- Green Zone Follies
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- BAGHDAD -- "Yesterday,
one of my good friends from another office was telling me they were going
to start issuing armored vests to us office types because of the growing
danger from mortars. We are being shelled daily and, like everything else,
casualties are way underreported . But more important than the flak vests
was a file he had copied out and which he gave to me to smuggle out
of the country. As I have said, we have strict censorship here on all incoming
and outgoing snail mail, email, phone calls and so on. This report is so
serious I am making a précis of it and am even now sending it
around to various news outlets, both Stateside and elsewhere. I have my
sources and believe me, the CIC people here are so stupid they couldn't
pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the bottom.
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- It states that because of "growing popular unrest
in the United States, caused by the prolonged war in Iraq .coupled with
obvious Congressional inaction," the U.S. military has drawn up
plans for combating domestic U.S. civil insurrections. This is not a theoretical
study but a very specific one. Units to be used domestically are listed
in detail as are detention centers, etc.
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- As a result of this, plans are now in train to segregate,
retrain and reequip certain anti-insurgent U.S. military units now serving
in Iraq and to prepare them for quick transfer back to the United States
for use "as needed" The Pentagon command believes
that such civil insurrections are not only a possibility but a very real
probability in the event that the President and his advisors maintain their
present course vis a vis the Iraqi war.
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- It is interesting to note that "foreign intelligence
representatives, now active in the United States" (read Mossad) are
to be subject to "arrest, confinement and eventual deportation to
their country of origin."
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- The report and several attached ones, run to almost 900
pages and cannot be put up in their current form. However, I will list
some of the more important data here:
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- Classification: Top Secret-Noforn as of 1 June 2007
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- Distribution Restriction: Distribution authorized to
the DOD and DOD contractors only to maintain operations security. This
determination was made on 1 June 2007. Other requests for this document
must be referred to (redacted)
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- Destruction Notice: Destroy by any method that will prevent
disclosure of contents or reconstruction of the document. .
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- This publication uses the term insurgent to describe
those taking part in any activity designed to undermine or to overthrow
the established authorities
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- Counterinsurgency is those military, paramilitary, political,
economic, psychological, and civicactions taken by a government to defeat
insurgency (JP 1-02). It is an offensive approach involving all elements
of national power; it can take place across the range of operations and
spectrum of conflict
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- In dealing with the local populace, the primary aims
must be to:
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- ·Protect the population.
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- ·Establish local political institutions.
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- ·Reinforce local governments.
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- ·Eliminate insurgent capabilities.
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- ·Exploit information from local sources.
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- An insurgency is organized movement aimed at the overthrow
of a constituted government through use of subversion and armed conflict
(JP 1-02). It is a protracted politico-military struggle designed to weaken
government control and legitimacy while increasing insurgent control. Political
power is the central issue in an insurgency.
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- An insurgent organization normally consists of four elements:
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- Leadership.
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- Combatants (main forces, regional forces, local forces).
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- Cadre (local political leaders that are also called the
militants).
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- Mass base (the bulk of the membership).
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-
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- A perceived serious potential of dissident American groups
rising up against constituted authority has been clearly identified by
counter-intelligence agencies.. The stated cause for such an uprising
appear to be growing dissatisfaction with the course and conduct of the
war in Iraq, the chronic inability of Congress to deal with various pressing
issues and the perception of widespread corruption and indifference to
public needs.
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- The support of the people, passive or active then, is
the center of gravity. It must be gained in whatever proportion is necessary
to sustain the insurgent movement (or, contrariwise, to defeat it). As
in any political campaign, all levels of support are relative.
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- Insurgent movements begin as "fire in the minds
of men." Insurgent leaders commit themselves to building a new world.
They construct the organization to carry through this desire. Generally,
popular grievances become insurgent causes when interpreted and shaped
by the insurgent leadership. The insurgency grows if the cadre that is
local insurgent leaders and representatives can establish a link between
the insurgent movement and the desire for solutions to grievances sought
by the local population
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- Insurgent leaders will exploit opportunities created
by government security force actions. The behavior of security forces is
critical. Lack of security force discipline leads to alienation, and security
force abuse of the populace is a very effective insurgent recruiting tool.
