October 2, 2018
America's Military Is Losing Its Counterinsurgency Operations Capabilities
by Adam Wunische Follow @AdamWunische on Twitter L
Ever wonder why or how the U.S. military forgets how to do counterinsurgency and stability operations? We are witnessing the process happen in real time.
There is a common pattern within military organizations, especially the U.S. military. They train for conventional operations against near-peer adversaries but are asked to engage in counterinsurgency (COIN) and stability operations instead. American soldiers spend significant amounts in blood and treasure learning how to conduct those operations, and then forget those lessons as soon as the conflict winds down. A common example is the U.S. “discovery†of COIN doctrine during the War on Terror. The U.S. military’s “new†doctrine on COIN (FM 3-24) was lauded as a revolutionary moment. With the “new†doctrine in hand, the U.S. military could now effectively win its unconventional wars. However, comparison reveals the new COIN doctrine is strikingly similar to that developed during the Vietnam War. Why does the U.S. Military forget how to conduct the types of conflict it is more often engaged in?
https://nationalinterest.org/feature/americas-military-losing-its-counterinsurgency-operations-capabilities-32462
