Tuesday, July 05, 2005
SYSTEM ADMINISTRATION IS THE PARACIVILIAN COUNTER TO 4GW[Updated]
William Lind, one of the founders of 4GW theory, explains who is getting it right in Iraq and why:
"Just as having soldiers who want to fight is important in Second and Third Generation war, so not wanting to fight is key to success in the Fourth Generation. Any fight, whether won or lost, ultimately works against an outside power that is trying to damp down a Fourth Generation conflict. Fighting ramps up disorder, and Fourth Generation entities thrive on disorder. Disorder undermines the local government’s legitimacy, because disorder proves that government cannot provide security. Fighting usually means that locals get killed, and when that happens, the relatives and friends of the casualties are then obliged to join the fight to get revenge. Violence escalates, when success requires de-escalation.
Again, cops know all this. Here we see another lesson for 4GW: Reserve and National Guard units are more valuable than regular troops. Why? Because they contain a lot of cops. Lt. Waters is not the only cop who has succeeded in Iraq. Other Guard and Reserve units have let their cops take the lead, working the same way they do back home to de-escalate violence and bring security. Like Lt. Waters, they have achieved some local successes"
Sys Admin troops are not like Leviathan soldiers - they are interactive, constabulary, constructive, pro-active, networking, defensive and integrative. They " re-wire" broken societies through connectivity, often as basic as potable water and rudimentary medical care.
Also at Defense and the National Interest is a paper by USMC Captain Robert Kozlowski entitled " Leadership for the Fourth Generation: Preparing to Outhink Our New Enemy" . The paper is short, just nine pages an is extremely timely, covering the need to revolutionize officer training to create an officer corps that is cognitively directed to adapt in real time to shifting circumstances.
Highly recommended.
UPDATE: The Armchair Generalist has more on innovative thinking from the Marine Corps ¶ 8:55 PM
William Lind, one of the founders of 4GW theory, explains who is getting it right in Iraq and why:
"Just as having soldiers who want to fight is important in Second and Third Generation war, so not wanting to fight is key to success in the Fourth Generation. Any fight, whether won or lost, ultimately works against an outside power that is trying to damp down a Fourth Generation conflict. Fighting ramps up disorder, and Fourth Generation entities thrive on disorder. Disorder undermines the local government’s legitimacy, because disorder proves that government cannot provide security. Fighting usually means that locals get killed, and when that happens, the relatives and friends of the casualties are then obliged to join the fight to get revenge. Violence escalates, when success requires de-escalation.
Again, cops know all this. Here we see another lesson for 4GW: Reserve and National Guard units are more valuable than regular troops. Why? Because they contain a lot of cops. Lt. Waters is not the only cop who has succeeded in Iraq. Other Guard and Reserve units have let their cops take the lead, working the same way they do back home to de-escalate violence and bring security. Like Lt. Waters, they have achieved some local successes"
Sys Admin troops are not like Leviathan soldiers - they are interactive, constabulary, constructive, pro-active, networking, defensive and integrative. They " re-wire" broken societies through connectivity, often as basic as potable water and rudimentary medical care.
Also at Defense and the National Interest is a paper by USMC Captain Robert Kozlowski entitled " Leadership for the Fourth Generation: Preparing to Outhink Our New Enemy" . The paper is short, just nine pages an is extremely timely, covering the need to revolutionize officer training to create an officer corps that is cognitively directed to adapt in real time to shifting circumstances.
Highly recommended.
UPDATE: The Armchair Generalist has more on innovative thinking from the Marine Corps ¶ 8:55 PM
