by

What is an Insurgency?

Introduction An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare against a larger authority. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well-equipped, regular military force state adversary. Due to this asymmetry, insurgents avoid large-scale direct battles, opting instead to… Read More

by

An Overview of the Strategy and Tactics of Guerrilla Warfare

Introduction The main strategy and tactics of guerrilla warfare tend to involve the use of a small attacking, mobile force against a large, unwieldy force. The guerrilla force is largely or entirely organised in small units that are dependent on the support of the local population. Tactically, the guerrilla army makes the repetitive attacks far… Read More

by

An Overview of Foreign Internal Defence

Commando Training, Jungle Warfare, Belize (1)

Introduction Foreign internal defence (FID) is a term used by militaries in several countries, including the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, to describe an integrated, and possibly multi-country, approach to combating actual or threatened insurgency in a foreign state. This foreign state is known as the Host Nation (HN) under US (and generally… Read More

by

An Overview of the Indian Army’s Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School

Commando Training, Jungle Warfare, Belize (1)

Introduction The Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School (CIJWS) in Vairengte, Mizoram, India is a training and research establishment of the Indian Army specialising in unconventional warfare, especially counter-insurgency and guerrilla warfare. CIJWS is one of the premier counter-insurgency training institutions in the world. The school’s motto is to “fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla”. Brief… Read More

by

A Brief Overview of Insurgency

Introduction An insurgency is a violent, armed rebellion against authority waged by small, lightly armed bands who practice guerrilla warfare from primarily rural base areas. The key descriptive feature of insurgency is its asymmetric nature: small irregular forces face a large, well-equipped, regular military force state adversary. Due to this asymmetry, insurgents avoid large-scale direct… Read More

by

What are Civil-Military Operations?

Introduction Civil-military operations (CMO) are activities of a military force to minimise civil interference on and maximise civil support for military operations. Outline CMO is conducted in conjunction with combat operations during wartime and becomes a central part of a military campaign in counter-insurgencies. Some militaries have specialised units dedicated to conduct CMO, such as… Read More

by

Linking the US Military, Psychopharmaceuticals & Global Counterinsurgency

Research Paper Title Pharmaceutical Creep: U.S. Military Power and the Global and Transnational Mobility of Psychopharmaceuticals. Abstract In 2006, the United States Department of Defence developed for the first time official criteria for the use of psychopharmaceuticals “in theatre” – in the physical and tactical spaces of military operations including active combat. Based on fieldwork… Read More