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Contractors Taking Over in Afghanistan: The Story That Refuses to Die

Opinion – The administration of President Trump, when not engaging in a 7th grade Twitter War with King Jong Un from North Korea, has invested long-term in Afghanistan. Right or wrong isn’t the topic here but the manner in which the United States decides to prosecute the war.

A couple of the President’s advisers, including his son-in-law, wanted the President to listen to Erik Prince, the former owner of Blackwater whose idea was to turn the war over to contractors. Prince’s plan was to keep a small force of American Special Operations and support troops (around 2,000) and a force of 6,000 contractors. He claims that this will allow the support of the Afghans and allow all of the conventional U.S. troops to go home.

Prince calls for the use of Special Operations veterans to live, train and operate alongside their Afghan counterparts at the company and battalion level, much like they are used now. He calls for supplemental Afghan air power, with Afghan markings to fly with Afghan pilots and only a contractor (safety officer) on board. All contractors would be subject to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice, as American troops are now.

Prince’s idea is to combine all of the US efforts under an “American Viceroy” and base the private army directly under the Viceroy’s control. He previously used the example of Douglas MacArthur in Japan. He also characterized it along the lines of the East India Company, however, as being under Afghan command and control and following Afghan rules of engagement. One can’t fault Prince with his faith in his idea and in his contractors. After all, they’ve made him millions of dollars in both Iraq and Africa and this proposal, had it come to fruition would have made him even more. But would it work? Most of the President’s advisors wisely thought no.

The faction of the Trump White House behind this plan got Prince an audience with Secretary of Defense Mattis where he pitched his idea. Reports said, Mattis listened politely and then ended the meeting without asking any questions. That pretty much sums up how they felt about his plan.

The turning over the war or outsourcing to private contractors is fraught with several problems. The first is how can the US influence the conduct of the war when the Viceroy doesn’t answer to the Congress or the Pentagon but only to the President himself? And to a lesser degree, is the company beholden to the United States? What if problems arise (as they are bound to do), and a third-party government offers to “take over” the contract. As far-fetched as this sounds it could conceivably happen and then what?

Second, the Afghans have stated clearly that they do not want a “Viceroy” by this or any other name on their turf. And if they’re clearly not going to support this idea, then it would be ultimately doomed to failure.

Certain parts of his plan have merit, although they merely echo what US Special Operations forces have been trying to do there for several years. The deep embed of the local contractor/troops with the local military/security forces and the ability to create long-term expertise in the operational area. These are things that our SOF try to do but are limited by tour lengths in-country.

Another problem is that by basing the contractors with local security forces and using local private language and support patrons will give the rise to local warlords, not decrease their existence. The private contractor actually degrades the integration between military and political goals, which is a must in a counterinsurgency. This was a problem that the East India Company ran into in India. And despite their private army fielded in India, the country was only pacified due to massive influxes of regular British military troops.

A further issue is over liability. Prince claims that the contractors will fall under the UCMJ. Of whose military? The US or Afghanistan? Contractors must be liable for their actions, no different than US troops are now. And the Afghans would have to agree to whatever policy is put into effect. And if Prince were to hire contractors from a myriad of countries, who is the authority that the company employees must answer to?

Prince’s Blackwater troops were involved in one of the worst diplomatic disasters for the US in Iraq when they killed 17 civilians and wounded about 20 more in Baghdad. Several of the contractors were tried and convicted of manslaughter. A fourth was convicted of murder. An appeals court threw out the sentences and rest assured, the Afghans are watching the developments of that closely.

And as a footnote to whom Prince plans to hire, he claimed that only ex-Special Operations veterans would be hired. However, none of the four contractors that were convicted as Blackwater operatives were Special Operations veterans. And most only served an initial tour of duty in the military. So, who is going to vet these contractors? The vetting would have to be done to find the right people and Prince’s prior job of doing that fell far short.

