Abstract In warfare military geologists pursue five main categories of work: tactical and strategic terrain analysis, fortifications and tunneling, resource acquisition, defense installations, and field construction and logistics. In peace they train for wartime operations and may be involved in peace-keeping and nation-building exercises. Although many geologists view military geology as a branch of engineering geology, the U.S. military does not include geologists in its force structure and gets geological assistance on an ad hoc basis. The army does, however, include organic terrain teams at division and higher levels to provide routine information for mission planning and execution. The classic dilemma for military geology has been whether support can best be provided by civilian technical-matter experts or by uniformed soldiers who routinely work with the combat units.

Abstract Lack of terrain data contributed significantly to the high costs of lives and operations during the Pacific campaign of World War II. After the war the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers contracted with the Military Geology Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey to gather detailed terrain information about the occupied islands under direct U.S. jurisdiction in the event they or comparable oceanic islands became sites of future military operations. The U.S. Geological Survey established a headquarters in Tokyo and initiated field studies of Okinawa during 1946. Subsequent detailed studies were launched at the Palau Islands (1947), Yap Islands (1947), Saipan (1948), Tinian (1949), Guam (1951), Pagan, Marianas Islands (1954), Truk (1954), Ishigaki and Miyako (1955), and the Marshall Islands (reconnaissance, 1951). Initial plans for detailed studies of all mandated islands were abandoned for lack of time, but members of the field parties briefly visited nearly all. Field teams included geologists, hydrologists, soils scientists, a plant ecologist, and a climatologist. The Tokyo office gathered and translated existing Japanese literature about the islands; more than 600 articles were translated. A by-product was the establishment of a joint U.S.-Japanese project to compile and publish a series of 1:250,000 geologic maps of formerly held Japanese territories, including Korea, Manchuria, northeast China, southern Sakhalin Island, and the Kuriles. Results of the field studies were published in a series of military geology folios composed of both basic and interpretive chapters. U.S. Geological Survey professional papers presented many of the scientific results.

Abstract Military geologists have provided essential but little-known military intelligence and combat engineer support to the U.S. Army since the grand days of Lieutenant Colonel Alfred H. Brooks' assemblage of U.S. Geological Survey personalities on the World War I western front. Regrettably, since 1918, active-duty practice of military geology and topographic engineering has been career-killing, and therefore most commanders do not establish such a technical proficiency. Germany found, at least by 1914, geologic knowledge to be essential to the advantageous commitment of troops. Works of German military geologists have never been equaled. Von Bulow's Wehrgeologie (Berlin, 1938) today is a superior manual of military/engineering geology. Germany's superior use of military geology employed professional geologists, many of whom were leading academics, through its reserve forces structure. The authors advocate training of Army Reserve and Army National Guard military geologists, employed in a regular paid-drill augmentation to Regular Army combat units, down to maneuver battalion level, serving the Operations (S-3) Sections. These reservists should be treated in the manner of the health-science professionals and promoted as technical specialists rather than as troop leaders. The career ladder should run from second lieutenant to colonel, and the officers should be integrated through the Corps of Engineers.