New Rules for New Enemies

[zenpundit]

SWJED wrote

"As has been pounded home many times on the SWC - experience combined with training and education is the key to success. When we throw in strategic compression and expect wonders from the strategic corporal (and all small unit leaders) we have to start looking at aging the force. TX talked about majors as company commanders and staff sergeants as squad leaders as a start. Of course simply aging the force is not the silver bullet - proper training, education and experience must go hand-in-hand."

Tom wote:

"But getting back to Nagl and ideas of adaptive leadership, the key to adaptive leadership is experience. You cannot train experience; you can train from experience. Adaptive leadership for inexperienced soldiers is a certain part smarts and a large part guessing. Adaptive leadership based on experience is infinitely preferable and certainly more survivable."

Well said. Now check this out:

From H-Diplo Listserv

"Forwarded From: "Herrera, Ricardo A Dr CSI"
<Ricardo.A.Herrera@us.army.mil>

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

Warfare in the Age of Non-State Actors:
Implications for the U.S. Army
11-13 September, 2007
Fort Leavenworth Frontier Conference Center
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas

Organizers: The United States Army Combat Studies Institute,
Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Combat Studies Institute will host
a symposium entitled "Warfare in the Age of Non-State Actors:
Implications for the U.S. Army." The symposium will include
a mixture of guest speakers, panel sessions, and general
discussions.

This conference will explore the impact of conflict between
nations and non-state combatants within a historical context.
The conference will examine current issues, dilemmas, problems,
trends, and practices associated with conflict between
constituted nations and trans-national, religious, ethnic or
criminal groups.

Proposed Program: CSI will issue a Call for Papers in October
2006. While the symposium program is tentative and flexible,
CSI expects it to include the following panels and topics:

- Non-State Actors and their impact on strategic communications
and Information Operations.

- Law of War and Military Doctrine dealing with Non-State Actors.

- The military's role in conflict termination and securing the
political end state especially if one or more combatants is a
Non-State Actor (e.g. Hezbollah, IRA, FARC, FMLN, al Qaeda).

- The armed forces as part of the interagency process.

- Military operations with International Government Organizations
and Non-Governmental Organizations.

- Tactics of militaries and rogue organizations or Non-State
Actors on the battlefield.

- The military and cultural awareness.

- The role of technology in empowering and combating Non-State
Actors.

- Impact of Non-State Actors on Global economics and Non-State
Actors' financing.

For more information on the symposium, please contact CSI at
913-684-2139 or email: CSIconference07@leavenworth.army.mil
<mailto:CSIconference07@leavenworth.army.mil> .

Ricardo A. Herrera, Ph.D.
U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute
201 Sedgwick Ave
Ft. Leavenworth, KS 66027

O: (913) 684-2126
F: (913) 684-4861

http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/csi/INDEX.asp
<http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/csi/INDEX.asp>"

That might be a good place for SWC regulars to make their points.

[marct]

That might be a good place for SWC regulars to make their points.

Is someone thinking of putting a panel together? If so, I would be interested in putting a paper together - maybe on "symbolic warfare".

Marc

[selil]

- The role of technology in empowering and combating Non-State
Actors.

Would that be a place to publish a paper on high speed acquisition of data from items like cell phones, PDA’s, and computers in the field for intelligence analysis or to far out for the audience?

[marct]

Would that be a place to publish a paper on high speed acquisition of data from items like cell phones, PDA’s, and computers in the field for intelligence analysis or to far out for the audience?

I don't know - it might be. There's also a stream on "Non State Actors and their impact on Strategic communications and Information Operations." and another on "The role of technology in empowering and combating Non-State Actors". Maybe one on integrating high speed data acquisition into combat units?

Marc

[Tom Odom]

I am already writing my proposal--started 2 days ago

best
Tom

SWJED wrote


Tom wote:


Well said. Now check this out:

From H-Diplo Listserv



That might be a good place for SWC regulars to make their points.

[marct]

I am already writing my proposal--started 2 days ago

best
Tom

Okay, so what's the topic and is it for a paper or a panel?

Marc

[Tom Odom]

Paper will be on Rwanda/DR Congo and non-state actors.

No panel as yet; we could put a proposal on the table as the SWJ. I know the guys who are organizing this thing. One is actually doing a project on the DR Congo since 96 and yours truly will probably be a critical source.

Any thoughts from the "board"?

Tom

[marct]

Paper will be on Rwanda/DR Congo and non-state actors.

No panel as yet; we could put a proposal on the table as the SWJ. I know the guys who are organizing this thing. One is actually doing a project on the DR Congo since 96 and yours truly will probably be a critical source.

Any thoughts from the "board"?

Tom

How about

Cultural conflict in asymetric "battlefields"

Abstract: This panel offers a series of papers dealing with conflict between a variety of state and non-state actors in a plethora of differing "battlefields". While the specifics of each paper deal with a particular instance, Rwanda, the DR Congo, ____, the papers are unified with a concern for examining the new strategies and tactics of the Information Age.

Okay, pretty schtick, but it does cover a fair amount of the things we have been dealing with in various threads.

Marc

[selil]

.....with a concern for examining the new strategies and tactics of the Information Age.

"information age", or "hyper-media age"....

ubiquity often seems to be the issue rather than information

[marct]

"information age", or "hyper-media age"....

ubiquity often seems to be the issue rather than information

I could go with either one, although I have a partiality for "information age" - it is just so illiterative vs. the industrial age .

In a lot of ways, I have adopted the Canadian Communications Theory tradition (Innis, Grant, McLuhan, etc.) way of analyzing material: oral cultures, written cultures and chip cultures. I find it to be a useful heristic, albeit somewhat limited,

One of the characteristics of the "information age" is super-saturation of information - to the point where information no longer informs the individual. This certainly seems appropriate when we consider current events...

Marc