Though the United States military has excelled in winning wars, it has not enjoyed the same success at "winning the peace". That requires a coordinated effort from several Departments and agencies of the United States government-- an Inter-Agency...
The United States Army has engaged in counter-insurgency operations since prior to the Civil War. Although many “lessons learned” have been documented, the Army’s training doctrine does not reflect those lessons learned and the documentation...
Few insurgencies are resolved by military means alone. Insurgents, by definition, pursue political ends and resolve to accomplish those objectives by means of violence. Today the United States and her Allies are engaged in two distinct...
Recent Government and Department of Defense publications designate stability operations as a core military mission, leading to its parity amongst other more traditional military missions along the spectrum of armed conflict. However, doctrine fails...
Insurgency and counterinsurgencies differ from conventional warfare in that military strength alone cannot bring success. Insurgencies are "people's wars" as the insurgent forces are dependent on the population for manpower, intelligence,...
Historians tend to agree that Ramon Magsaysay's leadership and his relationship with Edward Lansdale are two of the most important features of the Philippine governments campaign against the Huks from 1946-1954. Yet the nuances of his leadership...
Over the past decade, the United States has focused its military energy on the conduct of Stability Operations. The U.S. Department of Defense raised Stability Operations to the same level of importance as Offensive and Defensive Operations in...
When are a nation’s security forces deemed self-reliant? Security force assistance (SFA) is one process of building or rebuilding a nation’s security forces. If the ultimate goal of SFA is producing a self-reliant force capable of responding to...
Leonard Wood served as a Military Governor in Cuba from 1898 (Santiago) and 1899 to 1902, later as the Military Governor of the Moro Province in the Philippines from 1903 to 1906, and eventually as Governor General for the Philippines until his...
The classical counterinsurgency theorists emphasize that it is necessary for the government to gain and maintain control of the population in order to defeat the insurgency. They describe population and resource control measures as a means of doing...
This study includes the collected messages and circulars issued by Bell to his subordinate commanders and the text of the Army General Orders 100 which provide guidance in examining Bell's inner thinking and his view of the operation and his...
This paper examines the role played by sanctuaries as they relate to irregular warfare in two conflicts. The first case study looks at the United States' efforts to defeat the advantages gained by the Viet Cong (and later the North Vietnamese Army)...
Special Forces (SF) has several characteristics that distinguish it from other forces in the U. S. military. Among these characteristics are a high level of maturity, a broader experience level, and regional orientation. Because of these...