| Program Detail |
: This course will introduce the student to the major components of low-intensity conflict, including insurgency, counter-insurgency, terrorism, and psychological warfare. The term "low-intensity conflict" has a controversial political history; there is neither a rigorous definition nor a consensus on the exact boundaries. For the purpose of this course, "low-intensity conflict" (LIC) covers any warfare short of the actual confrontation between the armed forces of two states. It thus includes hostile action between states short of war, including psychological operations and cyberwarfare, as well as military operations involving non-state actors, such as popular insurgencies, terrorist groups, and even criminal organizations (such as drug cartels) whose activities have political consequences. LIC thus refers to a range of activities, not to a particular forces, doctrines, or forms of organization. Although the Department of Defense organization associates LIC with special operations forces, there is no conceptual connection. Originally, the concept of LIC fitted into a larger framework, with medium intensity conflict referring to conventional warfare and high intensity conflict to the use of weapons of mass destruction. The use of chemical weapons by the Japanese terrorist group Aum Shin Rikiyo in 1995, however, showed that framework falls short of reality. (IMPORTANT NOTICE: MH402 (Section Z) is available as an internship course ONLY to students currently serving in a Special Operations and/or Low Intensity Conflict assignment or position. |
