Joes, Anthony James. America and Guerrilla Warfare. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2000.
Berger, et al, I&NS 22.6 (Dec. 2007), view this as "a straight-forward, chronological, country-by-country view of US involvement in counterinsurgency operations." Overall, the author's "historical examination of US 'small wars' is ponderous and provides no new insights."
Joes, Anthony James. Resisting Rebellion: The History and Politics of Counterinsurgency. Lexington, KY: University Press of Kentucky, 2004.
Freedman, FA 83.6, comments that the author "has an irritating tendency to convey the size of all foreign countries as multiples of arbitrarily chosen U.S. states." Nevertheless, "there is a lot of knowledge packed into these pages, the detail on particular cases is often fascinating, and the lessons, in the end, are sensible and highly topical."
For Fellenz, Proceedings (Jan. 2005), this work "is a comprehensive study of insurgency and the struggles nations have faced to contain them.... The inner workings of rebellion ... are exposed with a literary ease that will keep even the novice reader engaged."
Thornton, I&NS 21.4 (Aug. 2006), calls this book "a solidly informative work using a wealth of sources." It is "well foot-noted," but "the indexing is very poor." In addition, the book has a "rushed quality" to it. Nevertheless, the author "brings together many campaigns and provides some commendable insights."
To Manyx, JFQ 42 (3d Quarter 2006), this is "an intriguing contribution.... The multiple detailed examples Joes uses are a central strength." The book is "[t]horoughly researched and annotated"; in addition, it is "intelligently written and easily readable."
Berger, et al, I&NS 22.6 (Dec. 2007), find "little room" in the author's "analysis for the very different political forms that insurgencies take over time and space."
Jogerst, John D. [COL/USAF] "Back to the Future: USAF Special Operations School." Air & Space Power Journal 21, no. 1 (Spring 2007). [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil/]
Established in 1967, the U.S. Air Force Special Operations School (USAFSOS) at Hurlburt Field, Florida "makes available a series of courses to meet the requirements of all regional combatant commanders" for an awareness of other cultures. Academics, ambassadors, and senior Department of Defense and civilian leaders deliver "timely and relevant blocks of instruction designed to enable personnel to work effectively with military forces and civilian populations" in various regions.
Jogerst, John [COL/USAF]. "What's So Special about Special Operations? Lessons from the War in Afghanistan." Aerospace Power Journal 16, no. 2 (Summer 2002). [http://www. airpower.maxwell.af.mil]
"Watching the war in Afghanistan and listening to speculation about future US moves, one hears a lot of discussion about US special operations forces (SOF). The consensus seems to be that these forces are tailor-made for the unconventional nature and uncertainty of this war. Every war is unique, but if the uncertainty and chaos of the current war are characteristic of future conflicts, it is important to consider potential lessons from SOF's successes. Lessons learned by SOF over the last two decades and demonstrated in Afghanistan provide some signposts for future conventional forces and the ongoing transformation of the US military."
Jones, Frank L. "Army SOF in Afghanistan: Learning the Right Lessons." Joint Forces Quarterly 33 (Winter 2002-2003): 16-22.
"The successes of military operations in Afghanistan are being jeopardized by misreading them. Although Special Operations Forces are credited with defeating Taliban and al Qaeda foces, too much emphasis can be put on coordinating ground and air attacks while recruiting anti-Taliban fighters is underestimated. The latter capacity resulted from employing SOF assets in unconventional warfare.... The rise of insurgent and irredentist movements..., coupled with asymmetric threats, demands a strategic vision for unconventional warfare."
Kamps, Charles Tustin. "US Air Force Special Operations." Air & Space Power Journal 19, no. 1 (Spring 2005). [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil]
"Headquartered at Hurlburt Field, Florida, AFSOC [Air Force Special Operations Command] includes one colocated wing with combat, training, and foreign internal defense squadrons; a special-tactics group; and a Reserve group. Operational groups in Europe and the Far East include fixed- and rotary-wing squadrons as well as special-tactics squadrons. A National Guard unit in Pennsylvania operates the EC-130E Commando Solo psychological-operations platform."
Kan, Paul Rexton. "Counternarcotics Operations within Counterinsurgency: The Pivotal Role of Intelligence." International Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence 19, no. 4 (Winter 2006-2007): 586-599.
"Intelligence efforts against drug trafficking must adapt to anti-insurgency factors."
Kibbe, Jennifer D. "Covert Action and the Pentagon." Intelligence and National Security 22, no. 1 (Feb. 2007): 57-74.
The period since the 9/11 attacks has seen "a blurring of the distinction of whether or not military units are conducting covert operations"; this "raises important questions about congressional oversight.... The military's role in unacknowledged operations is an increasingly complex issue and it remain to be seen how Congress will serve the twin goals of protecting the United States from terrorism and ensuring that there is sufficient accountability to the public."
Kibbe, Jennifer D. "The Rise of the Shadow Warriors." Foreign Affairs 83, no. 2 (Mar.-Apr. 2004): 102-115.
Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld "has made no secret of his plans to thrust special forces into the lead role in the war on terrorism, by using them for covert operations around the globe." Expanding the role of U.S. special forces "in the way Rumsfeld intends could be very dangerous for U.S. foreign policy."
Koskinas, Gianni [MAJ/USAF] "Desert One and Air Force Special Operations Command: A 25-Year Retrospective." Air & Space Power Journal 19, no. 1 (Spring 2005). [http://www.airpower.maxwell.af.mil]
"After the Vietnam War, the Air Force’s special operations forces (AFSOF) had deteriorated so much that they could not respond to a situation in Iran.... We see significant differences in AFSOF units before and after Desert One. Veterans of that mission argue that before 1980, almost no one considered SOF missions integrated joint operations. After the rescue attempt, air commandos developed the modern notion of a joint SOF unit focused on counterterrorism.... The Desert One model has served the SOF community well for the past two decades, but 9/11 should change AFSOC [Air Force Special Operations Command] from a platform-based, single-model force to a capabilities-based force."
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