Irregular or guerrilla forces and warfare Books

Book SynopsisWaged across an inhospitable terrain which varied from open African savannah to broken mountain country and arid semi-desert, the Anglo-Boer wars of 188081 and 18991902 pitted the British Army and its allies against the Boers'' commandos.The nature of warfare across these campaigns was shaped by the realities of the terrain and by Boer fighting techniques. Independent and individualistic, the Boers were not professional soldiers but a civilian militia who were bound by the terms of the ''Commando system'' to come together to protect their community against an outside threat. By contrast the British Army was a full-time professional body with an established military ethos, but its over-dependence on conventional infantry tactics led to a string of Boer victories. This fully illustrated study examines the evolving nature of Boer military techniques, and contrasts them with the British experience, charting the development of effective British mounted tactics from the fi

Read more less

Book SynopsisHisila Yami's memoir traces her journey from architecture student to Maoist revolutionary in Nepal, detailing her political awakening, guerrilla warfare, and personal life including marriage to Baburam Bhattarai. The book offers a vivid account of her experiences as a female leader in the Communist Party of Nepal.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path launched its violent campaign against the government in Peru's Ayacucho region in 1980. Focusing on the peasant community of Sarhua that was at the epicenter of the conflict, the author follows the tangled thread of a public secret: the disappearance of Narciso Huicho.Trade Review"Gonzalez's ethnographic meditation on identity, history, violence, inequality, and cultural transformation is a joy to read. In writing that is sharp and insightful, she offers a cutting-edge analysis of local remembering and forgetting juxtaposed with recorded historic events. This is anthropology at its best and a real treat to read." - Victoria Sanford, Lehman College, City University of New York"

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Maoist guerrilla group Shining Path launched its violent campaign against the government in Peru's Ayacucho region in 1980. Focusing on the peasant community of Sarhua which was at the epicenter of the conflict, the author follows the tangled thread of a public secret: the disappearance of Narciso Huicho.Trade Review"Gonzalez's ethnographic meditation on identity, history, violence, inequality, and cultural transformation is a joy to read. In writing that is sharp and insightful, she offers a cutting-edge analysis of local remembering and forgetting juxtaposed with recorded historic events. This is anthropology at its best and a real treat to read." - Victoria Sanford, Lehman College, City University of New York"

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisTracing Japanese Leftist Political Activism (19572017) tells the story of the Japanese Red Army (JRA), a militant left-wing group founded in 1971 which was involved in numerous terrorist attacks.It traces the origins of the group in the Japanese New Left in the 1960s and looks at Red Army groups of the early 1970s in Japan, such as the Red Army Faction, and the United Red Army which became infamous for murdering its own members. The book also examines the JRA''s trans- and international links with other militant groups including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, as well as the networks of intellectuals and fellow activists who supported them.This book will be of great interest to students and scholars of terrorism, radicalism, and Japanese social history.Trade Review"Claudia Derichs has gracefully completed the manuscript left behind by Kevin Coogan’s untimely death. It tells a richly detailed story of Japanese leftist political activism that sheds light on neglected connections spanning national, organizational, and chronological boundaries."Kenji Hasegawa, Yokohama National University, Japan, and author of Student Radicalism and the Formation of Postwar Japan"Studies of the Long Sixties are increasingly transnational in approach and this book is another bold entry in that growing canon. Gleaned from a multilingual array of sources — political publications, previous scholarship, memoirs, reportage, declassified materials, and more — it is an ambitious attempt to pull together the disparate and sometimes astonishing threads of the Japanese Red Army and Beheiren — respectively, perhaps the most notorious and lauded elements of the Japanese New Left — as they intersected through several key intellectual-activists and interacted with other radicals around the world."William Andrews, author of Dissenting JapanTable of ContentsPART ONE: TOKYO (1957–1973) Introduction: The Boomerang Flying Transnational Section One: The Rise and Fall of Student Radicalism 1. The Birth of the Japanese New Left 2. The First Bund 3. Ampo 4. Zengakuren’s Gangster Shōgun? 5. Profiling Zengakuren 6. The Return of Ikki Kita 7. Icarus Falling – The Second Bund 8. "Disorganize Tokyo Imperialist University!" Section Two: Beheiren 9. The Riddle of Shunsuke Tsurumi 10. Voiceless Voices – The Rise of Beheiren 11. The Intrepid Four 12. Beheiren’s War 13. "Destroy from Within" Section Three: Red Army 14. Sekigun! 15. The Yodogō Hijack 16. Sixteen Gravestones – Rengō Sekigun 17. Tsuneo Umenai Declares War PART TWO: GOING TRANSNATIONAL (1972–2017) Section Four: Arab and Japanese Red Army 18. Slaughter at the Airport 19. Paris Underground 20. Takahashi in the Curiel Network 21. Pyongyang Calling 22. The Hague 23. The Stockholm Arrests 24. Crisis in Kuala Lumpur 25. Trapping Takahashi Section Five: Return to Japan 26. After Dhaka 27. O! Japan 28. Station to Station Conclusion: Man of Ghosts

