Joint Unconventional Warfare
Encyclopedia
Joint unconventional warfare is the inter-agency, or international implementation of a unconventional warfare strategy, comprising elements of asymmetric warfare
, irregular warfare
, urban warfare
and various forms of psychological operations deployed by non-traditional means.
Joint unconventional warfare would fall under the COIN
theory of military operations, generally used in Counter-insurgency
operations. The form of military activity has come very much into popular usage under the aegis of General David Petraeus
and the former General General Stanley McCrystal
.
The U.S. Army field manual describes unconventional warfare as “intent of United States unconventional warfare operations is to exploit a hostile power’s political, military, economic, and psychological vulnerability by developing and
sustaining resistance forces to accomplish U.S. strategic objectives.”
was a secret directive signed by General David Petraeus
on 30 September 2009, which provided U.S. military and intelligence forces unprecedented powers to conduct operations on the sole mandate of operational military commandants. The JUWTF was reported by the New York Times on 25 May 2010, and was part of a wide-scale program providing unlimited powers to the U.S. military and intelligence community called Project Avodcado, this being a program authorized by President Barack Obama during summer 2009, on the advisory of former General General Stanley McCrystal
.
Asymmetric warfare
Asymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....
, irregular warfare
Irregular warfare
Irregular warfare is warfare in which one or more combatants are irregular military rather than regular forces. Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare, and so is asymmetric warfare....
, urban warfare
Urban warfare
Urban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
and various forms of psychological operations deployed by non-traditional means.
Joint unconventional warfare would fall under the COIN
COIN
COIN can refer to:* Climate Outreach and Information Network*Collaborative Innovation Networks*Counterinsurgency*Coin...
theory of military operations, generally used in Counter-insurgency
Counter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
operations. The form of military activity has come very much into popular usage under the aegis of General David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
and the former General General Stanley McCrystal
Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan...
.
Definitions
The U.S. Naval definition of unconventional warfare comprises: "military and paramilitary operations, predominantly conducted through, with, or by indigenous or surrogate forces organized, trained, equipped, supported, and directed in varying degrees by an external source. Unconventional warfare includes, but is not limited to, guerrilla warfare, sabotage, subversion, intelligence activities, and unconventional assisted recovery".The U.S. Army field manual describes unconventional warfare as “intent of United States unconventional warfare operations is to exploit a hostile power’s political, military, economic, and psychological vulnerability by developing and
sustaining resistance forces to accomplish U.S. strategic objectives.”
Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order
The Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute OrderJoint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order
The Joint Unconventional Warfare Task Force Execute Order is a secret U.S. Defense Department Directive, signed Sept. 30, 2009 by General David Petraeus, which authorized the sending of American Special Operations troops to both friendly and hostile nations to gather intelligence and build ties...
was a secret directive signed by General David Petraeus
David Petraeus
David Howell Petraeus is the current Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, sworn in on September 6, 2011. Prior to his assuming the directorship of the CIA, Petraeus was a four-star general serving over 37 years in the United States Army. His last assignments in the Army were as commander...
on 30 September 2009, which provided U.S. military and intelligence forces unprecedented powers to conduct operations on the sole mandate of operational military commandants. The JUWTF was reported by the New York Times on 25 May 2010, and was part of a wide-scale program providing unlimited powers to the U.S. military and intelligence community called Project Avodcado, this being a program authorized by President Barack Obama during summer 2009, on the advisory of former General General Stanley McCrystal
Stanley A. McChrystal
Stanley Allen McChrystal is a retired four-star general in the United States Army. His last assignment was as Commander, International Security Assistance Force and Commander, U.S. Forces Afghanistan...
.
See also
- Project AvocadoProject AvocadoProject Avocado is a standing Presidential authorization which allows U.S. military combatant commanders to assemble task forces for almost any purpose, drawing resources from any military unit. President Obama authorized Project Avocado in the summer of 2009, with a view towards widening U.S...
- COINCOINCOIN can refer to:* Climate Outreach and Information Network*Collaborative Innovation Networks*Counterinsurgency*Coin...
- Foreign internal defenseForeign internal defenseForeign internal defense is a term used by a number of Western militaries, including the United States, France and the United Kingdom, to describe an approach to combating actual or threatened insurgency in a foreign state called the Host Nation . The term counter-insurgency is more commonly used...
- asymmetric warfareAsymmetric warfareAsymmetric warfare is war between belligerents whose relative military power differs significantly, or whose strategy or tactics differ significantly....
- irregular warfareIrregular warfareIrregular warfare is warfare in which one or more combatants are irregular military rather than regular forces. Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare, and so is asymmetric warfare....
- urban warfareUrban warfareUrban warfare is combat conducted in urban areas such as towns and cities. Urban combat is very different from combat in the open at both the operational and tactical level...
- psychological operations
Publications
- Army Special Operations Forces and Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) Integration: Something a Joint Task Force Commander Should Consider, MAJ Kevin T Henderson, United States Army, School of Advanced Military Studies, United States Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.