Counterinsurgency operations

One Officer’s Lessons from Vietnam

Operations aimed at defeating the Viet Cong could offer insights into countering China today.

Captain Peter M. Swartz, U.S. Navy (Retired)
October 2022
ships

Dead Men Tell No Tales

A confrontation with China’s maritime militia threatens to explode, and U.S. sailors and Marines must decide how to respond.

July 2022
Ukraine Attack

At War with the Lights Off

As the Ukraine conflict makes plain, the costs of full-scale war can be high and unpredictable. This could reinforce Beijing’s preference for the tactics of insurgency.

Geoffrey Till
July 2022
Marines from the 2d Marine Division conduct a gap crossing at Camp Lejeune

The Role of Stand-in Forces in Maritime COIN

The U.S. government and its regional partners must harmonize proven COIN strategies with modern military capabilities to defend and maintain the accepted international order.

July 2022
USS Charleston (LCS-18)

You Have to Be There

Countering China’s gray-zone tactics starts with a simple but challenging premise: the U.S. Sea Services have to be there.

James R. Holmes
July 2022
Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Gabrielle Giffords (LCS-10

Win the Contest for a Maritime Rules-Based Order

Maritime contests are regional, requiring U.S. actions to be similarly conceptualized and executed while navigating a mosaic of local interests.

Captain Brent D. Sadler, U.S. Navy (Retired)
July 2022