IW Directive Update at ITP

Sebastian Sprenger at Inside the Pentagon (subscription required) is reporting that the draft Irregular Warfare (IW) Directive has sparked “intense controversy” within the Department of Defense. Originally scheduled to be released this month, ITP reports the directive is now scheduled for a fall release. The fall release will coincide with the unveiling of the Pentagon’s response to a congressionally mandated review of roles and missions within the Department.

Several items concerning the directive from the ITP article:

1) To replace DOD Directive 3000.5 that placed Stability, Security, Transition, and Reconstruction (SSTR) operations on par with “traditional” combat operations.

2) Directs “host of efforts” to improve coordination between Defense and other government agencies.

3) Defines IW as comprising Counterinsurgency (COIN), SSTR, Counterterrorism (CT), Foreign Internal Defense (FID), and Unconventional Warfare (UW).

4) Instructs the Services to balance their capabilities to conduct both regular and irregular warfare.

ITP reports that critics contend that including SSTR under IW would cast stabilization operations, in which help from civilian government agencies and non-governmental organizations is crucial in too militaristic a light.

There is much more at Inside the Pentagon.