Consequently, specific insurgent tactical actions are often planned to
frequently elicit overreaction from security force individuals and units.
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- Insurgencies are dynamic political movements, resulting
from real or perceived grievance or neglect that leads to alienation from
an established government.
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- A successful counterinsurgency will result in the neutralization
by the state of the insurgency and its effort to form a counterstate. While
many abortive insurgencies are defeated by military and police actions
alone, if an insurgency has tapped into serious grievances and has mobilized
a significant portion of the population, simply returning to the status
quo may not be an option. Reform may be necessary, but reform is a matter
for the state, using all of its human and material resources. Security
forces are only one such resource. The response must be multifaceted and
coordinated, yet states typically charge their security forces with "waging
counterinsurgency." This the security forces cannot do alone.
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- These imperatives are-
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- · Facilitate establishment
or reestablishment of a 'legitimate government'.
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- · Counterinsurgency requires
perseverance.
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- · Foster popular support for
the incumbent US government.
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- · Prepare to perform functions
and conduct operations that are outside normal scope of training.
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- · Coordinate with US governmental
departments and agencies, and with vital non-governmental, agencies.
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- Urban operations.
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- · Protection of government
facilities.
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- · Protection of infrastructure.
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- · Protection of commercial
enterprises vital to the HN economy.
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- · Protection of cultural facilities.
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- · Prevention of looting.
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- · Military police functions.
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- · Close interaction with civilians.
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- · Assistance with reconstruction
projects.
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- · Securing the national borders.
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- · Training or retraining a
national military police and security force.
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- Establishing and maintaining local government credibility.
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- · Contributing local government
is both tangible and psychological. Local security forces must reinforce
and be integrated into the plan at every stage.
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- · Facilitate and use information
and intelligence obtained from local sources to gain access to the insurgent's
economic and social base of support, order of battle, tactics, techniques,
and procedures.
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- Army forces help local pro-government police, paramilitary,
and military forces perform counterinsurgency, area security, or local
security operations. They advise and assist in finding, dispersing, capturing,
and destroying the insurgent force.
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- US forces may conduct offensive operations to disrupt
and destroy insurgent combat formations. These operations prevent the insurgents
from attacking government-controlled areas.
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- There are many organizations and extensive resources
available to aid counterinsurgent forces.
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- Commanders should not overlook the aid these organizations
may provide. All forces assigned an AO or function should determine which
departments and agencies are assisting in that AO and coordinate actions
so that there is no duplication of effort. Such departments,
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- councils and agencies include-
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- · National Security Council.
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- · Department of Defense.
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- · Department of State.
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- · Department of Justice.
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- · Department of the Treasury.
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- · Department of Homeland Security.
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- · Department of Agriculture.
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- · Department of Commerce.
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- · Central Intelligence Agency.
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- · Department of Transportation
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- Various governmental departments directly administer
or support other governmental agencies. Examples of these US agencies are-
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- · The US Coast Guard (under
Department of Homeland Security).
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- · The Federal Bureau of Investigation
(under Department of Justice).
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- · Immigration Customs Enforcement
(under Department of Homeland Security).
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- · Federal Communications Commission
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- . The proper application of force is a critical component
to any successful counterinsurgency operation. In a counterinsurgency,
the center of gravity is public support. In order to defeat an insurgent
force, US forces must be able to separate insurgents from the population.
At the same time, US forces must conduct themselves in a manner that enables
them to maintain popular domestic support. Excessive or indiscriminant
use of force is likely to alienate the local populace, thereby increasing
support for insurgent forces. Insufficient use of force results in increased
risks to US forces and perceived weaknesses that can jeopardize the mission
by emboldening insurgents and undermining domestic popular support. Achieving
the appropriate balance requires a thorough understanding of the nature
and causes of the insurgency, the end state, and the military's role in
a counterinsurgency operation. Nevertheless, US forces always retain the
right to use necessary and proportional force for individual and unit self-defense
in response to a hostile act or demonstrated hostile intent.
