessons that can be learned. Those lessons will help ensure that, if we face similar situations in future, the government of the day is best equipped to respond to those situations in the most effective manner in the best interests of the country.’"
“Chilcot and Opening Old Wounds on WMD Intel” by Al Mauroni (War on the Rocks)
Commentary.
“Revisiting the Iraq War” by Richard N. Haass, Council on Foreign Relations / Project Syndicate
Commentary.
“Chilcot Highlights Confusions Over Democracy Promotion” by Jane Kinninmont, Chatham House
Commentary.
"Chilcot Iraq Inquiry: The Iraq War Reading List" RUSI [Royal United Services Institute]Journal
In the run-up to and ever since the Iraq War in 2003, RUSI has offered analysis and expertise on the conflict and its implications for UK defence and security. Here we present a selection of articles and commentary from our archives.

General Note: Links

Note: If patrons have difficulty opening links, the following can be done as a work around:

Right-click on the link and save the pdf as a file to your computer. Then open the pdf from your computer.

Try opening the link in Mozilla Firefox.

The USAWC Library is unable to provide assistance opening links; however, the Library does ensure that links work immediately before publishing to the Library Alerts webpage.

Brexit

“Strategic Insights: Strategic Implications of Brexit” by John R. Deni, Strategic Studies Institute
“The momentous decision of British voters to leave the European Union (EU) is already having major repercussions in both economics and politics. In the former, investors fled uncertainty for more stable opportunities, while in the latter there are already calls for another Scottish independence referendum. In the worlds of defense and security, the implications are less clear, at least in the short run. What appears far more certain though is that the economic and political implications are likely to have profound long-term effects on NATO, U.S. national security, and the U.S. Army’s relationship with one of America’s closest allies. In response, and in order to mitigate the most damaging effects of the Brexit vote, the United States needs to intensify military cooperation with a longstanding UK rival – namely, France.”
“Is Brexit Good for NATO?” by Judy Dempsey, Carnegie Europe
“A selection of experts answer a new question from Judy Dempsey on the foreign and security policy challenges shaping Europe’s role in the world.”
Previous Library Alert about Brexit dated 5 July 2016
“Given the geopolitical and geoeconomic importance of the 23 June Referendum in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, this Library Alert will focus exclusively on the implications of this vote. Normally, only academic research and reports are included in Library Alerts; however, as little time has passed since the Referendum, commentary, statements, and discussions from influential international security and foreign policy institutions in the United Kingdom, the United States, Continental Europe, and elsewhere are included. Some British government publications and news items are included as well. As of 5 July 2016, the following are the most detailed open access resources about Brexit of which the USAWC Library is aware. More detailed reports may become available in the future, in which case they will be considered for inclusion in future Library Alerts.”

Transgender Military Service

Fact Sheet - US Department of Defense
Statement - US Department of Defense
Transcript of Secretary Carter’s briefing - US Department of Defense
“Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly” by Agnes Gereben Schaefer et al., RAND Corporation
Published this year, but before the recent change of policy allowing transgender Servicemembers to serve openly. “Recent U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) policy banned transgender personnel from serving openly in the military. Potential changes to this policy raised questions regarding access to gender transition–related health care, the range of transition-related treatments that DoD will need to provide, the potential costs associated with these treatments, and the impact of these health care needs on force readiness and the deployability of transgender service members. A RAND study identified the health care needs of the transgender population and transgender service members in particular. It also examined the costs of covering transition-related treatments, assessed the potential readiness implications of a policy change, and reviewed the experiences of foreign militaries that permit transgender personnel to serve openly.”
The Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly in the U.S. Military
Agnes Gereben Schaefer, et al.
(Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2016).
"A six-page summary of 'Assessing the Implications of Allowing Transgender Personnel to Serve Openly.'"
Report of the Planning Commission on Transgender Military Service
Gale S. Pollock and Shannon Minter
(San Francisco, CA: Palm Center, 2014).
"An detailed examination of transgender service produced August 26, 2014. Provided for historical reference: 'A commission including three retired U.S. military General Officers conclude that the military’s ban on transgender service could be eliminated in a straightforward manner that is consistent with military readiness and core values, and that allowing transgender personnel to serve in the military is administratively feasible and will not be burdensome or complicated.'"
Report of the Transgender Military Service Commission
Joycelyn Elders and Alan M. Steinman
(San Francisco, CA: Palm Center, 2014).
"An detailed examination of transgender service produced March 13, 2014. Provided for historical reference: 'A former U.S. Surgeon General and retired Flag and General Officers review all medical and psychological aspects of transgender service, conclude that the Pentagon’s ban on transgender military service is not based on sound medical reasoning, and identify inconsistencies and inaccuracies in the Pentagon’s rationale for the exclusionary policy.'"

Library Alert 07/11/2016 - The "Report of the Iraq Inquiry" (also known as the "Chilcot Report"), Brexit, and Transgender Military Service: Home

General Note: Content

“Report of the Iraq Inquiry” (Also known as the "Chilcot Report")

General Note: Links

Brexit

Transgender Military Service