Several key experiences have had a significant impact on my growth as an NCO and leader. First, I served in two 0-3 positions where I lead cadets as a ROTC instructor and NCOs as a Special Forces Detachment Commander. Second, a deployment during...
Anatomy of a Successful COIN Operation: OEF Philippines and the Indirect Approach. Lieutenant Colonel Gregory Wilson, U.S. Army; Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines offers a template for how to succeed in counterinsurgency.
At the core of U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine is the concept of “hearts and minds.” Although the concept has significantly deviated from its historical grounding and has become a nebulous concept that is frequently maligned, misunderstood, and...
This paper details the difficulties encountered in organizing, integrating, training, and equipping a unit composed of Special Forces and support personnel. The widely divergent levels of experience, training, and motivation between these two...
The Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) indirect approach to irregular warfare (IW) offers senior U.S. policy makers and military commanders a suitable model worthy of consideration for conducting long-term military operations...
Cultural understanding of the enemy and the populace is a key factor in success on the battlefield. Knowledge of the human terrain allows leaders and soldiers to foresee the impact of military operations on both sides, thereby allowing them to plan...
The US Army had difficulty initiating and conducting advisory operations in Operation Iraqi Freedom due to the lack of an institutionalized advisory capability. The need to create an advisory capability after the requirement developed, resulted in...
This story involves a U.S. Army Special Forces, Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA) deploying to southern Mindanao immediately following the 9/11tragady. Upon arrival to Zamboanga, intelligence personnel informed the detachment that the Abu-Shielf...
The year 2001 began with the inauguration of a United States (US) president deliberately aiming to shift the use of the military away from the numerous humanitarian and peacekeeping interventions of the 1990s toward responding to and defeating...
Lieutenant Commander Steven Morgenfeld served as a helicopter detachment (DET) officer-in-charge (OIC) from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49 (HSL-49) onboard USS McCampbell in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P)....
This paper is an account of my experiences as a Special Forces Team Sergeant during Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines. I will cover the permission training, forward staging, deployment, the obstacles we encountered as our missions...
In this interview, MAJ Kimberly Hamilton, US Army, Signal, discusses her deployments to the Philippines as the Director of Communications in 2006 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom Philippines (OEF-P). MAJ Hamilton discusses her missions and...
The operations officer for Echo Company, 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, Major Garret Messner deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P) in January 2002 for a six-month tour. Beyond the difficulties associated...
The commander of Tactical PSYOP Detachment 980 - part of Charlie Company, 9th PSYOP Battalion - Major John Adams deployed in support of Operation Enduring Freedom-Philippines (OEF-P) from May through August 2002. Attached to 1st Special Forces...
Major Jon Baker served as commander of Charlie Company, 82nd Forward Support Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 82nd Airborne Division, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) until roughly February 2002. Baker was stationed in Kandahar Airbase and...
The purpose of this monograph is to demonstrate the conflict between the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Government of the Philippines is territorial and not religious in nature. To understand this conflict the past four-hundred years from...
In 2005, the Republic of Korea (ROK) Ministry of National Defense (MND) submitted a draft of the Defense Reform Basic Law to the National Assembly, which was the genesis of the Defense Reform Plan (DRP) 2020. The current Defense Reform Plan or...
America's frontier wars: lessons for asymmetric conflicts. Congressman Ike Skelton; Congressman Ike Skelton suggests how to overcome the threat of asymmetrical warfare by examining yesteryear's battles to develop strategies and tactics for...
From 2001 through 2004, Chaplain (Major) Steve Peck deployed with the 1st Special Forces Group on several 90-day rotations to the Philippines, Iraq and Afghanistan. He also provided support and training to deploying soldiers. He was originally...
Lieutenant Commander Michael Runkle, an explosive ordnance demolition (EOD) officer for the US Navy, commanded an EOD task unit within Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines on Zamboanga from November 2005 through January 2006 in support...