Insurgent Uprising: An Unconventional Warfare Wargame - Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Practical Exercise to Reinforce UW Training, Special Forces COIN Against Guerrillas

This important December 2017 report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction.

Today, and in the future, unconventional solutions will present U.S. policymakers with options for dealing with threats to U.S. interests while retaining public support. As a result, United States Army Special Operation Command (USASOC) can expect an increased demand for unconventional warfare (UW) in the coming years and is refocusing its priorities accordingly. As United States Special Operation Command (USSOCOM) trains, equips, and restructures to meet future UW requirements, a classroom-based practical exercise educational tool may prove critical to reinforcing UW readiness. USASOC does not currently use a standardized UW wargame to teach and reinforce UW theory and doctrine. This thesis presents a UW wargame specially designed to reinforce UW theory and doctrine, both quantitatively and qualitatively. This wargame aims to improve preparation of UW exercises in all training environments including the qualification courses, JADE HELM, and the Combined Training Center (CTC) rotations. The data collected from the seven iterations of playing this wargame indicate that this UW wargame provides a practical exercise that reinforces UW training objectives and will complement existing training exercises.

I. INTRODUCTION * A. BACKGROUND * 1. UW Skill Atrophy * 2. Training Response * B. RESEARCH QUESTION * C. METHODOLOGY * D. RESULTS * E. CONCLUSION * II. LITERATURE REVIEW * A. WARGAMING * B. SHORT HISTORY OF EDUCATION WARGAMING * C. UNCONVENTIONAL WARFARE DOCTRINE * 1. Primary Components of a Resistance or Insurgency * 2. Additional Components of a Resistance or Insurgency * 3. External Support * III. METHODOLOGY * A. WARGAME DESIGN * B. WARGAME INFRASTRUCTURE * C. PHASES * 1. Pay Maintenance * 2. Invest in infrastructure * 3. Place Networks and Influence * 4. Movement * 5. Resolve Conflict * 6. Place New Military Units or Bases * 7. Collect New Resources * D. TIME DURATION OF WARGAME * E. HOW TO WIN * IV. RESULTS * A. LEARNING OBJECTIVES * 1. Area Complex Development * 2. Resource Management * 3. Coalitions * B. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ASPECTS OF THE WARGAME * 1. Board Design * 2. Population Centers * 3. Resource Production Values * 4. External Ports * C. PLAYING THE WARGAME * V. CONCLUSION * A. SUGGESTED CHANGES, ADAPTATIONS, AND IMPROVEMENTS * B. DIGITALIZING THE UW WARGAME * 1. Advantages * 2. Drawbacks * C. UW EDUCATIONAL FRAMEWORK * APPENDIX. WARGAME RULE BOOK * A. DEFINING KEY TERMS * 1. Unconventional Warfare (UW) * 2. The Underground * 3. The Auxiliary * 4. The Guerrilla * 5. The State * 6. Non-state * B. INFRASTRUCTURE * 1. Underground/Intelligence network * 2. Auxiliary/Logistics Network * 3. Military Unit * 4. Base (Guerrilla Bases (G-Bases)/State's Barracks) * 5. Influence * 6. External Support Ports (ESP) * 7. Hexagonal Board Tiles * 8. Population Centers * 9. Resource Production Unit (RPU) * 10. Personnel Marker * 11. Weapon Marker * D. WARGAME SETUP * 1. Initial Board Layout * 2. Players Initial Starting Positions * E. ORDER OF PLAY AND PHASES OF EACH TURN SEQUENCE. * 1. Pay Maintenance * 2. Invest in New Infrastructure * 3. Place Networks and Influence * 4. Movement * 5. Resolve Conflict * 6. Place New Military Units or Bases * 7. Collect New Resources * F. HOW TO WIN