Your Friendly Butch Anarchist Live-Tweet Reading: The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual

Part 14
Introductions
Part 1: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1291559405696106496?s=21

Chapter 1- Insurgency and Counterinsurgency
Part 2: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1292995286197923840?s=21
Part 3: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1294076761123119104?s=21
Part 4: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1295520419466772480?s=21
Chapter 2- Unity of Effort: Integrating Civilian and Military Activities
Part 5: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1298062091534790661?s=21
Part 6: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1300618444585406464?s=21
Chapter 3- Intelligence in Counterinsurgency
Part 7: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1303136453539426306?s=21
Part 8: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1308218766530981888?s=21
Part 9: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1310766223454400512?s=21
Part 10: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1313287102008709126?s=21
Chapter 5- Executing Counterinsurgency Operations
Part 11: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1318350731527639040?s=21
Part 12: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1320902007306158080?s=21

Chapter 6- Developing Host-Nation Security Forces
Part 13: https://twitter.com/butchanarchy/status/1323442661450113024?s=21
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One time donations are also greatly appreciated and you can find my tip jars at $butchanarchy on the Cash App and @ genderchaos on Venmo. TRULY any little bit helps make doing this work more sustainable for me
One time donations are also greatly appreciated and you can find my tip jars at $butchanarchy on the Cash App and @ genderchaos on Venmo. TRULY any little bit helps make doing this work more sustainable for me
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This chapter is a doozy of American propaganda. Chapter 7: Leadership and Ethics for Counterinsurgency. I was tempted to skip it, because it’s mostly a load of bullshit, but it occurred to me that it might actually come in handy for us to understand this chapter.
As this manual as repeatedly said, insurgencies are political wars, and they are won by swaying the populace to support one side or another. I think we should know what counterinsurgents claim their ethical rules are, bc when they don’t follow them, we can point directly to that.
And that’s what this chapter even says: breaches in these ethics can be used against counterinsurgents in the political conflict bc insurgents will point them out to the general public to break down their support. So let’s take note of these, and be ready to do just that.
Wow the level of total bullshit in this chapter is already beyond compare. Apparently they believe that a basic American, Army, and Marine Corp value is “respect for the sanctity of life.” (p.238)

Yeah tell that to the Afghans we’ve been raining bombs on since 2001.
Under their basic leadership tenets, they write that it’s important that COIN forces are well trained bc, since they need to have the support rod the people, the populace needs to feel protected, not threatened, by counterinsurgent operations.
Lol actually starting to feel like this chapter might also lift some spirits, bc it’s a very clear indication of how badly U.S. counterinsurgent forces are doing against revolutionary organizers this year. At least as far as their public image goes, and that shit is important.
Counterinsurgent leaders are also, ideally, trained in how to engage in more decentralized operations. Decentralization is key in insurgent conflict because it allows for organizations to be dynamic, flexible, and good at learning.

*stares at camera anarchistically*
^^ was going to leave it at that, but tbh I’ve got a bit of an attitude this week, so: I know some folks think “no leaders” is some kitschy anarchist catch-phrase, but this shit is what we’re talking about. Flexible, decentralized action is what wins insurgencies.
It’s what’s always won insurgencies. Even every revolution that people associate with state communists. It turns out, when you let people who understand their own specific environment and conditions call the shots, you get shit done. Even the fucking U.S. Military knows that.
Effective counterinsurgents know “the people, topography, economy, history, and culture of their area of operations. They know every village, road, field, population group, tribal leader, and ancient governance within it.” (p.239)
“[Counterinsurgency] is more than just killing insurgents; it includes the responsibility to serve as moral compass that extends beyond the COIN force and into the community.” (p.239)

Murder and morality, never incongruent terms in the eyes of the U.S. Military
They write about maintaining public credibility: “All COIN force activity is wrapped in a blanket of truth.” (p.240)

Which, beyond being completely absurd, should tell us how important it is for us to continuously point out the lies in the State/counterinsurgent narrative.
Oh dang, I found a strikingly direct example of a counterinsurgent tactic that was used by cops this summer, to great effect with liberals. Remember this shit?
Well, there’s a short story on p.241 about a small counterinsurgent unit that was patrolling through Na-jaf, Iraq. Apparently, they were unexpectedly surrounded by angry Iraqis. What did the unit do? Took a kneel. It defused the crowd’s anger, and the unit was able to withdraw.
Our cops here did it in a different context, but for the same reasons: the goal is to distract/defuse public anger at occupying forces in our communities so they (the cops/soldiers) can continue about their business of brutalizing and killing us.
Successful counterinsurgent leaders also practice “self-examination, awareness, and focused corrective effort.” (p.242)

Again and again and again: insurgencies are learning competitions, the side with the most people willing to learn and adapt in conflict is the side that wins.
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