And by using MacArthur and the East India Company has its own questions. The history books I grew up with said the MacArthur was fired by President Truman for abusing those viceroy powers. And here in Boston, the East India Company isn’t fondly remembered. The company with its monopoly on tea being brought into Britain tried to gouge the colonists in America by putting a large tax on the tea being brought to the Colonies and deigned to sell a shipload of tea that had already begun to mildew and go bad to the people of Boston. The result was the Boston Tea Party, which lit a powder keg that began the American Revolution.

Thankfully the President’s other advisers have convinced him that Prince’s way wasn’t the way to go and in the long run, the cost, which would’ve been less under Prince’s plan would have been too steep for the US to absorb.

But something tells me that we still haven’t seen the last of this proposal. War is always an opportunity for some people to make large sums of money and this one has had people coming out of the woodwork. One security contractor, New Century Consulting racked up costs that included the luxury vehicles, $42,000 for automatic weapons and salaries of $420,000 to the significant others of the company CEO and CFO as executive assistants. Why did contractors in Afghanistan require Bentleys, Porsches, Alfa Romeos and an Aston Martin (perhaps 007?) to fulfill their contract?

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Colombian Rebel Group ELN Admits to Killing Russian Hostage

Despite agreeing to a peace treaty with the government which would put an end to more than fifty years of war, the killings continue in Colombia. The second largest guerrilla organization, the ELN guerrilla group, said a Russian-Armenian citizen it held hostage for six months was killed in April while trying to escape.

One of the commanders of the National Liberation Army in an interview said that ransoms from kidnappings were necessary to keep its fighters in the field and that peace would be impossible without state funding to feed and clothe the rebels. And by state funding, he meant that the state encourages the kidnapping of foreigners for profit.

Meanwhile, the ELN’s political wing agreed to a cessation of hostilities in a negotiation with the Colombian government in Ecuador in honor of the visit by the Pope. Whether the ELN decides to keep the peace after the Pope’s visit is another matter.

The ELN seized Arsen Voskanyan in November. The group claimed that he was collecting endangered, poisonous frogs in the jungles of the northwestern department of Choco and accused him of wanting to smuggle wildlife overseas.
After his lengthy captivity, Voskanyan was shot when he grabbed a hand grenade in a bid to escape, according to the ELN commander, who would only give his nom-de-guerre Yerson.
“He’s dead,” Yerson told Reuters in a remote area along the banks of a river that sees frequent combat between the leftist rebels, government troops and right-wing paramilitaries.
“The grenade exploded … several of our boys were wounded, the entire unit of five boys. He fled, he was shot and killed … The issue of his body will be negotiated,” he said, adding that the death took place within his unit. Yerson supplied no evidence to back up his assertions.

The Russian Embassy and the Foreign Ministry declined to comment but the ELN has refused stop kidnapping, bombing, or extorting foreign oil and mining companies while negotiations were ongoing. Those activities along with suspected drug smuggling are what funds the group.

To read the entire article from Reuters click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

Ally of Merkel Cites Thousands of Cyber Attacks From Russian IP

Despite Russia’s insistence that they are not trying to influence foreign elections, German political party members are claiming that their website has been hit with thousands of cyber-attacks. The vice chairman of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union says that their website has been hit with thousands of cyber-attacks before Sunday’s televised election debate. And most have come from Russian IP addresses.

With Merkel widely expected to win a fourth term, some German intelligence officials have often voiced concerns on whether Moscow would seek to interfere in the Sept 24 national election.

Ms Julia Kloeckner, vice chairman of Dr Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), said on Monday (Sept 4) that her political website had seen some 3,000 attacks on Sunday before the debate between Dr Merkel and Social Democratic leader Martin Schulz.
Following a pattern seen in earlier hacks, the CDU’s headquarters in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where Ms Kloeckner is the party’s leader, also experienced “massive attacks” ahead of the debate, she said.
“Many of the senders have Russian IP addresses,” Ms Kloeckner added.
German authorities have blamed a spate of cyber attacks directed at the German parliament, individual lawmakers, political parties and political think-tanks since summer 2015 on APT 28, a Russian hacker group with links to Moscow.

