In Strange Company

Colonel Roland Tiso was commissioned a Second Lieutenant of Infantry upon his graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in 1973. He commanded infantry companies in Korea and the United States, the 1st Battalion, 508th Airborne Infantry in Panama, and United States Task Force Sinai, Multi-National Force & Observers in Egypt. He was the Chief of War Plans Division, U.S. Central Command in 1996–97, and was one of the primary planners of the Iraq War Plan. He was Executive Officer to the Commander of U.S. Central Command 1998–2000. He is a graduate of the U.S. Army War College, the Command & General Staff College, and the Armed Forces Staff College. Colonel Tiso was selected as a Distinguished Member of the 506th Infantry Regiment in 2022.

Foreword
Author’s Notes and Acknowledgements

Part I: Planning and Training for War
1 Multi-Cultural Experiences in Old New York
2 United States Central Command and the Central Region
3 Leading U.S. and Multinational Forces in the Sinai
4 Fighting the Force Protection Battle in Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan
5 Planning the Inevitable War

Part II: Operation “Iraqi Freedom” Special Missions
6 Staffing Post Hostilities Operations
7 Duty with the United Nations
8 Stability Operations in Iraq
9 Advising the Peninsula Shield Force
10 Reconnaissance of the Rumaylah Oil Fields
11 Redeployment of the Peninsula Shield Force
12 Assignment to the Coalition Military Assistance Team
13 Building the Foundation of an Army
14 Making the Most of Scant Resources
15 Recruiting, Organizing, and Training the New Iraqi Army

Part III: Soldiering With the Multinational Division Central-South
16 Preparing for Duty with a Combat Division
17 Serving with the Multinational Division Central South
18 The Challenges of Multinational Command
19 The Power of the Theater Commander
20 Patrolling with the Ukrainians on the Iranian Border
21 Preparing the Occupation of Iraq
22 Indications of a Growing Insurgency in Central South Iraq
23 Dealing with Generals
24 The War Comes to the Multinational Division Central South
25 Defeating the Enemy with Overwhelming Force
26 Fighting the Battle for Central-South Iraq
27 Combat Action in Al Kut
28 The American Bureaucracy in Baghdad
29 Developing a Strategy to Conduct the Long War
30 False Hope For Peace in Iraq
31 Christmas on the Iranian Border
32 Terrorist Attack and Tragedy in Karbala
33 Transitioning to a New Commander and Division Staff
34 Teaching the New Command to Conduct Combat Operations
35 A New Liaison Team Arrives at Camp Babylon

Part IV: Going Home: Reflections on the Long War
36 Going Home via Poland
37 Epilogue

Endnotes