Michael Yon's latest dispatch includes a paper on counterinsurgency warfare written by Australian Army LTC David Kilcullen Ph.D. titled Twenty-Eight Articles: Fundamentals of Company Level Counterinsurgency. RTWT, as they say, but here are two excerpts:
23. Practise armed civil affairs. Counterinsurgency is armed social work; an attempt to redress basic social and political problems while being shot at.I don't think I've ever heard CI summarized so neatly.
But there's also this, which reminds you of the potential consequences of crossing the King of Battle:
What if higher headquarters doesn't "get" counterinsurgency? Higher headquarters is telling you the mission is to "kill terrorist", or pushing for high-speed armored patrols and a base-camp mentality.Getting a 155 round dropped on your head because your DS battalion didn't know you were where you were can ruin your whole day.
. . .
Over time, you will find ways to do what you have to do. But never lie to higher headquarters about your locations or activities: they own the indirect fires. [emphasis added]
Two thoughts:
"25. Fight the enemy's strategy, not his forces."
Someone has been reading Sun Tzu.
and
Murphy's Rules of combat #[I forget which number]: Friendly fire isn't.
and
How often has Australia been involved in CI operations?
THREE! three thoughts. Sun Tzu, Friendly fire isn't, questioning Australian CI expertise, and nice red uniforms.
damn.
AMONGST my reactions to this article are such diverse thoughts as...
C'mon, Jim - surely you can work a 'fanatical obedience to the Pope' reference in there!