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWho is the enemy?' This is the question most asked in modern warfare; gone are the set-piece conventional battles of the past. Once seen as secondary to more traditional conflicts, irregular warfare (as modified and refashioned since the 1990s) now presents a major challenge to the state and the bureaucratic institutions which have dominated the twentieth century, and to the politicians and civil servants who formulate policy. Twenty-first-century conflict is dominated by counterinsurgency operations, where the enemy is almost indistinguishable from innocent civilians. Battles are gunfights in jungles, deserts and streets; winning hearts and minds' is as important as holding territory. From struggles in South Africa, the Philippines and Ireland to operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Chechnya, this book covers the strategy and doctrine of counterinsurgency, and the factors which ensure whether such operations are successful or not. Recent ignorance of central principles and the emergence of social media, which has shifted the odds in favour of the insurgent, have too often resulted in failure, leaving governments and their security forces embedded in a hostile population, immersed in costly and dangerous nation-building.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis Tracing the development of the Irish Republican Army following Ireland''s Declaration of Independence, this book focuses on the recruitment, training, and arming of Ireland''s military volunteers and the Army''s subsequent guerrilla campaign against British rule. Beginning with a brief account of the failed Easter Rising, it continues through the resulting military and political reorganizations, the campaign''s various battles, and the eventual truce agreements and signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty. Other topics include the significance of Irish intelligence and British counter-intelligence efforts; urban warfare and the fight for Dublin; and the role of female soldiers, suffragists, and other women in waging the IRA''s campaign.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe German invasion of Poland in September 1939 abruptly ended author Jan Rosinski's student life, and propelled him into an activist if not leadership role in the Polish resistance organization, the Armia Krajowa or AK. In short order he became a talented forger of Nazi documents, especially travel papers that allowed many refugees to escape the city. His university studies in chemistry and physics created a role for him as an effective saboteur. Narrowly escaping death on more than one occasion, he was fearless in his pursuits. His dislike of the Nazi leadership was exceeded by an even greater hatred of the Soviet Army as it invaded Poland from the East less than a month later. Poland would be sealed off from the West for fifty years. Rosinski's travails as a POW in Germany eventually led him to the Allied forces in Germany; the U.S. became the beneficiary of his brilliant discoveries in atmospheric science. Jan was accompanied on his life's journey by his wife Barbara (d. 1993), who

Read more less

Book SynopsisGuerrilla insurgencies rage across the globe, fueled by ethnic and religious conflict and the easy availability of weapons. This title examines eight key examples of urban guerrilla conflict across 4 continents, including Warsaw in 1944, Budapest in 1956, Algiers in 1957, Montevideo and Sao Paulo in the 1960s, and Grozny from 1994 to 1996.

