Gray Zone

Gray is Here to Stay: Principles from the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance on Competing in the Gray Zone - Modern War Institute

DanielRiggs — Thu, 25 Mar 2021 13:35:13 +0000

Gray is Here to Stay: Principles from the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance on Competing in the Gray Zone - Modern War Institute

Gray is Here to Stay: Principles from the Interim National Security Strategic Guidance on Competing in the Gray Zone - Modern War Institute

mwi.usma.edu · by Kevin Bilms · March 25, 2021

An important essay today.America must embrace its irregular warfare capabilities and be able to compete in Great Power Competition where dominant ' 'fight" is best described as political warfare. Irregular warfare is the military contribution to political warfare (and by DODD 3000.7 and the IW annex to the NDS consists of CT, FID, UW, COIN< and stability operations).

Although I am heartened by the author citing some of Bob Jones important work on unconventional deterrence I am disappointed he did not point out one of the most important sentences in the interim guidance: "We will maintain the proficiency of special operations forces to focus on crisis response and priority counterterrorism and unconventional warfare missions." Unconventional warfare is the foundation of irregular warfare and conventional warfare is at the root of the two SOF trinities: irregular warfare, unconventional warfare, and support to political warfare and the second being the comparative advantages of SOF: influence, governance, and support to indefgeigenous forces and population.

UW thinking informs everything SF/SOF should do.

UW is fundamentally problem solving; using unique, non-doctrinal and non-conventional methods, techniques, people, equipment to solve (or assist in solving) un.

UW is fundamentally about influencing behavior of target audiences (which can include a population, a segment of a population, a political structure, or a military force); therefore, it is an integral action arm of IO/PSYOP.

I am heartened to see the Biden administration use unconventional warfare when there are so many antibodies out there against it.

But I also commend Congress for providing the best description of irregular warfare that will never be adopted by the doctrine gatekeepers on the Joint Staff. In the 2018 NDAA it wrote: Irregular Warfare is conducted “in support of predetermined United States policy and military objectives conducted by, with, and through regular forces, irregular forces, groups, and individuals participating in competition between state and non-state actors short of traditional armed conflict.”

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Why Russia's Seizure of Ukrainian Vessels Matters to the U.S.

SWJED — Mon, 10 Dec 2018 00:46:12 +0000

Why Russia's Seizure of Ukrainian Vessels Matters to the U.S.

Russia is counting on the United States and its allies to calculate that supporting Ukraine with additional lethal and non-lethal aid exposes them to unacceptably high risk of escalation with Russia. But the only side this risk serves to constrain is the West.

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Counter-Hybrid Warfare: Winning in the Gray Zone

SWJED — Sun, 02 Dec 2018 08:21:17 +0000

Counter-Hybrid Warfare: Winning in the Gray Zone SWJED Sun, 12/02/2018 - 3:21am

The United States is actively involved in two hybrid conflicts (ISIS in Syria and Iraq) and is supporting the Ukraine against hybrid threats from Russia. That said, America lacks a formal doctrine for dealing with such conflicts or even an agreed-on doctrinal definition of what they are.

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The San Juan Island Boundary Dispute, 1859: Conditions for Peace and Dominance in a Very Gray Zone

SWJED — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 11:52:19 +0000

The San Juan Island Boundary Dispute, 1859: Conditions for Peace and Dominance in a Very Gray Zone

While the concept and terminology of the Gray Zone is new, the geo-political situation it described is not, and the US military does have experience operating within them.

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The Battlefield of Tomorrow Fought Today: Winning in the Human Domain

SWJED — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 08:31:25 +0000

The Battlefield of Tomorrow Fought Today: Winning in the Human Domain SWJED Sun, 08/06/2017 - 4:31am

The biggest changes to the character of war seem to be ahead of us as the 21^st century opens what looks like Pandora’s Box.

The Gray Zone in Africa

SWJED — Mon, 29 May 2017 15:30:47 +0000

The Gray Zone in Africa

SOCAFRICA must understand and operate in the space between war and peace in a complex, volatile, uncertain and ambiguous environment - an environment of adversarial competition.

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Language & Culture Note #1: On the Gray Zone and the Space Between War and Peace

SWJED — Sun, 07 May 2017 18:32:35 +0000

Language & Culture Note #1: On the Gray Zone and the Space Between War and Peace

Why a label and its use obfuscates the most critical variable of social and cultural reality necessary for mission success.

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Reclaiming Strategic Initiative in the Not-So-Gray Zone: Winning Big Conflicts Inside Small Ones

SWJED — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 18:57:37 +0000

Reclaiming Strategic Initiative in the Not-So-Gray Zone: Winning Big Conflicts Inside Small Ones SWJED Mon, 04/10/2017 - 2:57pm

The Gray Zone is becoming less opaque, less undefined because emerging analytical frameworks are finding their footing in the Department of Defense.

The Danger of the Gray Zone: Flawed Responses to Emerging Unconventional Threats

SWJED — Tue, 06 Dec 2016 15:54:48 +0000

The Danger of the Gray Zone: Flawed Responses to Emerging Unconventional Threats

The United States has failed to appropriately respond to the gray zone so far, so what should the new administration strive for?

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