Effective Organization to Deal with Low Intensity Conflict in a Third World Country (Philippines)

Low Intensity Conflict (LIC) is the most likely scenario facing the countries of the world in the immediate future. Countries can best learn to deal with it by understanding its nature, the environment where it occurs, and the character of the forces that engage in it. This study discusses LIC from the perspective of a Third World country where it is generally localized. It uses the examples of insurgent forces in the Philippines to illustrate the importance of organization of an insurgent force as it relates to the nature of the conflict and the environment where it is fought. The study also discusses the organization of counterinsurgency forces and flaws that affect the counterinsurgency operations. A model organization of government forces, both at the national level and down at the military operational level, is also presented based on the thesis that the effective way to deal with insurgencies is an effective organization. The study presents a model of how an intervening power may come in to support a counterinsurgency effort and synchronize its support without creating unfavorable reactions from the host country.