June 3, 2014
On the one hand I am heartened to read a former Armor officer calling for Foreign Internal Defense. Had this logic been applied years ago we might never had to kill so many trees developing the nearly redundant mission of Security Force Assistance.
The model that American policy makers should look to for appropriate engagement of foreign governments in conflict zones is the Foreign Internal Defense and irregular warfare conducted by American special operations forces. The ability to gain the trust of local leaders, build their capability and capacity, and provide them with the tools to govern their own spaces with a modicum of justice is the hallmark of American Special Forces. Unfortunately, SOF operates on a limited scope and scale. And American policymakers too often assume that once American conventional forces are deployed en masse, the arrival Jeffersonian democracy is simply a matter of time. Rather, it requires living day-to-day under conditions of significant hardship to forge relationships of trust in order to influence the governance and development models of war-torn nations. This is the kind of mission small unit leaders from Afghanistan and Iraq are well-suited to carry out.
On the other hand I am discouraged in the belief that any US military force, SOF or conventional forces, can bring Jeffersonian democracy to another country. This is our fundamental problem in that we think we can impose our way of life or values or system of government on another country. If we truly understand our ideals we would realize that a fundamental American value is respect for self determination of government and we should support that rather than trying to create another country in our image. This is why the FID mission is a good model: US government (military and civilian) provide advice and assistance to friends, partners, or allies in support of their internal defense and development programs so they can defend themselves against lawlessness, subversion, insurgency, and terrorism. We have to cease believing that we can build nations and instead provide support (perhaps stability operations which is one of the five activities of US irregular warfare operations in accordance with DODI 3000.07) to allow indigenous people to build their own nation.
But I do like the Elvis Presley theory of foreign policy:
As former Army Sergeant Elvis Presley once said: “We’re caught in a trap. I can’t walk out, because I love you too much baby.” Strategic thinkers and tactical implementers need each other in order to successfully address thorny American foreign policy issues with feasible recommendations from a holistic perspective.
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