Capture, Detain and COIN: merged thread

[Jedburgh]

An interesting pair of articles from the Spring 07 MP Bulletin:

Counterinsurgency Operations Within the Wire—The 306th Military Police Battalion Experience at Abu Ghraib

...The detainee mission in COIN is difficult. Numerous factors and other missions will be encountered. Leaders simply must incorporate the art and science of war to complete the mission. I would suggest that the enemy prisoner of war internment/resettlement battalion modified table of organization and equipment be adjusted to include a JAG officer, a cultural advisor, and an information operations officer to support the operational theme. In an insurgency, the U.S. Army needs a civil affairs team to work with maneuver units in matters that occur between family members and detainees held by the United States. The 306th Military Police Battalion completed its mission at Abu Ghraib without having to use deadly force against any detainees. There were no serious injuries to U.S. personnel or detainees due to the use of force, and there were no substantiated claims of abuse....

Attack on Abu Ghraib: Warrior Police in an Iraq Theater Internment Facility

The 306th Military Police Battalion (Internment/Resettlement) operated the Abu Ghraib
Internment Facility (AGIF) in Iraq from January to November 2005. The insurgent attack on the
facility on 2 April 2005 was a testament to the quality of our Warrior Police and provided key
lessons learned for future detainee missions. The intricacy, length, and intensity of the attack and the number of attackers made this one of the most sophisticated assaults ever on a coalition facility within Iraq. More than 60 insurgents conducted this well-planned and well-coordinated attack using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), truck bombs, indirect fire, and a small-unit assault that signaled a new era in insurgency attacks.