| Small Wars Journal

We did not publish a PDF version of the Journal this month. We were due for a Time Warp anyway to get out of the twilight zone of publishing. We had been in a silly rut where, , e.g., the June issue came out at the end of June. Well, with a step to the right, we're there now with the rest of the non-mouth-breathing publishing world. But July is the victim.

We will continue to publish all articles as individual articles, whether they're in the PDF version of the month's Journal or not. We consider all items published during the month as part of the issue, PDF or no. So see the listing below for July's issue, and look for a PDF in August and thereafter. Future PDF Journals will come out toward the beginning of the month.

30 June SWJ Roundup

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Afghanistan

Benefit of 'Economy of Force' Operations Remains Unclear - S&S

Obama Weighed Military and Political Risk for Afghan Plan - Reuters

Officials to Expand Afghan Militia Program - USAT

McRaven Defends Night Raids in Afghan War - S&S

Kabul Hotel Attack Raises Doubts on Afghan Forces - NYT

Kabul Shaken after Deadly Hotel Attack - WP

Afghan Taliban Sends Message with Hotel Attack - LAT

Afghan Officials: Hotel Attack Will Not Affect Security Transition - VOA

Afghan Attack Left Mass of Bodies at Luxury Hotel - AP

2 Journalists Freed by Taliban Return to France - NYT

French Journalists Freed in Afghanistan after 18 Months - BBC

Two Ex-Kabul Bank Officials Arrested - NYT

Fallen Marine Honored With Intelligence Medal for Valor - AFPS

Taliban Talks Bombing - WT editorial

Pakistan

Pakistan Ends US Use of Base for Drone Attacks - Reuters

Six Karachi Rangers Charged with Murder - BBC

Syria

Syria Pulls Its Armed Forces From Some Contested Cities - NYT

US Slaps Syria, Iran for Killing Protesters - WT

Activists Say Syrian Troops Kill 4 in Northern Villages - VOA

Syria Tank Assault Kills 11 Near Turkey Border - Reuters

A Dictator's New Friend - WP editorial

Libya

Obama Defends US Involvement in Libyan Conflict - VOA

Obama Dismisses 'Fuss' about Libya Conflict - WT

France Provides Weapons, Food to Libyan Rebels - VOA

France Says It Gave Arms to the Rebels in Libya - NYT

French Sent Arms to Libyan Rebels - WP

AU Condemns French Libya Arms Drop - BBC

UK Sends Body Armor, Police Uniforms to Libya - AP

Britain Won't Help Arm Libya Rebels - WT

Libya Dismisses Claim of Rebel Push from Mountains - AP

How to Depose Kadafi - LAT editorial

Yemen

Strategic Site Is Captured by Militants in Yemen - NYT

Battle Near Zinjibar 'Kills at Least 21' - BBC

Yemen President Orders Talks on Deal to End Crisis - AP

Yemen VP Says Doesn't Know When Saleh Returns - Reuters

Israel / Palestinians

Gaza Flotilla Organizers: 2nd Ship Sabotaged - AP

Iraq

3 US Troops Killed in Iraq, Adding to Deadly Month - WP

Rocket Attack Kills 3 American Soldiers in Iraq - AP

Iran

Iran Facing New US Sanctions - WP

US Slaps Syria, Iran for Killing Protesters - WT

Egypt

Egypt Unprepared for Sept. Elections - WP

Clashes Ease in Egypt, but Underline Nation's Fragile Condition - NYT

Egyptian Protesters Demand Brutality Trials - LAT

Review Ordered in Death That Sparked Egypt Revolt - AP

US to Resume Formal Muslim Brotherhood Contacts - Reuters

Waiting Game in Tunisia and Egypt - WP opinion

Middle East / North Africa

Tension over Saudi Worker Curbs - BBC

Saudi Religious Police Detained 5 Women for Driving - NYT

Waiting Game in Tunisia and Egypt - WP opinion

Terrorism

CT Strategy Focused on al-Qaeda's Threat to Homeland - WP

White House Unveils Retooled Plan to Hunt al-Qaida - AP

New Counterterror Strategy Reset on 'Adherents' - WT

