COIN PhD

[viperventoux]

Hi there,

Greetings all,long time journal reader and new council member, just looking for suggestions/ input for a COIN PhD. Having completed a Masters last year I'm looking to move forward with a PhD.
At the minute Im looking at COIN from the doctrine level e.g. FM 3-24 and looking to examine the relationship between doctrine and the prosecution of doctrine at the base level. My previous thesis on COIN examined concurrent COIN and CT operation in Malaya and Iraq. During the course of that project I was lucky enough to receive help from Operators. Working title at this point is "Doctrine and the realities of Combat". Im not based in the US and it is tricky to get contacts. All suggestions and help would be appreciated.

Regards,
Viper.

[davidbfpo]

I'd have a look through the RFI thread, your theme has appeared before and on a quick search this thread might be worth reading:http://council.smallwarsjournal.com/...ead.php?t=6348

Your title:

Working title at this point is "Doctrine and the realities of Combat".

Is rather broad and if it COIN Doctrine and the realities of combat some I expect would argue here and maybe your supervisor(s) that COIN may include combat and many other elements.

Having access to contemporary operators clearly was needed for Iraq and if your topic remains wide there is ample published material, some of which appears here.

If using operators or public records outside the USA is a determinant, perhaps time to drop the implied US aspects.

Finally I wish you well. I'm sure others will chime in.

[viperventoux]

I had forgotten about that... been busy with other projects. I take your point on the combat aspect. I suppose my question should be more along the lines of a knowledge gap between the sharp end and the doctrine level. I would like to include contemporary British points of view this time out as my last piece was US centric.
Although I focused on McChrystal and Task Force Black in defeating AQI and the SAS role in this (link back to Malaya). This was combined with a case study of 2nd Battalion 4th Marines in Ramadi around 2008/9 the idea was to contrast a COIN and CT operations, and what was in my view was a need to be concurrent between the need for DA operations, while not forgetting the need to engage with the population.
Thanks for replying I would hope to continue the discussion.

V.

[TDB]

I recently completed a MA dissertation under the title "From Bush to Obama: A Critical Analysis of American and ISAF Counter-Insurgency Strategy in Afghanistan and its Consequences, 2001-2011". As the title suggests, I looked at how COIN doctrines were supposed to have shifted regarding Afghanistan. After establishment how FM-324 was supposed to have changed the way the US conducted COIN, I then looked at how it played out on the ground. Not sure if I'd be any help, but feel free to message me.

[SteveMetz]

Remember that the whole objective of a Ph.D. is to make a theoretical advance in your field. So the initial question is what field are you considering? Organizational behavior? History? Political science? Once you establish that, you have to discern the state of the art of theory and then move on to a specific topic, asking yourself how your research will advance current thinking.

[hardingprt]

I recently completed two masters degrees with thesis papers related to stability operations doctrine and application. Some of the findings may be of use, and I may have some insights on collecting the field data. Feel free to message me if this looks like it'll be of help.

[viperventoux]

Given President Obama's new defense strategy and the shift to Air and Sea power to South East Asia, is COIN a dead duck. Is it going to be a case of Hurry up and Forget the last decade of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan? Would it be a safer bet to focus on CT and DA based operations? Just a thought given whats been on the blogs and in the media over the last couple of days.

[davidbfpo]

Hell no.

Whatever pundits, media, politicians and military establishments say today or soon fighting small wars - which often involves COIN - are a historical constant.

You could almost do a Ph.D. on COIN disappearing from view and returning. Historical continuities and new aspects from 'x' to 'y'.

Did COIN change after 9/11?

Keep well away from contemporary debates.

Identify a clear date line, e.g. end of French rule in Algeria; align with your area of research and access (to published and verbal accounts).

[viperventoux]

Thats a great angle, maybe I could start with Malaya-Indochina/Algeria-Vietnam-(Yemen and Oman?).... and work up to the present. That would narrow it down to a History PhD. The fighting man has always been my interest and his point of view, so the tricky part would be integrating eyeball narratives into the project.
I agree with you on the current COIN debate, its not going to be the end of COIN, but I would bet that especially in the US the Admirals and 4 Star Generals can't wait to return to spending serious money on jets, subs and flattops.The Army and Marines are going to have a tough few years ahead in budgetary terms. Ill have to re-evaluate my own position. Keep the ideas coming. May have to move to PM on this one.