Read more less

a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisWithin the last twenty years, the archaeology of conflict has emerged as a valuable sub-discipline within anthropology, contributing greatly to our knowledge and understanding of human conflict on a global scale. This volume presents essays that explore this growing field.Trade ReviewThis well edited volume will make a fine contribution to the relatively young discipline of historical archaeology, let alone its myriad subsets."" - David Orr, coeditor of Historical Archaeology of the Delaware Valley, 1600–1850Table of Contents List of Illustrations Preface Introduction: An Archaeology of Asymmetric Warfare by Steven D. Smith Chapter 1. Border Warfare in Revolutionary Era West Virginia by W. Stephen McBride and Kim A. McBride Chapter 2. ""Foot Jägers Forward!"": Johann Ewald, Petite Guerre, and the Archaeology of the Battle of Cooch's Bridge by Wade P. Catts Chapter 3. The Battle of Williamson's Plantation: Huck's Defeat and the Asymmetric Partisan War in the South Carolina Backcountry by Michael C. Scoggins and Steven D. Smith Chapter 4. Francis Marion's Partisan Community by Steven D. Smith Chapter 5. KOCOA Considerations in Asymmetric Warfare: Education and Environment in the Second Seminole War, 1835–1842 by Michelle Sivilich Chapter 6. The Black Jack Battle of 1856 in Kansas: Asymmetric Warfare and Archaeological Investigations by Douglas D. Scott Chapter 7. Jayhawkers, Bushwhackers, and Lay-Out Gangs: Archaeology and Asymmetric Warfare in the Trans-Mississippi Confederate Home Front during the American Civil War by Carl G. Drexler Chapter 8. ""Dirty Little Wars"" in Northern Mexico and the American Southwest by Charles M. Haecker Chapter 9. The Hatfield-McCoy Feud as Asymmetric Warfare: Archaeology at the Randall and Sally McCoy Homestead by Kim A. McBride Chapter 10. A Ukrainian Insurgent Army Company Ambush of a Soviet NKVD Battalion, 1945: A Multidisciplinary Study by Adrian Mandzy Conclusion: Reflections on the Historical Archaeology of Asymmetric Warfare by Clarence R. Geier References Cited Contributors Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisDuring 1941 the Germans occupied first Greece and the former Yuogslavia, then enormous areas of European Russia. Once the front line troops had moved on the struggle continued as bands of resistance fighters waged war against the occupation forces until their final withdrawal. The term ''partisan'' is associated with Communist-led bands and they were often the most fanatical defenders of the Soviet realm. However, there were also non-Communist resistance groups which were nationalist and broadly constitutionalist and as a result a complicated three-way war developed. This book details the guerrilla war which was waged in the various regions and the uniforms and equipment of the combatants.Table of ContentsIntroduction · Poland · Russia · Yugoslavia · Greece · Albania · The Plates

Read more less

Book SynopsisA concise illustrated study of the uniforms of the volunteer militias of the US Civil War. Uniformed volunteer units were raised by individuals, usually from an area's social élite who had enough spare money and time to spend on such enthusiasms. They voted on their unit designation, their officers and non-commissioned officers, their unit rules, and their uniform. Many future leaders learned their skills in these ranks, and volunteer militia units formed the core of many fighting units on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line. With the help of numerous photographs and illustrations, including eight full page colour plates by Ron Volstad, Philip Katcher does a fine job of detailing the uniforms of the volunteer militia of the American Civil War.Table of ContentsThe Volunteers of 1860-65 · Alabama · Arkansas · Connecticut · District of Columbia · Georgia · Illinois · Indiana · Kentucky · Louisiana · Maine · Maryland · Massachusetts · Michigan · Mississippi · Missouri · New Hampshire · New Jersey · New York · North Carolina · Ohio · Pennsylvania · Rhode Island · South Carolina · Virginia · Wisconsin · The Plates

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhile one military empire in Europe lay in ruins, another awakened in North America. During the Peninsular War (1808-1814) the Spanish launched an unprecedented guerrilla insurgency undermining Napoleon's grip on that state and ultimately hastening the destruction of the French Army in Europe. The advent of this novel system of warfare ushered in an era of military studies on the use of unconventional strategies in military campaigns and changed the modern rules of war.A generation later during the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), Winfield Scott and Henry Halleck used the knowledge from the Peninsular War to implement an innovative counterinsurgency program designed to conciliate Mexicans living in areas controlled by the U.S. Army, which set the standard informing a growing international consensus on the proper conduct for occupation.In this first transnational history of the Mexican-American War, historian Benjamin J. Swenson chronicles the emergence of guerrilla warfare in the Atla

Read more less

Book SynopsisThroughout history, conflicts have given rise to unconventional forms of warfare, often propelled by personal, religious, tribal, or national ambitions. Historian David Rooney highlights pivotal figures such as the Maccabees, Napoleon, the Boer Wars, Michael Collins, Mao Tse Tung, T. E. Lawrence, Castro, Guevara, the Guerrillas of World War II, and Al Qaeda''s Osama Bin Ladenhighlights pivotal figures such as the Maccabees, Napoleon, the Boer Wars, Michael Collins, Mao Tse Tung, T. E. Lawrence, Castro, Guevara, the Guerrillas of World War II, and Al Qaeda''s Osama Bin Laden, illustrating the evolution of guerrilla theories. In today''s era of swiftly forsaking convention and tradition for immediate results, the adoption of unconventional strategies by twenty-first-century warriors appears more prevalent than ever. Public discourse surrounding this topic is vibrant, and understanding its evolution is vital for increased awareness.Dive into the riveting exploration of unconventional