Some in German intelligence believe that Russian President Putin would like a different leader as the German Chancellor than Merkel. The Germans and Merkel despite being dependent on Russia for energy sources have supported economic sanctions against Russia for their actions in Ukraine.

The cyber-attackers were using phishing schemes to insert malicious software and search for vulnerabilities. German police and intelligence officials continue to investigate.

To read the entire article from Reuters click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

The American Stars and Stripes Flies for the First Time September 3, 1777

The American flag, the Stars, and Stripes was flown, supposedly for the first time in a minor skirmish on this date in 1777. Colonial forces under the command of General William Maxwell were defeated by a combined force of British and Hessian at a place called Cooch’s Bridge in Maryland. Maxwell ordered his men to hoist the flag as the took on the advanced guard of the British Army. Maxwell’s force of infantry and cavalry were forced to retreat to General Washington’s main force at Brandywine, Pennsylvania.

Some historians argue that the flag was not flown there as stated by historian Edward. W. Cooch. Cooch stated further that the flag was then flown about a week later at the battle of Brandywine on September 11.

Three months before, on June 14, the Continental Congress adopted a resolution stating that “the flag of the United States be thirteen alternate stripes red and white” and that “the Union will be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new Constellation.”

The national flag, which became known as the “Stars and Stripes,” was based on the “Grand Union” flag, a banner carried by the Continental Army in 1776 that also consisted of 13 red and white stripes. That too is a subject for debate. Philadelphia seamstress Betsy Ross designed the new Stars and Stripes, which consisted of a circle of 13 stars and a blue background, at the request of General George Washington. Some argue that the entire Ross situation is a legend and has never been proven.

In a paper to the Pennsylvania Historical Society after Ross’ death, her grandson William J. Canby produced a paper that supposedly gave credence to the idea that Ross and others manufactured the flag. His paper states:

Sitting sewing in her shop one day with her girls around her, several gentlemen entered. She recognized one of these as the uncle of her deceased husband, Col. GEORGE ROSS, a delegate from Pennsylvania to Congress. She also knew the handsome form and features of the dignified, yet graceful and polite Commander in Chief, who, while he was yet COLONEL WASHINGTON had visited her shop both professionally and socially many times, (a friendship caused by her connection with the Ross family). They announced themselves as a committee of congress, and stated that they had been appointed to prepare a flag, and asked her if she thought she could make one, to which she replied, with her usual modesty and self reliance, that “she did not know but she could try; she had never made one but if the pattern were shown to her she had not doubt of her ability to do it.” The committee were shown into her back parlor, the room back of the shop, and Col. Ross produced a drawing, roughly made, of the proposed flag. It was defective to the clever eye of Mrs. Ross and unsymmetrical, and she offered suggestions which Washington and the committee readily approved.
What all these suggestions were we cannot definitely determine, but they were of sufficient importance to involve an alteration and re-drawing of the design, which was then and there done by Colonel (General) George Washington, in pencil, in her back parlor. One of the alterations had reference to the shape of the stars. In the drawing they were made with six points.
Mrs. Ross at once said that this was wrong; the stars should be five pointed; they were aware of that, but thought there would be some difficulty in making a five pointed star. “Nothing easier” was her prompt reply and folding a piece of paper in the proper manner, with one clip of her ready scissors she quickly displayed to their astonished vision the five-pointed star; which accordingly took its place in the national standard. Colonel (General) Washington was the active one in making the design, the others having little or nothing to do with it. When it was completed, it was given to William Barrett, painter, to paint. …
The gentleman drew out of a chest an old ship’s color, which he loaned her to show her how the sewing was done, and also the drawing painted by Barrett. Other designs had been prepared by the committee and one or two of them were placed in the hands of other seamstresses to be made. Betsy Ross went diligently to work upon her flag, carefully examining the peculiar stitch in the old ship’s color, which had been given her as a specimen, and recognizing, with the eye of a good mechanic, its important characteristics, strength and elasticity.
The flag was soon finished, and Betsy returned it, the first ‘Star Spangled Banner’ that ever floated upon the breeze, to her employer. It was run up to the peak of one of his ships lying at the wharf, and received the unanimous approval of the committee and of a little group of bystanders looking on, and the same day was carried into the State House and laid before Congress, with a report from the committee.
The next day Col. Ross called upon Betsy, and informed her that her work had been approved and her flag adopted; and he now requested her to turn her whole attention to the manufacture of flags, and gave her an unlimited order for as many as she could make. …
Ross was now effectively set up in the business of flag and color making for the government; through all her after life, which was a long, useful and eventful one, she “never knew what it was,” to use her own expression, “to want employment,” this business (flag-making for the government) remaining with her and in her family for many years.

