FEIWS Concept Brief

CAPT Tom Robertson, Senior Directorrobertso@usna.edu

410-293-6262

United States Naval Academy

Forum On Emerging and Irregular Warfare Studies

(FEIWS)

Introductions

• CAPT Tom Robertson, USN – Director

• LTC Jon Klug, USA - Director

• LT J. T. Kadz, USN - Deputy Director

• FEIWS (pronounced “Fuse”)

HYBRID WARS

IRREGULAR

TRADITIONALDISRUPTIVE

TERRORISM

Emerging Security Challenges

Questions for Midshipmen

• What factors drive changes in our human world?

• What most determines who wins wars? • Are you doing your best to understand

these factors and prepare yourself to lead in our changed and changing world?

“Every day you spend here at USNA, you are building

your foundation for understanding and for leadership.”

USNA CHARTER:Non-Technical (Group 3) Courses

• Teach midshipmen how to think critically

“How do I solve a complex problem when there is no checklist or easy answers?”

• Historical depth, language skills, regional expertise and cultural knowledge (LREC)

FEIWS Charter• To increase understanding and facilitate discussions

of emerging and irregular warfare.

• Focus on culturally, technologically and historically informed discussions of contemporary military operations and tactics.

• Link theory/ doctrine with practice and to leverage academic scholarship to help understand real-world military operations.

FEIWS Approach• Faculty (military and civilian) collaboration to

share papers, conference presentations, recent cultural or combat experience and research projects (USNA and international).

• Coursework development

• USNA Yard-wide presentations by group members or outside speakers to faculty, staff and midshipmen followed by small-group discussion or classroom visits.

Faculty and Midshipmen

Collaboration Combat

Experience/ Cultural Experience

FEIWS

FEIWS Concept • Collaboration

• Coursework development

• Outside speaker collaboration through military and OGA connections (i.e. Special Operations Command Interagency Partnership Program)

Progress at USNA: Emerging Warfare/ Irregular Warfare (Some examples)

HH367A Mercenaries, Empire & War: History of India Pakistan & Afghanistan

HH367B History and Culture of Iran

HH367C War, Conflict, and Insurgency in Africa

HH367D The U.S. in Africa since 1700

HH367E Modern Pakistan, Militant Islam and America

HH372 The Golden Age of Piracy

HH377A Religion and ViolenceHH377B History of TechnologyHH377E History of America’s War on Drugs

HH385 The U.S. Marine Corps

HH386A History of Modern Counterinsurgency

HH386B The American Way of War

HH386C The History of Airpower

HH377A History of Technology and Cyber-warfare

HH462B Chinese Art of War

HH485A Disruptive Technology and Education

NE 203 Ethics and Moral Reasoning for the Naval Leader

NP 430 The Ethics of Irregular Warfare

FEIWS Center of Excellence (Proposed)

• Counter Terror (CT) – Reference CTC, U. S. Military Academy, West

Point• Counter Proliferation (CP)

– On-going collaboration with USSOCOM IAPP and OGAs in support of Special Operations Support Teams’ (SOST) and other’s request for connection to academia

• Counter Threat Finance (CTF)– On-going collaboration with DHS ICE and

ASD SO/LIC

Nine FEIWS-affiliated military faculty members have been deployed from USNA as advisors in embedded training teams or to senior operational staffs in Afghanistan and Iraq.

History Department• CAPT Hagerott: Strategic Initiatives Group, NTM-A, 2009-2010• CAPT Felker: Command Historian, NTM-A, 2010-2011• CAPT Robertson: Embedded Afghan Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010

Augment Pilot, CJTF 82 Afghanistan, 2008 Augment Pilot, MAG-16 REIN Iraq, 2006• LtCol Berry, USMC: MEU Det OIC, AV-8B, 2012 Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010• LtCol Aaron O’Connell, USMCR, Gen. Petreaus Staff, ISAF-

A, 2010-2011• LTC Klug, USA: Strategic Planner/ GSG-5 Advisor, IJC,

2012-2013 Deputy SIG, NTM-A, 2009-2010

Company Commander/ Regimental Planner, 3ACR, 2003Political Science Department

• Lt Fletcher: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010

Math Department• LT Heineike: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010

Chemistry Department• LT Bodemer: Embedded Advisor, NMAA, NTM-A, 2010

Internship Opportunities• FEIWS has negotiated for internship

opportunities in which midshipmen spend summer training blocks at:‾ U. S. Army War College Peacekeeping and

Stability Operations Institute (USAWC PKSOI)

‾ Johns-Hopkins Applied Physics Lab National Security Analysis Department (JHU/APL)

‾ Marine Corps University

Findings• USNA FEIWS is currently an ad hoc and unfunded

group. Possible partners, synergies (international collaboration) or funding sources: stand-alone USNA Warfare Center of Excellence and/or connection with Cyber Center.

• Relationships within the IW community are essential to improving our groups, staffing the war effort and also in disseminating lessons learned.

• Potential exists to create a single point of contact “reachback” pool of expertise for use by combatant commanders connecting the warfighter to U. S. military and other government agency capabilities.

Questions?

robertso@usna.edu

Background slides

USNA Strengths in this Area• High level of midshipman interest- “How

can I get involved …?”• Early foundation for future thought and

development (Mids not yet “indoctrinated”)

• USNA grads become small unit leaders soon after graduation “where the rubber meets the road”

• Military instructors experience: active involvement -recently returned from Iraq, Afghanistan and Horn of Africa, etc.

• Interdisciplinary cooperation

USNA Challenges in this Area • Core course syllabi not specifically

designed to target Irregular and Emerging Warfare

• Targeted courses available to only a small percentage of the student population

• Current progress is largely based on military instructor initiative – if the instructor transfers, the course often dies

• Lack of coordination with post-graduate and other institutions (need networking/ relationships to help build the right foundation)

Example Course - HH386A The History of Modern Counterinsurgency

• Block 1 – The Principles and Nature of Irregular Warfare

• Block 2 – Counterinsurgency case studies: British Afghanistan and Malaya, French Indochina and Algeria, Soviet Afghanistan among others

• Block 3 – Irregular Warfare and COIN Theory

• Block 4 – The U. S. Experience with Irregular Warfare (1776 to Present)

• Block 5 – Non-state entities and emerging warfare