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SWJED
05-09-2006, 07:14 PM
Recent papers / reports added to the U.S. Army Strategic Studies Insitute web page and to the SWJ Library.

Training Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency: A Tale of Two Insurgencies (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=648) - Lieutenant Colonel James Corum. US Army. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, March 2006.


The author examines the British experience in building and training indigenous police and military forces during the Malaya and Cyprus insurgencies. These two insurgencies provide a dramatic contrast to the issue of training local security forces. In Malaya, the British developed a very successful strategy for training the Malayan Police and army. In Cyprus, the British strategy for building and training local security forces generally was ineffective. The author argues that some important lessons can be drawn from these case studies that are directly applicable to current U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine.

U.S. Military Operations in Iraq: Planning, Combat and Occupation (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=653)- Shane Lauth, Kate Phillips, Erin Schenck. Edited by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill. US Army Strategic Studies Institute colloquium report, April 2006.


A colloquium on “U.S. Military Operations in Iraq: Planning, Combat, and Occupation” was held November 2, 2005, and was co-sponsored by SSI and Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Three years beyond the start of that transition, the debate continues about the adequacy of planning for and proficiency of execution of Phase IV operations in Iraq and elsewhere. The debate most often surrounds three issues concerning this final operational phase: the relationship to preceding operational phases; responsibility for planning; and responsibility for execution. Much of the debate to this point has been an unproductive effort to assign blame for shortcomings in the planning for and execution of stability and reconstruction operations; participants in the colloquium moved beyond finding fault, began analyzing the central issues, and addressed solutions.

Counterterrorism in African Failed States: Challenges and Potential Solutions (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=649) - Colonel Thomas Dempsey, US Army. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, April 2006.


Terrorist groups operating in Sub-Saharan Africa failed states have demonstrated the ability to avoid the scrutiny of Western counterterrorism officials, while supporting and facilitating terrorist attacks on the United States and its partners. The potential acquisition of nuclear weapons by terrorists makes terrorist groups operating from failed states especially dangerous. U.S. counterterrorism strategies largely have been unsuccessful in addressing this threat. A new strategy is called for, one that combines both military and law enforcement efforts in a fully integrated counterterrorism effort, supported by a synthesis of foreign intelligence capabilities with intelligence-led policing to identify, locate, and take into custody terrorists operating from failed states before they are able to launch potentially catastrophic attacks.

Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt? (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?PubID=650) - Dr. Colin Gray. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, March 2006.


The author offers a detailed comparison between the character of irregular warfare, insurgency in particular, and the principal enduring features of "the American way." He concludes that there is a serious mismatch between that "way" and the kind of behavior that is most effective in countering irregular foes. The author poses the question, Can the American way of war adapt to a strategic threat context dominated by irregular enemies? He suggests that the answer is "perhaps, but only with difficulty."

Preventive War and Its Alternatives: The Lessons of History (http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/display.cfm?pubID=651) - Dr. Dan Reiter. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, April 2006.


The 2002 National Security Strategy suggested preventive attacks, diplomacy, deterrence, and other policies as means of curtailing threats presented by the spread of nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) weapons to terrorists and rogue states. The author analyzes which mix of these policies might best and most cost effectively address the NBC threat, with special focus on preventive attacks. The past performances of preventive attacks, diplomacy, deterrence, and other policies as means of curtailing the NBC threat are analyzed. The central findings are that preventive attacks are generally unsuccessful at delaying the spread of NBC weapons; that deterrence, especially nuclear deterrence, is highly successful at preventing the use of NBC weapons by states; and that diplomacy has had moderate and perhaps unappreciated success at curtailing the spread of NBC weapons. The author also discusses how funds spent on preventive wars, which are much more expensive than diplomacy or deterrence, might be better spent to combat threats from terrorism and proliferation, on initiatives such as fissile material recovery, ballistic missile defense, and port security.

Tom Odom
05-10-2006, 12:53 PM
U.S. Military Operations in Iraq: Planning, Combat and Occupation - Shane Lauth, Kate Phillips, Erin Schenck. Edited by Dr. W. Andrew Terrill. US Army Strategic Studies Institute colloquium report, April 2006.

Thumbs up on this one because of its approach and responsible discussion of the issues. I have known Andy Terrill since 1990 and he does great work. He did a paper on the likley antics of Moqtada al-Sadr in Iraq 3 plus years ago that is phenomenal in its accuracy.


Counterterrorism in African Failed States: Challenges and Potential Solutions - Colonel Thomas Dempsey, US Army. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, April 2006.

Thumbs up on this one because failed states in Africa are global sucking chest wounds. Also COL Dempsey keys on the diamond trade as an extension of Al Quaeda and others; my own experience in Zaire/Congo supports this thesis as diamonds are a virtually untraceable means of making, laundering, and moving money. The biggest diamond brokers in Zaire were vitually all Lebanese.


Irregular Enemies and the Essence of Strategy: Can the American Way of War Adapt? - Dr. Colin Gray. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, March 2006.

Thumbs up on this one. Gray identifies the issues that drive our approach to warfare and how that plays out in irregular warfare. See also Larry Yates at US Military's experience in Stability Operations, 1789-2005, Lawrence A. Yates. Paper #15. (http://www-cgsc.army.mil/carl/download/csipubs/yates.pdf)


Preventive War and Its Alternatives: The Lessons of History - Dr. Dan Reiter. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, April 2006.

Thumbs up on this one. Reiter's paper is short and too the point, one many will not like as he suggests that the historical record does not show preemption as an effective counter to NBC threats, percieved or real. Good discussion of the Israeli attack on the Osirak reactor in Iraq.

More to follow when I read the others.

Best
Tom

Tom Odom
05-12-2006, 03:41 PM
Training Indigenous Forces in Counterinsurgency: A Tale of Two Insurgencies - Lieutenant Colonel James Corum. US Army. US Army Strategic Studies Institute monograph, March 2006.


Last on and another thumbs up! Colonel Corum looked at Malaysia and Cyprus in this short case study of British COIN efforts. Malaysia has been covered extensively but Cyprus has not. Corum's book Airpower in Small Wars, with Wray Johnson, 2003 was reviewed by Les Grau on this site recently.

Best Tom

SWJED
05-12-2006, 04:04 PM
...appreciate the feedback on the articles.