Obama Adviser Outlines Plans to Defeat Al Qaeda - NYT

US Drone Targets Two Leaders of Somali AQ Group - WP

Jihadist Web Forum Knocked Off Internet - AP

US Department of Defense

Obama Hints at Deeper Cuts to Defense Spending - S&S

McRaven: Special Operations Forces Under Stress - AP

Mullen: Public, Private Efforts Must Help Failed States - AFPS

Cartwright Cites 'Stark Realities' at Conference - AFPS

Comptroller Explains DOD Budget Challenges - AFPS

Ongoing Investigation at Arlington National Cemetery - CNN

Obama, Pentagon Plan Big Send-off for Gates - S&S

United States

Report: Iraq, Afghanistan Wars Cost US Nearly $4 Trillion - VOA

Obama Urges Lawmakers to Seize Moment, Tackle Debt - VOA

Clinton Urges World Democracies to Stand Together - AP

Africa

China Pledges Lasting Friendship with Sudan - VOA

Sudanese Leader Is Welcomed in Visit to China - NYT

Sudan President Bashir Scrambles to Save Regime - LAT

Rival Sudan Forces to Quit Border - BBC

Two Sudans to Create a Buffer Zone - Reuters

South Sudan President Steers Nation to Independence - Reuters

Yet Again in Sudan - NYT opinion

Nigeria Imposes Curfew on Abuja - BBC

Deadly Gunfight in DR Congo Mining Capital - BBC

US Drone Targets Two Leaders of Somali AQ Group - WP

Americas

Mexican Govt: No Evidence Migrants Were Kidnapped - AP

Venezuela Suspends Summit over Hugo Chavez's Illness - BBC

Colombia Condemns Rebel Attack - BBC

Study Suggests UN Force Brought Cholera to Haiti - AP

Asia Pacific

China Supports Global Pariahs, Gets Resources and Criticism in Return - VOA

Amnesty Int'l: China Crackdown on Lawyers Expands - AP

China's 'Red Tourism' Puts the Party Back Into Communism - Reuters

Filipino Leader to Visit China Amid Spratlys Rift - AP

Taiwan Unveils Upgraded Fighter Jet - AP

Ex-Taiwan President Lee Indicted on Graft Charge - AP

US, South Korean Alliance 'Never Stronger,' Sharp Says - AFPS

N. Korea: Kim Cancelled Russia Trip on Security Worry - Reuters

Europe

Britain Faces Mass Strikes as Airports Warn Travelers - VOA

UK Public Workers Strike Over Pensions - BBC

Rough Road Ahead for Greece Despite Austerity Measures - VOA

Greece Passes Austerity Package - LAT

Russian Lawmakers Delay Controversial Rights Bill - AP

Six Moldovan 'Uranium Smugglers' Arrested - BBC

South Asia

Indian PM Manmohan Singh Denies 'Lame Duck' Charge - BBC

India: Gujarat Riots Records 'Destroyed' - BBC

Read more about 30 June SWJ Roundup

National Strategy for Counterterrorism 2011

Here it is, hot off the press, National Strategy for Counterterrorism 2011.

White House Unveils Retooled Plan to Hunt al-Qaida by Kimberly Dozier, Associated Press. BLUF: "The United States will push ahead with more targeted drone strikes and special operations raids and fewer costly land battles like Iraq and Afghanistan in the continuing war against al-Qaida, according to a new national counterterrorism strategy unveiled Wednesday."

The Accidental Counterinsurgent?

The Accidental Counterinsurgent?

Travel back with me a couple of decades to the Trident Room, the local watering hole at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA. We could pay $3 to obtain a Trident Mug and drink unlimitedly with exceptional discounts. While we are there, we are looking for a young paratrooper on his way to earning a Masters degree in National Security Affairs. We spot him in a corner with some friends playing drinking games, which apparently he excels at because his name is still on a plaque at that bar today. So, we walk up to the young captain, and say, "Dude, guess what? One day you will be a three star general trying to build a military from scratch in Afghanistan." He'd probably think we were crazy.