Read more less

Book Synopsis From Afghanistan to Angola, Indonesia to Iran, and Colombia to Congo, violent reactions erupt, states collapse, and militaries relentlessly pursue operations doomed to fail. And yet, no useful theory exists to explain this common tragedy. All over the world, people and states clash violently outside their established political systems, as unfulfilled demands of control and productivity bend the modern state to a breaking point. This book lays out how dysfunctional governments disrupt social orders, make territory insecure, and interfere with political-economic institutions. These give rise to a form of organized violence against the state known as irregular war. Research reveals why this frequent phenomenon is so poorly understood among conventional forces in those conflicts and the states who send their children to die in them.Trade ReviewIf Jonathan Hackett's Theory of Irregular War had been available in the early 2000s, we might have taken far more thoughtful approaches in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Libya, and the many other conflicts of the post-9/11 era. Hackett weaves together his ground-up experience with a ruthless academic critique of contemporary theory and practice in what will surely be essential reading for the inevitable irregular wars to come."—Dr. Ben Connable, author of How Insurgencies End "Analytically rigorous and methodologically sound, Hackett's work is a precious contribution to the literature on irregular war. Theorizing, especially in social studies, is not for the faint-hearted, but Hackett accomplishes that mission with grace and humility."—Bilal Y. Saab, former senior advisor in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, author of Rebuilding Arab DefenseTable of Contents Table of Contents Acknowledgments Preface Part I: Thinking About Irregular 1. Enemies of the State Existing Theoretical Frameworks A Note on Method A Note on Sources Structure of the Book 2. A Framework of Thought, Action, and Justice A School of Thought and Action John Rawls and the Theory of Justice The Functional Sovereign The Dysfunctional Sovereign Violent Resistance and the Dysfunctional Sovereign 'Asabiyyah and Anomie 3. The Structure of Irregular War Theories and Philosophies of War, or "On Clausewitz" Irregular War: A Social, Territorial, and Political Affair Irregular War and Social Order Irregular War and Sovereign Territory Irregular War and ­Political-Economic Institutions The Conduct of Irregular War Structures of Conflict: Insurgency and Revolution Part II: The Synecdoche Trap 4. Problems of Scope, Method, Bias, and Character Problem One: Scope Problem Two: "Methodismus" Problem Three: Bias Problem Four: Character The Human Element 5. Conventional War Theory and Regular Wars Law and Doctrine Doctrinal Disconnect Wars, Conventional and Regular 6. Conventional Forces in Irregular Wars Combatting Bandits in Small Wars A French Vision of Disaster The British Method American Force Suppression and Destruction ­Third-Party Intervention Part III: A Theory of Irregular 7. Irregular War Conditions Conditions of Social Order and Sovereign Dysfunction Conditions of Sovereign Territory and Sovereign Dysfunction Conditions of ­Political-Economic Institutions and Sovereign Dysfunction 8. The Elements: People, Politics, and Propaganda Thinkers and Actors The Why Wings of Resistance Ideology and the Message 9. A Dialectic of Irregular War The Intersection of People and the State The State and Its Enemies Irregular Wars and Sovereign Dysfunction Concluding Irregular Wars Chapter Notes References Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisPathological Counterinsurgency critically examines the relationship between elections and counterinsurgency success in third party campaigns supported by the United States. From Vietnam to El Salvador to Iraq and Afghanistan, many policymakers and academics believed that democratization would drive increased legitimacy and improved performance in governments waging a counterinsurgency campaign. Elections were expected to help overcome existing deficiencies, thus allowing governments supported by the United States to win the hearts and minds of its populace, undermining the appeal of insurgency. However, in each of these cases, campaigning in and winning elections did not increase the legitimacy of the counterinsurgent government or alter conditions of entrenched rent seeking and weak institutions that made states allied to the United States vulnerable to insurgency. Ultimately, elections played a limited role in creating the conditions needed for counterinsurgency success. Instead, deTrade ReviewThis illuminating and timely work reveals the limited ability of an outside power such as the USG to instill legitimacy in a weak government by encouraging elections during a counterinsurgency campaign. Greene exposes the flawed assumptions inherent in the equation of genuine democratic reform with an externally imposed electoral process—especially in countries like Iraq and Afghanistan. As Greene reminds us, there is a terrible price to be paid for magical thinking about the power of elections to turn the tide against entrenched insurgencies. This book should be required reading for Trump’s foreign policy advisors, especially as they consider next steps in the Middle East. -- Vivian S. Walker, Central European UniversityProfessor Greene's fundamental insight on the necessary yet insufficient nature of elections in successful counterinsurgencies is a crucial one. In each of his case studies, he demonstrates how too great a concern with the fact of an election has crowded out clear thinking about the fundamental prerequisites for holding an election, and for requirements for transparency and constraint of the victors. His book should be on the shelf of anyone hoping to avoid the errors of the recent and not-so-recent past. -- Thomas Wingfield, National Defense UniversityPathological Counterinsurgency is an invaluable guide for those seeking to understand third-party counterinsurgency campaigns. Greene addresses the critical question of whether elections promote a host country’s legitimacy and performance. With implications for counterinsurgency, stability operations, and foreign interventions, Pathological Counterinsurgency should be required reading for those designing and implementing US foreign policy today. -- Peter G. Thompson, National Defense UniversityTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Understanding Pathological Counterinsurgency Chapter 1: Legitimacy and Democratization in Counterinsurgency Chapter 2: Building Legitimacy: Theory vs. Practice Chapter 3: Democratization, Elections and Counterinsurgency in Theory and Policy Chapter 4: Vietnam Chapter 5: El Salvador Chapter 6: Iraq Chapter 7: Afghanistan Chapter 8: Malaya, Colombia, and the Limits of Third Party Campaigns Conclusion: The Limits of Elections in Counterinsurgency Bibliography About the Author