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- The media, print and broadcast (radio, television and
the Internet), play a vital role in societies involved in a counterinsurgency.
Members of the media have a significant influence and shaping impact on
political direction, national security objectives, and policy and national
will. The media is a factor in military operations. It is their right and
obligation to report to their respective audiences on the use of military
force. They demand logistic support and access to military operations while
refusing to be controlled. Their desire for immediate footage and on-the-spot
coverage of events, and the increasing contact with units and Soldiers
(for example, with embedded reporters) require commanders and public affairs
officers to provide guidance to leaders and Soldiers on media relations.
However, military planners must provide and enforce ground rules to the
media to ensure operations security. Public affairs offices plan for daily
briefings and a special briefing after each significant event because the
media affect and influence each potential target audience external and
internal to the AO. Speaking with the media in a forward-deployed area
is an opportunity to explain what our organizations and efforts have accomplished.
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- Continuous PSYOP are mounted to-
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- · Counter the effects of insurgent
propaganda.
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- · Relate controls to the security
and well-being of the population.
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- · Portray a favorable governmental
image.
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- .Control measures must-
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- · Be authorized by national
laws and regulations (counterparts should be trained not to improvise unauthorized
measures).
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- · Be tailored to fit the situation
(apply the minimum force required to achieve the de-sired result).
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- · Be supported by effective
local intelligence.
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- · Be instituted in as wide
an area as possible to prevent bypass or evasion.
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- · Be supported by good communications.
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- · Be enforceable.
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- · Be lifted as the need diminishes.
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- · Be compatible, where possible,
with local customs and traditions.
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- · Establish and maintain credibility
of local government.
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- A control program may be developed in five phases:
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- · Securing and defending the
area internally and externally.
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- · Organizing for law enforcement.
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- · Executing cordon and search
operations.
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- · Screening and documenting
the population (performing a detailed census).
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- · Performing public administration,
to include resource control.
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- Support to the judiciary may be limited to providing
security to the existing courts or may lead to more comprehensive actions
to build local, regional, and national courts and the required support
apparatus. To avoid overcrowding in police jails, the courts must have
an efficient and timely magistrate capability, ideally co-located with
police stations and police jails, to review cases for trial.
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- Cordon and search is a technique used by military and
police forces in both urban and rural environments. It is frequently used
by counterinsurgency forces conducting a population and resource
control mission against small centers of population or subdivisions of
a larger community. To be effective, cordon and search operations must
have sufficient forces to effectively cordon off and thoroughly search
target areas, to include subsurface areas.
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- PSYOP, civil affairs, and specialist interrogation teams
should augment cordon and search orces to increase the effectiveness of
operations. Consider the following when conducting cordon and search operations:
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- Cordon and search operations may be conducted as follows:
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- Disposition of troops should-
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- · Facilitate visual contact
between posts within the cordon.
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- · Provide for adequate patrolling
and immediate deployment of an effective re-serve force.
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- Priority should be given to-
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- · Sealing the administrative
center of the community.
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- · Occupying all critical facilities.
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- · Detaining personnel in place.
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- · Preserving and securing all
records, files, and other archives.
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- Key facilities include-
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- · Administrative buildings.
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- · Police stations.
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- · News media facilities.
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- · Post offices.
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- · Communications centers.
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- · Transportation offices and
motor pools.
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- · Prisons and other places
of detention.
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- · Schools.
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- · Medical facilities.
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- Search Techniques include-
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- · Search teams of squad size
organized in assault, support, and security elements.
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- One target is assigned per team.
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- · Room searches are conducted
by two-person teams.
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- · Room search teams are armed
with pistols, assault weapons, and automatic weapons.
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- · Providing security for search
teams screening operations and facilities.
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