Well, that "dude" in now Lieutenant General William B. Caldwell. Does he qualify as an Accidental Counterinsurgent? No, of course not, he is a professional military officer executing the mission given to him to the best of his ability. This experience is common throughout our military these days. We choose to serve, go where the nation tells us to go, and do what the nation tells us to do. We do not consider ourselves accidental.

I believe the same applies to those who rebel. Before you gasp and think that I'm dissenting against David Kilcullen, walk with me for a bit and let's see where it leads. Personally, I think Kilcullen has offered a lot to our understanding over the last decade, but I cannot quite resolve my direct observations with Kilcullen's theory of an Accidental Guerrilla.

Accidental implies Victimization

Whenever I would meet with representatives of the local resistance movements, whether it was the Madhi Militia, Badr Corps, AQI, ISI, or the 1920's Revolutionary Brigades, I would always start with developing a personal relationship, empathize with their views, and allow them to vent since they considered my men and I the occupying authority.

For the Sunnis in particular, I would take the time to admit that we had made mistakes at the outset of our intervention from outlawing the Ba'ath Party to disbanding the Iraqi Army. They felt extremely violated by these actions, and I wanted to make sure that they recognized that I understood their grievance. Additionally, we recognized their men as soldiers fighting against a government that they did not consider legitimate.

While I empathized with their views, I would reiterate that their feelings did not justify their behavior, and they must stop fighting and enter the political process. This realization would have to wait until my men proved that we were the biggest tribe, and that is another story for another day.

Implications

Why is this important? We earned the respect of our opponent because we gave them respect. We acknowledged that they were thinking, rational men acting over perceived grievances generated from either ideology or emotion. Unfortunately, we still had to fight it out for a bit until we exhausted the enemy, but we did not coddle, preach, or attempt to win their hearts, minds, or soul even when we disagreed with them. In fact, those actions were self-defeating and disrespectful to the insurgents in the Diyala River Valley.

As I type this entry two weeks after al Qaeda penetrated the Baqubah provisional government office and a day after the Taliban penetrated a luxury hotel in Kabul, I'm wondering if we really respect our enemy, or do we feel that he is just a confused, illiterate soul waiting to have his heart, mind, and soul converted by modernity?

By our own accord, free men have the right to choose. I cannot find evidence that a man deciding to blow himself up, behead his neighbor, or rebel against his government is accidental. He is not a victim of circumstance. He made a choice. Professional soldiers understand these choices. Tens years into Afghanistan, we might want to start respecting these choices.

The Third Way of COIN: Defeating the Taliban in Sangin

The Third Way of COIN: Defeating the Taliban in Sangin by Dr. Mark Moyar, Orbis Operations.

The history of counterinsurgency in Sangin district offers a wealth of insights into the nature of the war in Afghanistan and the path that coalition forces should now follow. From 2006 to 2011, coalition forces took three distinct approaches to counterinsurgency in Sangin. The first two—the enemy-centric approach and the population-centric approach—failed to suppress the insurgents. The enemy-centric approach failed because it did not provide the population with adequate governance or deprive the insurgents of access to the population. The population-centric approach failed because the enemy's persistent military strength impeded governance and discouraged popular support for the government. Coalition forces adhered to the enemy-centric and population-centric approaches for four and a half years, from the beginning of 2006 to the summer of 2010, during which time they sustained one hundred fatalities and many times that number in wounded.

Read the full report.