Read more less

Book SynopsisBetween 1941 and 1944, the Germans and the Italians imposed a brutal occupation of Greece. This, as well as the outbreak of famine, drove many Greeks to join a variety of resistance movements in the mountains. The British government anticipated the German occupation of Europe and created the Special Operations Executive (SOE). One directorate of the SOE was responsible for partisan activity in the mountains and another directorate focused on encouraging espionage and sabotage in Greek cities. Over 3000 Greeks and British operated espionage networks that made a significant contribution to the war effort in the Mediterranean. Unfortunately the work of the spy and saboteur working in the shadows remained classified until the end of the twentieth century. The release of SOE documents in the twenty-first century provides an amazing insight into how intelligence operations were a critical part of the Allied victory of the Second World War. The aim of the book is to bring to life the stories Trade ReviewThis is a comprehensive and well-balanced analysis of a painful period in Greece’s history. For those interested in a fair and deeply researched work of one of the most violent and vicious internal fronts in Nazi occupied Europe, this book is a must, if not a model. One cannot understand the 1940s Greek civil war without fully relying on André Gerolymatos’s work. -- Amikam Nachmani, Bar-Ilan UniversityTable of ContentsChapter 1: Historical Background Chapter 2: Survey of British Military Intelligence Chapter 3: British Intelligence in Greece and the Middle East Chapter 4: The SOE in Greece and in the Middle East Chapter 5: The Occupation of Greece Chapter 6: Covert Operations and Guerrilla Warfare, 1941–1944 Chapter 7: Armed Resistance and Guerrilla Warfare Chapter 8: Liberation and Crisis Epilogue: From Resistance to Civil War