And with the entrance of each new state into the United States after independence, new stripes and stars were added to represent new additions to the Union. In 1818, however, Congress enacted a law stipulating that the 13 original stripes be restored and that only stars be added to represent new states. Today we have 50 stars and the original thirteen red and white stripes.

So when the legend and history collide, the people generally prefer the legend. Were the Stars and Stripes first flown into combat on this day in 1777? We may never know the entire truth, but we’ll err on the side with the legend here. Happy Labor Day.

Photo Courtesy: Wikipedia

Army General’s Text to an Enlisted Soldier’s Wife Prompts Investigation

The Army is investigating Major General Joseph Harrington, the commander of US forces in Africa for reportedly sending dozens of messages to the wife of an enlisted soldier under his command.

Gen. Harrington’s alleged Facebook messages, many of whom are suggestive, range from flattering to flirty and include a request to the woman that she delete them. If in fact, he did send those messages it would be a serious breach of protocol and military law.

The woman initially met the general at the gym and soon after began receiving texts and messages from him related to business, but soon things began to change. The two were never physical and the woman, who refused to identify herself because she feared reprisals against her husband, became concerned when the messages got progressively more suggestive.

The messages, many sent late at night, veer from the mundane to the personal. Harrington oversees the Army’s activities in Africa from a post in northern Italy. In some texts, he complained about travel and getting sick on local food.
In others, he doted on the woman’s appearance, referring to her as “HOTTIE,” and “looking good for sure.” In another series he wrote: “You seem to have a great modeling resume! Truly! Though I hadn’t noticed! Where is your hubby tonight? Work?”
When she replied that she’d fought with her husband, and that he was asleep, Harrington responded: “I’m sorry! Make up se…x is fun”
Harrington suggested “U can be my nurse,” and added, “I’d enjoy being in a tent with U.”

The fact that Harrington asked the woman to delete his messages, is him admitting that what he’s doing is not only wrong but perhaps a violation of military law. And the military won’t take kindly to this since they’ve had other cases recently that have given the services a black eye.

To read the entire article from The USA Today click here:

Photo courtesy US Army

Thousands of Military Contractor Files Left Unsecured Online

Veterans and active duty members near separation from the service including intelligence personnel who were seeking employment had their personal information including their resumes left unsecured and available for public consumption. Thousands of files were in the open until being discovered earlier this year.

TigerSwan, a North Carolina-based private security firm had files dating back to 2009 on job applications left unsecured for anyone making an open source search. TigerSwan on Saturday blamed TalentPen, a third-party recruitment company, who they said worked for them during the time period.

The files, largely resumes, mostly came from members of the military, but also included intelligence veterans, a police chief, and a United Nations worker in the Middle East. The files included personal contact information, such as addresses, phone numbers and private email addresses.
In February, when TigerSwan canceled its contract with TalentPen, TigerSwan claims the recruiter used Amazon cloud services to transfer the resumes it had amassed to TigerSwan.
TigerSwan said that transfer was conducted using high-end encryption and TalentPen was supposed to immediately delete the files. But the files remained on the site and due to an apparent security setting misconfiguration, those files were not encrypted.

TigerSwan said it wasn’t aware of the problem until August 31 and believes that a former recruiter for TalentPen had left the files on-line. TalentPen has dissolved but a former account manager said that there was still activity on their account.

Any veterans who have applied for any positions thru TigerSwan should contact the company and check to see if their records have indeed been compromised.