29 June SWJ Roundup

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Afghanistan

Lt. Gen. John Allen Falls in Line on Afghanistan - WP

Nominee to Run Afghan Fight Backs Drawdown - WSJ

Allen Vows to Slow Drawdown if Conditions Deteriorate - S&S

Allen Vows to Emulate Petraeus' Leadership - AFPS

Allen Endorses Troop Withdrawal Plan - AP

Lieutenant General John Allen Backs Obama Plan - Reuters

Allen Vows to Emulate Petraeus' Leadership - AFPS

Leaving Afghanistan Soon? Not Exactly - WP

Militants' Influx Fuels North Afghanistan Violence - AP

NATO Ends Taliban Siege on Kabul Hotel - WP

Raid by Coalition Forces Ends Attack on Hotel in Kabul - NYT

Kabul Hotel Attack: NATO Helicopters Kill Taliban - BBC

Attackers Kill 10 at Landmark Afghan Hotel - LAT

Taliban Suicide Assault Team Attacks Hotel in Kabul - LWJ

Landmark Afghan Hotel Attacked - LAT

Kabul Police: 10 Afghans Killed in Hotel Attack - AP

Police Search Kabul Hotel After Taliban Attack Kills 10 - Reuters

US Starts New Airlift Operation in Eastern Afghanistan - S&S

Al-Qaeda Leader Captured Dressed as Woman - USAT

ISAF Operations Roundup - AFPS

Former Afghan Bank Chief Faces Charges - VOA

Arrest Warrant For Ex-Afghan Bank Chief Over 'Fraud' - BBC

Petraeus's Unfinished Legacy in Afghanistan - WP opinion

Pakistan

Pakistan Says Stop 'Blame Game' at US, Afghan Talks - Reuters

Pakistan Charges Six Rangers With Murder - Reuters

Syria

Russia Urges Syria to Implement 'Real' Reforms - VOA

Syrians Get an Unexpected Taste of Freedom - NYT

Syrian Protesters Discover New 'Power of their Voice' - WT

Syrian Tanks Shell Villages, Assad Offers Dialogue - Reuters

Libya

Libyan Base Falls to a Rebel Ambush in the West - NYT

Rebels Capture Gaddafi Arms Bunker Near Zintan - BBC

Libyan Rebels Seize Kadafi Arms Depot - LAT

NATO Says it will Keep Pressure on Libyan Government - VOA

Prosecutor Presses Inner Circle on Gadhafi Arrest - AP

Libya Rebels Says ICC Decision Rules Out Gaddafi Talks - Reuters

Obama Adviser Defends Libya Policy to Senate - NYT

Senate Panel OKs Use of Force in Libya - WT

Israel / Palestinians

Palestinian Leader Skeptical of UN Bid - AP

Israel Ramps Up Campaign Against Gaza Aid Flotilla - WP

Advocacy Group Helps Delay Departure of Flotilla - NYT

Gaza Activists Say Flotilla Ship Sabotaged in Greece - AP

Middle East / North Africa

Admiral McRaven: Small Commando Force Should Stay in Iraq - AP

China Opens Oil Field in Iraq - NYT

China Starts Oil Pumping in Iraq - WT

Saudi Forces Withdrawing From Bahrain - NYT

Iran Test-fires Missiles, Shows Secret Silos - WP

Guard Chief: Iran Can Build Longer-range Missiles - AP

Yemen Bombs Anti-government Tribal Area - AP

Egypt: Fresh Clashes Erupt in Cairo's Tahrir Square - BBC

Egyptian Security Forces Clash With Protesters - AP

Protesters, Police Clash in Cairo - WP

Al Qaeda

Final Days of Suicide Bomber Who Attacked the CIA - WP

At End bin Laden Wasn't Running al-Qaida - McClatchy

US Department of Defense

New US Defense Secretary Panetta Faces Many Challenges - VOA

FBI Investigating Mismanagement at Arlington - WP

Guam Buildup Could Cost $23.9B Over Next Decade - S&S

US Spent $11.7M to Fly Dependents Out of Japan - S&S

Senators Quiz McRaven For Top Special Operations Slot - AFPS

Military Takes Top US Confidence Rankings - AFPS

Probe into Leak of 'DADT' Report Fails to Identify Sources - WP

United States

McRaven: Administration Has No Plan for Captured Terrorists - WP