Read more less

Book SynopsisConfronting insurgent violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has recognized the need to "re-learn" counterinsurgency. But how has the Department of Defense with its mixed efforts responded to this new strategic environment? Has it learned anything from past failures? In "The New Counterinsurgency Era", David Ucko examines DoD's institutional obstacles and initially slow response to a changing strategic reality. Ucko also suggests how the military can better prepare for the unique challenges of modern warfare, where it is charged with everything from providing security to supporting reconstruction to establishing basic governance - all while stabilizing conquered territory and engaging with local populations. After briefly surveying the history of American counterinsurgency operations, Ucko focuses on measures the military has taken since 2001 to relearn old lessons about counterinsurgency, to improve its ability to conduct stability operations, to change the institutional bias against counterinsurgency, and to account for successes gained from the learning process. Given the effectiveness of insurgent tactics, the frequency of operations aimed at building local capacity, and the danger of ungoverned spaces acting as havens for hostile groups, the military must acquire new skills to confront irregular threats in future wars. Ucko clearly shows that the opportunity to come to grips with counterinsurgency is matched in magnitude only by the cost of failing to do so.Trade ReviewIn compiling the developments of this latest chapter in the US military's doctrinal history, Ucko provides a useful and timely analysis. International Affairs An invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the halting, ambivalent and, as Ucko wisely notes, quite reversible evolution of the US military. Survival Ucko's thorough research and lively, uncompromising style make the case persuasively. RUSI Journal Perfectly captures the central paradox in contemporary defense policymaking ParametersTable of ContentsForeword Introduction 1. Framing the Reorientation 2. A Troubled History 3. Revisiting Counterinsurgency 4. Innovation under Fire 5. Counterinsurgency and the QDR 6. FM 3-24 and Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon 7. The Ambivalence of the "Surge" 8. Innovation or Inertia Conclusion: Kicking the Counterinsurgency Syndrome? Notes Bibliography About the Author Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisConfronting insurgent violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military has recognized the need to "re-learn" counterinsurgency. But how has the Department of Defense with its mixed efforts responded to this new strategic environment? Has it learned anything from past failures? In "The New Counterinsurgency Era", David Ucko examines DoD's institutional obstacles and initially slow response to a changing strategic reality. Ucko also suggests how the military can better prepare for the unique challenges of modern warfare, where it is charged with everything from providing security to supporting reconstruction to establishing basic governance - all while stabilizing conquered territory and engaging with local populations. After briefly surveying the history of American counterinsurgency operations, Ucko focuses on measures the military has taken since 2001 to relearn old lessons about counterinsurgency, to improve its ability to conduct stability operations, to change the institutional bias against counterinsurgency, and to account for successes gained from the learning process. Given the effectiveness of insurgent tactics, the frequency of operations aimed at building local capacity, and the danger of ungoverned spaces acting as havens for hostile groups, the military must acquire new skills to confront irregular threats in future wars. Ucko clearly shows that the opportunity to come to grips with counterinsurgency is matched in magnitude only by the cost of failing to do so.Trade ReviewIn compiling the developments of this latest chapter in the US military's doctrinal history, Ucko provides a useful and timely analysis. International Affairs An invaluable resource for anyone who wants to understand the halting, ambivalent and, as Ucko wisely notes, quite reversible evolution of the US military. Survival Ucko's thorough research and lively, uncompromising style make the case persuasively. RUSI Journal Perfectly captures the central paradox in contemporary defense policymaking ParametersTable of ContentsForeword Introduction 1. Framing the Reorientation 2. A Troubled History 3. Revisiting Counterinsurgency 4. Innovation under Fire 5. Counterinsurgency and the QDR 6. FM 3-24 and Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon 7. The Ambivalence of the "Surge" 8. Innovation or Inertia Conclusion: Kicking the Counterinsurgency Syndrome? Notes Bibliography About the Author Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn 1964, at age seven, Jorge Masetti was informed by a Cuban colonel that his father had died gloriously leading a guerrilla band in Argentina. By the age of sixteen, Masetti had left Havana to follow in his father's footsteps, fighting as an urban revolutionary in Buenos Aires. Two years later, he was back in Cuba for a course in "conspiratorial methods." Then he joined the notorious Americas Department, entering what he calls "the pirate's den" as a secret agent for Fidel Castro. In this riveting book, Masetti takes the reader inside the war room of the Cuban revolution. His life involved international revolutionary intrigue: smuggling diamonds and ivory; counterfeiting U.S. dollars; trafficking in narcotics. He served in Angola and other war zones in the 1980s. He was an adviser with groups such as the M-19 guerrillas in Columbia and the Sandinistas. Masetti's first hand account at times seems to have come from a Le Carre novel. But his story is true. In addition to shedding light on the machinations of the Castro government, it is also a compelling story of a crisis in a revolutionary faith. "In The Pirate's Den" is the result of that painful introspection, a page turning chronicle of a remarkable journey into and out of the Cuban revolution.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWant to know how to destroy a tank? Derail a train? Fell a tree? Break up a gun? Damage telephone wires? Destroy a bridge? Go back in time and become a partisan preparing for Nazi invasion with this original guerilla warfare manual produced for Russian civilians in 1943. The original version of this manual was distributed to the public in December 1941 as Nazi tanks rolled toward Moscow. When Germany invaded the Soviet Union, the Red Army was hard pressed to cope with the “invincible” Wehrmacht. Yet by 1943, it was obvious that Germany was losing the war. The partisan ranks grew as did the training requirements for the partisan commanders. The 1943 edition of The Partisan’s Companion helped quickly train new guerrillas to a common standard. Inside was chapter after chapter of guerrilla warfare and survival tactics designed to turn ordinary civilians into freedom fighters capable of defending their homes against the Nazis. In this complete, expanded and last third edition, the manual incorporates all the lessons learned in battle. You'll learn the tactics of partisan warfare as practiced by Soviet citizens during World War II, including how to ambush the bad guy and get away with it, from railroads to highways; destroy their tanks without detection; blowing up supply stations; set up and use improvised sniper positions; carry out sappy work such as felling trees, damaging telephone and telegraph wires and destroying bridges; surviving under harsh winter conditions and perhaps the most important role of all – reconnaissance and recognizing the enemy before they recognize you.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Partisan's Companion was produced by the Red Army to train partisans to fight the Nazi invader. Its usefulness outlived World War II, as it was later used to train Third World guerrillas in their wars of national liberation during the 1950s–70s, and even the Fedayeen guerrillas who fought US and coalition forces in Iraq.By the end of 1942, it was obvious that Germany was losing the war. The partisan ranks grew as did the training requirements for partisan commanders. The 1942 edition of The Partisan's Companion helped quickly train new guerrillas to a common standard. Besides field craft, it covers partisan tactics, German counter-guerrilla tactics, demolitions, German and Soviet weapons, scouting, camouflage, anti-tank warfare and anti-aircraft defense for squad and platoon-level instruction. It contains the Soviet lessons of two bitter years of war and provides a good look at the tactics and training of a mature partisan force. The partisans moved and lived clandestinely, harassed the enemy, and supported the Red Army through reconnaissance and attacks on German supply lines. They clearly frustrated German logistics and forced the Germans to periodically sideline divisions for rear-area security. The partisans and their handbook were clearly part of the eventual Soviet victory over Germany. This pocket manual puts The Partisan's Companion in context, explaining its importance.

