An Un-American Way of War: Why the United States Fails at Irregular Warfare
Andrew Milburn and Shawna Sinnott | 08.23.21
The United States and other nations have spent billions of dollars and invested untold effort, not to mention lives, in a global campaign against Islamist terrorism—and yet the threat landscape is arguably worse now than it was on 9/11.
Despite the importance for national security of understanding how to wage irregular warfare effectively, something in the American way of war, the fundamental culture of the US military, prevents us from doing so. Our guests discuss the question of what needs to be done to reverse this trend and thus ensure that the United States can recover from the mistakes of the past, restore its credibility, and return to its place of prominence on the global stage.
William Wechsler is director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council. His most recent government position was deputy assistant secretary of defense for special operations and combating terrorism, a role in which he advised several secretaries and helped coordinate interagency policies on a wide range of direct and indirect actions. Previously, Wechsler served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for counternarcotics and global threats, overseeing military and civilian programs around the globe. His key areas of focus included integrating law enforcement operations into our military campaigns in Afghanistan and institutionalizing military counter–threat finance structures and doctrine.
Dr. Liam Collins is the executive director of the Viola Foundation, the executive director of the Madison Policy Forum, a senior fellow with New America, and a permanent member with the Council on Foreign Relations.
https://mwi.usma.edu/an-un-american-way-of-war-why-the-united-states-fails-at-irregular-warfare/