Which Petraeus Will Arrive at the CIA? - WP

Kerry, McCain's Bond Shaped by War - WP

United Nations

UN Climate Panel to Examine Extreme Events - AP

International Monetary Fund

Lagarde Chosen to Head IMF - VOA

Lagarde to Succeed Strauss-Kahn at IMF - WT

Christine Lagarde Named IMF Chief - BBC

Combative New IMF Chief Takes on New Challenge - AP

Washington Backs Lagarde to Head IMF - VOA

Africa

Uganda and Burundi to Get US Drones to Fight Islamists - BBC

Sudan Signs Pact With Opposition Forces - NYT

Sudan Deal to Disarm Pro-Southern Rebels - BBC

China Hosts Alleged War Criminal Sudanese President Bashir - VOA

Sudan's Omar al-Bashir Meets China President Hu Jintao - BBC

China Rolls Out Red Carpet for Sudan President - AP

Sudan to Let Ex-Rebels Join Army When South Secedes - Reuters

UN Concerned at Fate of 7,000 Missing Sudanese - AP

Sudan to Appoint Vice President From Darfur - Reuters

Nigerian Sect Targets Security Forces, Non-Muslim Civilians - VOA

UN Extends 19,000-strong Congo Force - AP

Zimbabwe Energy Minister Acquitted - VOA

UN Court Refers Genocide Case to Rwanda - Reuters

UK Navy: Patrols Reduce HOA Piracy, Battle Not Over - Reuters

Horn of Africa Sees 'Worst Drought in 60 Uears' - BBC

Americas

Mexico President Feels 'Misunderstood' in Drug War - AP

7 Cops Investigated in Slaying of Mexico Police Chief - AP

Colombia Extradites Convicted Trafficker to US - AP

Venezuelan, Like Castro, Has Brother at the Ready - NYT

Venezuela's Chavez Shown on Cuban State TV - BBC

Cuba, Venezuela Put Out New Images of Post-Op Chavez - Reuters

Chavez Back on TV, but Still No Info on Health - AP

Scenarios: Chavez Health Saga Keeps Venezuela Guessing - Reuters

Hugo Chavez, MIA - WP editorial

Ecuador Police Convicted over Rafael Correa Protest - BBC

Asia Pacific

China Rejects US Senate Criticism Over Sea Dispute - AP

Chinese Communist Site Now a Bastion for Capitalism - Reuters

North Korea Scorns South's Offer of Nuclear Talks - DN

North Korea Issues Threat to South Ahead of Joint Talks - BBC

Thurman: Kim Jong Il Provocations Will Continue - S&S

Thurman Wants to Bolster US-South Korean Ties - AFPS

Group: Philippine President Hasn't Improved Rights - AP

In Thailand, Money Can Buy Anything, Including a Vote - Reuters

Khmer Rouge UN Tribunal Centers on Controversial Amnesty - VOA

Khmer Rouge Defendant Challenges Genocide Tribunal - AP

Burma's Suu Kyi Warned Over Plans for Tour - AP

Europe

Russian Military Test-fires New Missile - AP

Challenge to UK Rules on Overseas Torture - AP

Greeks Dig in Their Heels, Protest Against Austerity Measures - VOA

Greece Protest Against Austerity Package Turns Violent - BBC

Violence Flares in Athens - LAT

46 Hurt in Clashes on Eve of Key Greek Vote - AP

Turkey Election: Opposition Boycotts Parliament Oath - BBC

In Turkey, Lawmakers Refuse Oath in Protest - NYT

Chinese Leader's Visit to Germany Ends With Large Trade Deals - NYT

Leaderless in Europe - NYT editorial

South Asia

US Sees Bigger Role for India as Trade Partner - BBC

US-India Talks Yield Little for Trade - NYT

Read more about 29 June SWJ Roundup

General Allen on Afghanistan

Allen Vows to Slow Drawdown if Conditions Deteriorate by Leo Shane III, Stars and Stripes. BLUF: "The incoming head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan on Tuesday offered support for the president's drawdown of American troops from that battlefield but also vowed to slow down those departures if the situation begins to deteriorate."