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Joint Special Operations Command deployed Task Force 714 to Iraq in 2003, it faced an adversary unlike any it had previously encountered: al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI’s organization into multiple, independent networks and its application of Information Age technologies allowed it to wage war across a vast landscape. To meet this unique threat, TF 714 developed the intelligence capacity to operate inside those networks, and in the words of commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.) “claw the guts out of AQI.” In Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War, Richard H. Shultz Jr. provides a broad discussion of the role of intelligence in combatting nonstate militants and revisits this moment of innovation during the Iraq War, showing how the defense and intelligence communities can adapt to new and evolving foes. Shultz tells the story of how TF 714 partnered with US intelligence agencies to dismantle AQI’s secret networks by eliminating many of its key leaders. He also reveals how TF 714 altered its methods and practices of intelligence collection, intelligence analysis, and covert paramilitary operations to suppress AQI’s growing insurgency and, ultimately, destroy its networked infrastructure. TF 714 remains an exemplar of successful organizational learning and adaptation in the midst of modern warfare. By examining its innovations, Shultz makes a compelling case for intelligence leading the way in future campaigns against nonstate armed groups.Trade ReviewIn Transforming U.S. Intelligence for Irregular War: Task Force 714 in Iraq, author Richard Shultz, a preeminent figure in the field of intelligence studies, covers the crucial transition from the Cold War, Industrial Age intelligence practices, to the modern information age intelligence community. * Proceedings *Table of ContentsList of Figures ForewordGen. Joseph L. Votel, USA (Ret.) Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: War unlike Yesterday’s 1. Adapting Intelligence for Twenty-First-Century Irregular Warfare 2. Transforming from Hierarchy to Networks to Empower Armed Groups 3. Transforming Intelligence Collection for Irregular War 4. Transforming Intelligence Analysis for Irregular War 5. Transforming Covert Paramilitary Operations for Irregular War 6. Task Force 714 and the Sources of Transformation Epilogue: More Irregular War and the Challenge of Revisionist State Powers Notes Index About the Author

Read more less

Book SynopsisWhen Joint Special Operations Command deployed Task Force 714 to Iraq in 2003, it faced an adversary unlike any it had previously encountered: al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). AQI’s organization into multiple, independent networks and its application of Information Age technologies allowed it to wage war across a vast landscape. To meet this unique threat, TF 714 developed the intelligence capacity to operate inside those networks, and in the words of commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal, USA (Ret.) “claw the guts out of AQI.” In Transforming US Intelligence for Irregular War, Richard H. Shultz Jr. provides a broad discussion of the role of intelligence in combatting nonstate militants and revisits this moment of innovation during the Iraq War, showing how the defense and intelligence communities can adapt to new and evolving foes. Shultz tells the story of how TF 714 partnered with US intelligence agencies to dismantle AQI’s secret networks by eliminating many of its key leaders. He also reveals how TF 714 altered its methods and practices of intelligence collection, intelligence analysis, and covert paramilitary operations to suppress AQI’s growing insurgency and, ultimately, destroy its networked infrastructure. TF 714 remains an exemplar of successful organizational learning and adaptation in the midst of modern warfare. By examining its innovations, Shultz makes a compelling case for intelligence leading the way in future campaigns against nonstate armed groups.Trade ReviewIn Transforming U.S. Intelligence for Irregular War: Task Force 714 in Iraq, author Richard Shultz, a preeminent figure in the field of intelligence studies, covers the crucial transition from the Cold War, Industrial Age intelligence practices, to the modern information age intelligence community. * Proceedings *Table of ContentsList of Figures ForewordGen. Joseph L. Votel, USA (Ret.) Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction: War unlike Yesterday’s 1. Adapting Intelligence for Twenty-First-Century Irregular Warfare 2. Transforming from Hierarchy to Networks to Empower Armed Groups 3. Transforming Intelligence Collection for Irregular War 4. Transforming Intelligence Analysis for Irregular War 5. Transforming Covert Paramilitary Operations for Irregular War 6. Task Force 714 and the Sources of Transformation Epilogue: More Irregular War and the Challenge of Revisionist State Powers Notes Index About the Author