To read the entire article from The Hill, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikipedia

National Preparedness Month, Death, Taxes and Disasters, SOF is Ready

President Trump has declared September 2017, as National Preparedness Month, and this is a good time with the devastation of Tropical Storm Harvey that we all develop personal plans on what to do in our family if a disaster strikes. Some of our SOFREP brethren in the LoadOut Room will be writing about how we can exactly go about that. But what happens when a disaster strikes one of friends and allies in the world. When we think of Special Operations Forces, we normally see videos of door kickers and direct action type of missions. But in times of emergencies, some of the first people you may find are Special Operations Forces who are ideal first responders to natural disasters.

Through some of the most recent natural disasters, Hurricane Sandy, which ravaged the Northeast 5 years ago; Hurricane Andrew, the most destructive hurricane in Florida’s history, and, just this week the Texas area around Houston which has been devastated by Hurricane Harvey, we’ve been blessed with our own first responders. With other natural disasters outside our shores, as in Haiti, and Nepal, as well as others Special Operations troops were our first to answer the call.

US Army Special Forces units and their organic assets are ideal first-response units to natural disasters due to their varied skill sets, speed of response, and ability to work independently in remote areas. Green Berets are particularly suited to work under the most extreme hardships, with little or no supervision, and can demonstrate tremendous amounts of initiative and creativity in unique and changing situations. The training that readies them for Unconventional Warfare makes them versatile, and able to think on their feet in the most trying of circumstances. The compact, versatile, and adaptable A-detachments of which Special Forces Groups are composed can serve as vital resources in humanitarian and disaster relief operations.

SOF overall function as a force multiplier and provides speed, organic command and control, and unique mission sets that may significantly improve the U.S. government’s rapid response to foreign disaster relief. Since SOF is designed to support short-notice special operations missions, as a dynamic organization, it can easily adapt to specific needs. SOF units build and maintains close relationships around the world with many foreign military and government agencies and have the built-in knowledge of a country’s, people, and customs which makes them ideal for hitting the ground first in an emergency. When a natural disaster strikes SOF units are the perfect first responders in Disaster Relief (DR) operations.

One of the Special Operations “Truths” that SOF units live by is “Competent SOF cannot be created after emergencies occur” and that is a lesson learned the hard way. There will not have to be putting together an ad-hoc emergency deployment team. Special Operations teams can be deployed on a moment’s notice are designed to act quickly and are designed to hit the ground running. And in some cases, such as Nepal, there were Special Forces A-Teams already on the ground and immediately went from a training mode into a disaster relief scenario. That is where the flexibility and versatility of the Special Forces A-Teams are on display.

However, there are some limitations to what Special Operations can accomplish after a natural disaster occurs. Special Operations Forces lack the ability to sustain long-term relief efforts and are best suited as a first responder unit until other DOD and U.S. government and civilian humanitarian organizations can be put into action. The rapid response and versatility provide the US with critical capabilities in the all-important first hours and days after a natural disaster and put boots on the ground in an emergency situation.

The normal U.S. agency involved in long-term disaster relief would be USAID. The SOF units would work with and then support a turnover of effort to USAID in a long-term relief effort overseas. One problem with this is that USAID has a very limited understanding of SOF and its capabilities. The USAID “Field Operations Guide for Disaster Assessment and Response,” lists just two careers under their SOF section: civil affairs and psychological operations.They don’t list the various Special Operations Forces as potential partners and wouldn’t know the extent of the capabilities available.

Having closely with USAID in the past, it is an issue that hopefully has been resolved in the past few years. But in my experience, USAID looked upon Special Operations Forces more as a hindrance than a partner. Despite the fact that SF teams were conducting civic action projects under the auspices of USAID, under budget and under the time allotted, we were looked upon as “knuckle draggers” who weren’t “on the same page” as the country team’s goals.

But when a natural disaster happens overseas, one of the first calls will be to the Special Operations Forces of the military services. They have the capability, versatility, and skills needed to land in a disaster zone and provide relief and support to the stricken people and area. During National Preparedness Month, we know that they’re ready to answer the call, just like they did in Houston. Despite the operational tempo of doing the heavy lifting in three major conflicts. And chances are, they will already know the area, the people and many of the major players involved.

