by David Nuttle

Created on: August 06, 2008

The U.S. urgently needs to dicover an effective method for resolving the terrorism problem, and defeating the terrorists. To date our counterterror tactics have often failed, and major terrorist organizations (like al-Qaeda) continue to grow in strength, worldwide. Although the U.S. has scored some victories over terrorist groups, and captured or killed some terrorists, an overall successful solution has yet to be forthcoming.

There are some lessons to be learned from conventional military forces that might be applied to dealing with the irregular tactics of terrorists. Historical evidence shows that Mongol forces were very successful because they generally had tactical and operational superiority. The Macedonians had great military success under the exceptional leadership of Alexander the Great. Napoleon led his armies to victory using innovative operational concepts founded on good intelligence regarding enemy forces. The Romans had a robust tactical doctrine and strong domestic institutions. In every case, the leaders of these military forces were able to make one tactical improvement after another so that opponents in any conflict could not develop effective counter-capabilities against known tactics.

With few exceptions, U.S. military commanders are trained and prepared to use standard or conventional tactics as a means to achieve military victory. President John F. Kennedy knew that irregular or unconventional tactics would be demanded to defeat terrorist and insurgent forces being trained by communist powers starting in the late 1950s. As a result, President Kennedy ordered the creation of U.S. Army Special Forces, and expansion of CIA's Special Operations Division. During the period 1961-62, these special operations forces had great success in defeating communist Viet Cong terrorists in Vietnam. This success was soon ended when South Vietnam's President, Ngo Dinh Diem, ordered that these most successful irregular operations be ended.

President Diem feared that irregular counterterror programs acted to strengthen local Vietnamese and minority populations, most of whom really hated Diem for his corruption. At this point in time, Diem asked that U.S. military forces be used to save his country from communist attack. U.S. policy makers agreed to do so, and the politically limited/controlled, conventional military tactics used produced the failed result known to all. The irregular counterterror tactics proven successful, in 1961-62, should have been used and

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