Read more less

Book SynopsisFirst published in 1949, 'Guerilla Days in Ireland' is an extraordinary story of the Irish War of Independence and the fight between two unequal forces, which ended in the withdrawal of the British from twenty-six counties. Seven weeks before the Truce of July 1921, the British presence in County Cork consisted of a total of over 12,500 men. Against these British forces stood the Irish Republican Army whose flying columns never exceeded 310 riflemen in the whole of the county. These flying columns were small groups of dedicated Volunteers, severely commanded and disciplined. Constantly on the move, their paramount objective was merely to exist, to strike when conditions were favourable and to avoid disaster at all costs. In 'Guerilla Days in Ireland' Tom Barry describes the setting up of the West Cork flying column, its training and the plan of campaign, which he implemented. In particular he gives his account of the Kilmichael ambush, one of the most controversial episodes of the War of Independence.Trade ReviewAdmired by Che Guevara, feared by the British Army, loved by the people he led. Tom Barry, legendary Commander of the West Cork Flying Column survived the War of Independence to tell his incredible story. Guerilla Days in Ireland is Barry's compelling first-hand account of the struggle for independence in County Cork, the Rebel County. Barry led a volunteer army in a victorious hide-and-seek campaign of Guerilla warfare matching wits against an enemy of overwhelming strength and power. "Seven weeks before the truce to the Anglo-Irish War of July, 1921, the British presence in County Cork consisted of 8,800 front line infantry troops, 1,150 Black & Tan soldiers, 540 Auxiliaries, 2,080 machine gun corps, artillery and other units -- a total of over 12,500 men. Against these British forces stood the Irish Republican Army whose "Flying Columns" never exceeded 310 riflemen in the whole of County Cork. Men, moreover, with "no experience of war. . . untrained in the use of arms. . . with no tactical training. . . practically unarmed. . . ". These "flying columns" were small groups of dedicated volunteers, severely commanded and disciplined. Constantly on the move, their paramount objective was merely to exist; to strike when conditions were favourable, to avoid a disaster at all costs. In Guerilla Days in Ireland: A Personal Account of the Anglo-Irish War, which has been one of the classics of the Anglo-Irish War since its first publication in 1949, Tom Barry describes the setting up of the West Cork Flying Column, its training, and its plan of campaign. Guerilla Days in Ireland is the extraordinary story of the fight between two unequal forces, which ended in the withdrawal of the British from twenty-six counties. In particular, it is the story of the West Cork Flying Column under Tom Barry, a commander of genius and a national hero."

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn the 1940s and 1950s Ernie O’Malley interviewed survivors of Ireland’s struggle for independence. These interviews, now being made available to the public for the first time, give a fascinating insight into the times and the people who fought. The West Cork interviews detail IRA intervention in Ulster, as well as giving prominence to the Cork No. 5 Brigade. Of eight interview subjects, five participated in the IRA’s invasion of Northern Ireland. The interviewees talk about the Republican rifle exchange with the National Army which occurred secretly in May 1922, as Free State rifles supplied by Britain were swapped with IRA rifles, which were then sent to arm the IRA in Ulster. They also document the gruesome torture of Brigade Commander Ted O’Sullivan.

Read more less

Book SynopsisHere is the remarkable story of the foreigners who volunteered to join the guerrilla war against Germans and Fascists in Second World War Italy. The fighters included Britons, Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, South Africans, Americans, Russians, Poles and Yugoslavs. Most were escaped prisoners of war who fled their camps after the Italian armistice and surrender in September 1943. From the summer of 1944 the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) and American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) built on information from their compatriots in enemy territory to send in agents to help arm and train the partisans and to coordinate airdrops. Against the backdrop of twenty months of savage warfare on the mainland, this is the full story of the Allied servicemen who took part in the Italian Resistance, which became one of the greatest insurgent movements in Western Europe. Partisan forces hit enemy communications, tied down seven German divisions and provided tactical support for the Allied armies. 'Among the Italian Partisans' is a celebration of brave men and great events.

Read more less