By Carter Malkasian

Best Defense guest columnist

Chapter Two: Fighting

Capturing and controlling territory would be one of ISIL's major goals. An ISIL field manual would describe how to mass 200-2,000 fighters for major operations to capture cities. It would instruct these groups to surround Iraqi government or Syrian government positions. The positions then might be assaulted directly; martyrdom operations (suicide car bombs) the favored tactic, ISIL's substitute for air power and artillery. Or the positions might be left isolated and cut off, or convinced to surrender or flee. The manual would allow for options other than rapid decisive victory. ISIL would not fear to counsel patience.

By Sean Lulofs

Best Defense guest canine columnist

In a military of more than 1.4 million active duty members, the military working dog program makes up less than one thousandth of one percent of the force. The world of military working dogs is one that even others in uniform do not understand and it is a world shrouded in mystery and myth. This small group of men and women are a community unto their own with their own language and social norms. Rebecca Frankel has been able to do what others have not -- break down the barriers and delve into the complete lives of the military working dog handler. It was not easy for me, the eternal skeptic of all humans, to allow Rebecca insight into who I am or my community is. Rebecca was able to develop a relationship with me and my community because of her commitment to telling the truth, regardless if it was flattering or not. This demonstrated a level of integrity that is sorely missing in the world of media communications today. Rebecca's integrity and thirst for knowledge sent her on a vision quest which became her rite of passage to becoming a member of the military canine family. Her dedication and commitment not only assured me but also my brothers and sisters that our stories will finally be told completely. Once I knew Rebecca had no agenda or preconceived story she wanted to tell, I knew she was the person I could open up to. I found speaking to her to be not only easy but also cathartic as she asked questions no one had asked before. My hours speaking with her felt like only minutes as I wanted to try give her over 20 years of experience in only minutes of conversation. I not only enjoyed our discussions but I looked forward to the next time we would speak.

It is a horrifying thought, portrayed here in a short film that @jim_gourley tweeted about yesterday.

By Carter Malkasian

Best Defense guest columnist

The United States military operates roughly on the basis of approved doctrine, published in its field manuals. The best-known example is counterinsurgency field manual 3-24. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has no single field manual -- at least not one widely known in the West. Instead, it has a plethora of publications, online announcements, and video that show the organization has thought out its own set of tactics, methods, and procedures; in essence, its own doctrine. Indeed, a captured ISIL laptop even had a downloaded copy of the U.S. counterinsurgency field manual. An interesting question is: if a full-blown ISIL field manual does exist, what might it say?

In Yochi Dreazen's terrific new book, The Invisible Front, on how an Army general and his wife handled the loss of two sons -- one to combat, the other to suicide -- a chaplain offers the theory that Fort Carson, Colorado, was suffering so many suicides "because witches living in the surrounding mountains had cursed Fort Carson and the soldiers who live there."