The Civil Side of Irregular Warfare

Abstract

This monograph explores the role of civil affairs or civic action in irregular warfare by posing the question: can civil affairs operations be utilized as an offensive capability in irregular warfare? The purpose of this research is to contribute further understanding and clarification of the irregular warfare concept. The case studies chosen were HAMAS, Hezbollah, and CORDS which offer multiple perspectives from which to pose the research question. The monograph explores the timing and relationship between civil activities, such as governance and social services, and lethal operations. The research demonstrates that civic action could precede doctrine's current description of the onset of irregular warfare. This conclusion implies a potential reframing of Irregular Warfare in U.S. doctrine, the development of additional tools to enhance understanding of the operational environment, and the need for a theory and refined definition of civil affairs.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 22, 2014
Accession Number
ADA612251

Entities

People

  • Justin L. Ticknor

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • C4I
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Asymmetric Warfare
  • Case Studies
  • Civic Action
  • Civil Affairs
  • Civil War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Doctrine
  • Governments
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Unconventional Warfare
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Library and Information Science/ Studies, Southeast Asia Studies, Bibliography of Vietnam and Lao Studies.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design