The Iraqi militia

The US is putting together a new Iraqi army to take on some of the internal security load in Iraq. This is an important step in defeating the low level raiding strategy used by opponents of the Iraq liberation.

The key to defeating a raiding strategy is to increase the force to space ratio in the area the attackers attempt to operate in. Adding Iraqis to this force gives a bonus not only interms of more force to space, but also creates a tie with the population making it more willing to give information that leads to the destruction of the guerrilla force.

Governing counsels also give ownership of the problem to the Iraqis. "...A brigade of Ahmed Chalabi's Free Iraqi Forces, trained by U.S. Special Forces, proved itself in quickly pacifying the town of Shatra in southern Iraq in April. For its efforts the FIF was disbanded by edict of the U.S. command, which also postponed forming an Iraqi governing body. Appointment of a Governing Council means the U.S. waking up to reality."

Bringing in the Iraqis helps to deny sanctuary to the attackers and at the same times inhances the security of the Iraqi population.

The US Marine Corp had a very successful combined action program in Vietnam where a few Marines worked with local militia to provide village security. This use of five or six Marines to make a local militia an effective fighting forces greatly rachetted up the force to space ratio in the area.

Increasing the force to space ratio makes its harder for attackers to avoid being caught and resisted. A raiding strategy requires surprise attacks and relies on the supremacy of retreat over pursuit. The more opposing forces are in the area the harder it is to surprise, and the harder it is to retreat. Greater force allows the defender to cut off avenues of retreat.

The current rather weak guerilla campaign being waged by those opposed to Iraqi liberation has virtually no chance of achieving military success. Random assinations of US troops do not effect the combat effectiveness of US forces. The guerillas are achieving some of their political goals in the US. The US media focus on the militarily insignificant attacks and on troop morale issues weakens support for the war effort. This is the real goal of the attacks.

Osama bin Laden believed the US exit from Somalia after the "Blackhawk Down" incident showed the US did not have the heart to sustain casualties. Saddam's forces are attempting the same result. Anyone in the US who believes that the US should pull its forces out of Iraq in the face of these attacks will be inviting further attacks like the one on 9-11. Anyone suggesting such a pullout should not be trusted with the national security of this country.

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