Lessons from Afghanistan 2005-2006
by Luke Coffey
Detainee Operations in Counterinsurgency Operations (Full PDF Article)
With the ongoing engagements in Iraq and Afghanistan much has been written recently concerning counterinsurgency operations and irregular warfare. Even though counterinsurgency operations do not stop at the gates of a detention center, adequate guidance on dealing with detainees is lacking in much of this literature.
In early 2005 Task Force Guardian, the Military Police brigade task force in Combined/Joint Task Force (CJTF)-76 in Afghanistan began a new approach to detainee operations. This was accomplished by building on the hard work of previous rotations and allowed leaders to simultaneously meet broader counterinsurgency objectives as set out by CJTF-76 while improving the welfare of the detainee population. Two things were done differently in 2005 than in previous years. First, there was a push to vastly improve the living conditions and welfare of the detainee population beyond those required by international and historical norms. Secondly, Task Force Guardian initiated a Psychological Operations (PSYOP) program in the detention facility in order to convey key messages to the detainee population. This combined effort placed the leaders of Task Force Guardian in a better position to meet desired CJTF-76 counterinsurgency objectives. This paper highlights some of the lessons learned and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) used by Task Force Guardian in 2005 to meet desired end-states in the area of good detainee operations in counterinsurgency operations.
Detainee Operations in Counterinsurgency Operations (Full PDF Article)
