Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq, 2003-2009: A Case of Operational Surprise and Institutional Response: Letort Paper

ANDREW SMITH is a Brigadier in the Australian Army. He is currently assigned as the Director of the Combined Planning Group within the Headquarters of United States Central Command. In that capacity, he directs a team of international officers from 30 countries in the preparation of strategic-level political- military analyses and assessments. As a regular military officer with over 30 years of experience, Brigadier Smith has commanded army units and formations up to brigade level and has served a number of operational tours, including several in which he was responsible for dealing with the threat of improvised explosive devices. In a staff capacity, he has extensive experience in the force development field. He has also served as an instructor at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Brigadier Smith’s research interests include institutional responses to unconventional security threats and weapons law, and he has published journal articles on those subjects. Brigadier Smith holds a B.A. with Honours in English, a Master of Defence Studies, and a Ph.D. in Politics.