Improving the U.S. Military's Adaptability Against the Salafist-jihadi Threat
Abstract
This qualitative research case study attempted to address "How can the U.S. military degrade individual Salafist-jihadi groups without giving energy to the global Salafist-jihadi movement?" The secondary questions were: what gaps exist between the U.S. military's CT strategy and doctrine and the most current research and information, and why is the Salafist-jihadi movement gaining strength? To answer these questions, the study examined current U.S. military doctrine and strategies relating to combating the Salafist-jihadi threat and compared those documents to the most current academic research. After a comparison was made, the differences between the two were used to identify gaps between what the U.S. military believes, and what is actually true based on the research. The findings concluded that the U.S. military lacks a shared understanding of what terrorism is, how it differs at each level of war, what the center of gravity is, and how to counter it. Until a shared understanding is achieved, the U.S. military will continue to be slow to innovate and adapt against this particular threat.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 12, 2015
- Accession Number
- ADA623963
Entities
People
- Talon C. Young
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College