So while “death, taxes and natural disasters” are the only sure things in life, seeing a Special Operations unit at the site of a natural disaster is a sure bet as well.

Photos Courtesy: DOD

Military Parts Dealer Found Guilty of Stealing Army Equipment

John Roberts, of Clarksville, Tennessee, a military equipment dealer was found guilty of conspiracy to steal and sell government property, two counts of violating the Arms Export Control Act and 10 counts of wire fraud.

Prosecutors said that he schemed with active duty soldiers at Ft. Campbell, KY to steal sensitive military material to sell to buyers in Russia, China, Mexico. Roberts faces up to five years in prison for conspiracy and up to 20 years for each count of arms export violations and wire fraud.

More than $1 million in weapons parts, body armor, helmets, gun sights and other equipment was stolen and sold in a vast black market, prosecutors said. Six soldiers and another civilian pleaded guilty. One testified that Roberts was given a tour of the base to see items to be stolen. Eventually, they brought equipment back from Afghanistan and sold it by the truckload.
More than $1 million in weapons parts, body armor, helmets, gun sights and other equipment was stolen and sold in a vast black market, prosecutors said.
Roberts, 27, testified that he did not know the soldiers were bringing him stolen equipment. He said the items he bought and sold were commonly found in surplus stores, gun stores and on eBay.

Roberts former business partner, Cory Wilson plead guilty to buying and selling stolen military equipment, wire fraud and violating the Arms Export Control Act. He stated that the pair would target soldiers who were young, broke and those who often needed money for drugs. He told prosecutors that they set up multiple accounts to sell the stolen items on eBay and would remove packaging designating the items as military equipment and use faked shipping labels to avoid suspicion by authorities.

To read the entire article from NBC News click here:

Photo courtesy Wikimedia

Pentagon Has Sent 6000 Troops to the Houston Area in Harvey Support

According to the Defense Department, with unprecedented rains and severe damage due to Tropical Storm Harvey, the US military has deployed more than 6,000 active-duty troops to support ongoing disaster relief efforts. There are reportedly another 1,100 more troops ready to deploy once given the order.

US Northern Command, which commands active duty personnel in North America, said in a statement Thursday that approximately 6,300 military personnel are deployed to the Houston and surrounding areas.

The active duty troops will bolster other disaster relief efforts with rescue, aid delivery, medical support, and other services now being conducted by Texas National Guard as well as other Guard units, State, and Federal organizations.

Northern Command has deployed 73 helicopters, three C-130 aircraft, and eight para-rescue teams to aid in search and rescue and evacuations.
As of Thursday, Northern Command said it has rescued and assisted some 1,234 people.
The active duty forces are in addition to 42 helicopters and seven fixed-wing aircraft from the US Coast Guard and 39 helicopters from the Texas National Guard and other supporting National Guards. Over 4,700 people have been rescued or assisted by air and shallow water boats, according to the Pentagon.
The air operation has reached such a large scale that a US defense official told CNN that some local airfields are now so full of helicopters that they are incapable of housing any additional aircraft.

In addition to the troops already in the area, two Navy ships were prepared to sail into the area to assist. Marine Corps units with rubber boats and military tracked vehicles were assisting in the rescue efforts as well. Other DOD units were being alerted to head into the Beaumont area where the lack of potable fresh water forced the shutdown of the local hospital.

To read the entire article from CNN, click here:

Photo courtesy Wikimedia

Book Review, American Guerrilla: The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann

Unless you’re a Special Operations soldier or avid reading buff of guerrilla warfare, chances are that you’ve never heard much of Russell W. Volckmann. But American Guerrilla, The Forgotten Heroics of Russell W. Volckmann should be required reading for prospective Special Operations troops as well as current operators (although I dislike that term). The book was written by a former Armor officer Mike Guardia who tells the life story and military career of a very important if somewhat ignored American military officer.

