Resettlement, Regroupment, Reconcentration: Deliberate Government- Directed Population Relocation in Support of Counter-Insurgency Operations
Abstract
This study identifies a gap in current (1992) U.S. Army doctrine regarding compulsory population relocation as a counter-insurgency measure, and suggests a format for its consideration and inclusion in internal conflict. To determine the viability of government-directed population resettlement, nine twentieth-century case studies are analyzed and compared: the Boer War, Philippine Insurgency; Greek Civil War, Hukbalahap Rebellion, Malayan Emergency; Kenyan Emergency; Algerian Insurrection; Second Indochina War (the Diem Years); and Portuguese Colonial Wars in Africa. This study determines that properly conducted population resettlement has proven effective in combatting insurgents, and may be critical to success in future guerrilla wars. Any such project requires careful planning throughout Assessment, Decision, Execution, and Recovery stages. This study conclude that U.S. military personnel advising an allied nation fighting an insurgency must consider population resettlement as a possible element of a unified and integrated national counter-insurgency plan.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA255055
Entities
People
- Kalev I. Sepp
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College