In a week, some folks will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of the founding of the Propaganda Unit for National Liberation. This armed unit was set up on 27 Dec 1944 and consisted of a picked group of some 34 officers and soldiers. It was commanded by one Vo Nguyen Giap.

Starting as an armed propaganda unit, its purpose in life was to train and educate local cadres and guerrilla units in both the political and military efforts. It also dabbled in targeted killings. It later developed into PAVN.

Bill Moore (with whom, John McCuen would agree) sets out the counter to such as the PUNL, as this:

Let's focus first on how to deal with the active insurgency. From your previous post,

Quote:
What is needed is organizational techniques to match the rebel drive--effective intelligence coupled with a discriminating use of force capable of obtaining compliance from the population.
IMO we need to focus on this first, then rapidly shift into infrastructure development as security conditions permit, and infrastructure development must be tied to political mobilization. To defeat an insurgency, which is political warfare at the grass roots level, you have to organize the populace at the grass roots level to counter the insurgents. Building a school and a road or giving out jobs without tying it to actively counter organizing politically against the insurgents is, again IMO, in COIN is simply a neutral activity at best.
In the essence of methodology, this is fighting fire with fire. The political narratives will differ in substance.

Do we need an elaborate system to do this ? E.g., while I recognize the ideal suggested by Steve:

from Steve
In Surferbeetle's ideal world a single school is part of a larger educational system or chain in which long-term concerns about an adequately educated populace, academic standards, teaching standards, dependable funding, building codes, safety codes, etc. have a place. Schools are a resource intensive activity which require timelines greater than 12 months.
I suggest that a less elaborate approach to civil affairs is more feasible.

The following could be realized by using a few benches sitting in the shade of a pleasant grove:

1. A school, where the important factors are who the teacher is and what the teacher teaches.

2. A court, where again the important factors are who the judge is and what the judge decides.

3. A council, where again the important factors are who the elders are and what they legislate in accord with what the local concept of governance is.

Since we are dealing with a semi-permissive environment, the folks who assist in establishing these very basic local institutions have to be an armed political action team capable of self-defense. And, since we'll posit the presence of larger groups of bad guys, that team needs its own set of protective Dobermans cruising the neighborhood.

No quick fix suggested - it took the PUNL 10 years to develop into PAVN which won at DBP in 1954.

My suggestion boils down to KISS - and work from the lower level upwards.

No snow yet today (6 feet fallen since 2 Dec, which means about 2 feet of settled ground cover - here, the benches would have to be in igloos. )

Mike