Nominee to Run Afghan Fight Backs Drawdown by Julian E. Barnes, Wall Street Journal. BLUF: "The Marine general nominated to become the top commander in Afghanistan said he believed that the insurgency's momentum has been halted, and even reversed in key parts of the country."

Allen Vows to Emulate Petraeus' Leadership by Lisa Daniel, American Forces Press Service. BLUF: "Based on his recent time in Afghanistan, Allen said, he agrees with assessments that U.S. and NATO forces have made significant progress there, but that challenges remain. Afghan and coalition forces control much of the battle space in Afghanistan, including the capital of Kabul, which consists of one-fifth of the population, as well as other population centers in Kandahar and Helmand provinces, the general said. Military operations increasingly are being led by Afghan forces, which are on track in a surge of their own to meet a goal of 305,000 troops later this year, Allen said. Asked about the importance of Afghan forces taking over security, Allen said, 'It's essential to the strategy'."

Lt. Gen. John Allen Falls in Line on Afghanistan by Craig Whitlock, Washington Post. BLUF: "... Allen said Obama's timetable to wind down the war in Afghanistan sent a clear message to the government of President Hamid Karzai that it needs to assert itself and take more direct responsibility for fighting the Taliban."

Read more about General Allen on Afghanistan

USFF Hosts Bold Alligator 2012 Main Planning Conference

Via Expeditionary Strike Group 2 PAO: USFF Hosts Bold Alligator 2012 Main Planning Conference

The Atlantic Fleet's largest amphibious exercise in the last 10 years continued taking shape this past week as Commander, United States Fleet Forces hosted the first of two Main Planning Conferences for Exercise Bold Alligator 2012, scheduled to take place next January and February.

Bold Alligator 2012 represents the Navy and Marine Corps' revitalization of the fundamentals of amphibious operations, strengthening their traditional role as fighters from the sea.

The focus of this event is based on the common goal of Navy and Marine Corps leadership to revitalize, refine and strengthen core amphibious competencies, which are critical to maritime power projection and are a cost effective option for a wide range of military operations.

The capabilities that allow the amphibious force to conduct a forced entry landing against an opposing military force are the same capabilities that make it the force of choice for crisis response and building partnerships.

"As recent world events show, amphibious forces are a critical part of a wide range of military operations," said Rear Adm. Kevin Scott, commander, ESG-2. "We need to always be ready to successfully conduct prompt and sustained amphibious expeditionary operations from the sea in support of the nation's Maritime Strategy."

More than 330 Navy and Marine Corps personnel from more than 50 ships and commands met at Expeditionary Warfare Training Group Atlantic (EWTGLANT) on the Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story here, to incorporate recent guidance from senior leaders and continue the planning process for this large scale amphibious exercise. The primary training audiences for the exercise are Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 2, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade (2d MEB) and the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group.

Bold Alligator 12 will be a large-scale multinational naval amphibious exercise conducted by United States Fleet Forces (USFF) and Marine Forces Command (MFC) that will focus upon the planning and execution of a brigade-sized amphibious assault from a seabase in a medium threat environment. The underlying scenario of this exercise is designed to emphasize the Navy/Marine Corps capabilities in undeveloped and immature theaters of operations.

Expected to participate in the exercise are: an Amphibious Task Force (led by ESG-2) consisting of 10 amphibious ships and four to six combatants; a Marine Expeditionary Brigade-sized Landing Force (2d MEB); a Carrier Strike Group (aircraft carrier, embarked air wing and four combatant ships); Mine Counter Measure forces, Navy Expeditionary Combat Command forces, Military Sealift Command ships; coalition force elements from several allies, and other commands in the support of amphibious operations.

SWJ Newsletter No. 3

Small Wars Journal Newsletter No. 3 will be sent out this Friday, 1 July. Not on our distro list? Here's what you missed on 1 May and 1 June.

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