Small Wars Journal

The Closers (Part 1): How Insurgencies End

Sun, 01/30/2011 - 5:52pm
The Closers (Part 1): How Insurgencies End

by Colonel Gary Anderson

Download The Full Article: The Closers (Part 1): How Insurgencies End

In my last experience in Iraq, I was one of the civilian closers who participated in the turnover of primary responsibility for counterinsurgency operations to the Iraqis. This series is based on my observations, and experience as well as research and comparison of notes with other veterans of the transition.

Download The Full Article: The Closers (Part 1): How Insurgencies End

Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps Colonel who served as a Special Advisor to the Deputy Secretary of Defense on Counterinsurgency from 2003-05. He served on an embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team in Iraq in 2009-10, and is currently an Adjunct Professor at the George Washington University Elliott School of International Relations.

About the Author(s)

Gary Anderson is a retired Marine Corps Colonel who has been a civilian advisor in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is an adjunct professor at the George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs.