Surrogate Armies: Redefining the Ground Force
Abstract
The current international environment finds the U.S. increasingly embroiled in conflicts that are rooted in deep-seeded ethnic and religious differences or that apply to our lesser national interests. Surrogate armies are a means to extend our war fighting ability into these untenable theaters or into dimensions that we may be otherwise reticent (for military, diplomatic, or political reasons) to delve. The U.S. armed forces must embrace surrogates as an extension of foreign policy that extends beyond the doctrine of our joint and special operations forces. For the purposes of this paper, a surrogate army refers to a military arm that is integrated into the joint force requirements, but not specifically a part of the joint force. It is a departure from traditional coalition forces in which a foreign army augments our deployed ground force. In this context, a surrogate army becomes the ground force of choice, filling the gap for a critical component of our military power that the National Command Authority has opted to leave behind. Recent operations in Kosovo and Afghanistan highlight the evolution of surrogate armies into a new paradigm and demonstrate the effectiveness of the symbiotic relationship between a surrogate army and her sponsor. Their employment is not, however, without challenges. The joint force commander must identify an appropriate surrogate force with both the capability and the will to fight. This force should be legitimate in the eyes of the indigenous population, but it is quite possible that the U.S. will become involved with a surrogate army that consists of unsavory characters, are lousy fighters, or have divergent objectives (or a combination thereof). To help mitigate these pitfalls, the operational commander must be able to steer our surrogate using a combination of diplomacy, military advisors, and leverage (be it positive
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 04, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA401122
Entities
People
- Brian L. Thompson
Organizations
- Naval War College