Guardia weaves a very entertaining read of a staff officer stationed in the Philippines just prior to World War II who didn’t retreat to Australia with General Douglas MacArthur nor surrender after the capitulation of U.S. troops on Bataan. Instead, Volckmann and his troops retreated into the jungle. There he raised at first a rag-tag army of American and Filipinos that turned into a powerful guerrilla army of US and Filipinos that reached a strength of 22,000. His hit and run raids and ambushes against the Japanese occupation forces killed 50,000 of the enemy. They tied up huge amounts of Japanese troops and kept the enemy harassed until the invasion by the Americans helped liberate the islands from the empire of Japan.

In the jungles, Volckmann’s troops made contact with Allied headquarters in Australia and helped direct Allied efforts to key enemy positions. He set up a resupply chain via American submarines for the resistance and helped direct the Allies when they returned to the Philippines. The guerrillas saved countless lives by giving MacArthur’s staff timely and accurate intelligence on the enemy. And when the Japanese began to discuss surrender terms with the Allies, Japanese General Yamashita sought out Volckmann rather than MacArthur to open negotiations.

Yet when most military historians discuss the campaign of the Philippines, Volckmann’s name is rarely mentioned while discussing MacArthur’s campaign to recapture the former American protectorate.

In the book’s final two chapters Guardia makes the case for the naming of Volckmann and not Aaron Bank as the “true” father of the US Army Special Forces. That was sure to raise some hackles in the SF community where Bank is always discussed in the highest regard possible. We’ll address that below as he makes a compelling argument.

At only 240 pages, the book is quickly and easily digested although Guardia could have delved more into the other resistance movement across the Philippines focusing on Volckmann’s sizable contribution. He also was very critical of MacArthur’s decision to withdraw to Australia, (following the orders of the President) which has always been a source of controversy. The details about Volckmann’s operations seemed a bit thin, the author could’ve used a bit more detail there. One surprising aspect of the interviews done for the book was that no former Filipino guerrillas were quoted here. The lack of better maps of the areas that the guerrillas operated in was a detriment to the book and later additions should see to that. It would make it much easier for the reader to follow along and travel

Volckmann kept a diary where he daily logged on his attempts to raise, train and lead a guerrilla force of Filipinos from Luzon. They were a thorn in the Japanese’s side, committing acts of sabotage, raids, ambushes as well as intelligence gathering that was extremely valuable to the Americans once they began their attempts to recapture the Philippine Islands.

Students of Guerrilla and Unconventional Warfare should study the struggles of Volckmann’s efforts against the Japanese that stretched on for three years. And his efforts definitely saved countless lives, yet in all the books about MacArthur’s triumphant return, he’s scarcely mentioned if at all which is a tragic oversight.

Guardia’s assertion that Volckmann, not Bank is the true father of the modern day Special Forces is based on his role in drafting the Army’s counterinsurgency doctrine and the concepts for Guerrilla Warfare and Special Forces operations. He was tasked with the writing of the two Army field manuals, Operations Against Guerrilla Forces and Organization and Conduct of Guerrilla Forces for the Psychological Operations Command.

While Volckmann had a tremendous influence on the development of Special Forces, one must remember that many of the operational tenets that he wrote in the two manuals, while tried and tested under his leadership in the Philippines were already being used by the O.S.S. in their own training and operations. That in no way should denigrate from Volckmann’s tremendous efforts, as he deserves a place at the table for Special Forces founders.

Did Guardia prove his statement that Volckmann “designed the mission capabilities and operational framework” of the Special Forces? No. I am still firmly in the camp that Bank, drawing on his own experiences as a “Jedburgh” created the organizational makeup of SF that exists to this day. And the fact that it was he, Bank selected as the 10th Special Forces Group’s first commander that deserves that honor.

However, despite that, I recommend students of Special Warfare read “American Guerilla” simply from the standpoints that it is a good look at the American and Filipino guerrilla warfare efforts against the Japanese and that sometimes it is a good thing to read and discuss viewpoints different from your own…. There is entirely too little of that today.

Photos Courtesy: US Army, Amazon.com