Graduate Certificate in Asymmetrical Warfare

This course addresses the application of strategy and process of the making of strategy, both of which deal with the preparation and use of military power to serve the ends of politics. The treatment is chronological, as determined by the various case studies, and two themes run throughout: the relationship of strategy and the strategic level of war to other levels of war, especially policy and the political level of war; and the difficulty inherent in the process of the making of strategy. Note: Not available for students who have previously taken MILS520.

This course is an in-depth seminar in asymmetrical warfare in relation to the U.S. military history and operational experience. Students explore the changing nature of asymmetrical warfare in terms of current theory, conjecture, and definition. Key issues of asymmetry and adaptation are assessed in relation to insurgency, counterinsurgency force doctrine, and action-reaction-counteraction cycle. Special emphasis is on the value of approaches that employ innovative tactics, weapons, or technologies across the spectrum of military operations.

This course explores the advantages and disadvantages of special operations as an instrument of national policy by examining authorities in the field. Students explore the "theory" of special operations to critically examine the utility of special operations in national strategy. Key topics include determining whether Special Forces are critical to strategic levels of engagement in the post-Cold War security environment.

This course examines the history and mission of United States special operations forces and roles within operational and tactical environments. Students explore special operations doctrine and tactics from past to present in the global war on terror. Students compare and contrast the use of special operations forces for pre-conflict, operations, and post-conflict scenarios in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Philippines.

This course is a critical analysis of the origins and structures of insurgency and revolution. Various theories and analyses are presented and tested against the historical record. Students assess how these ideas have assisted or hindered the study of and interaction with specific groups of insurgents and revolutionaries. Special emphasis is on revolutionary movements as represented by the Bolsheviks, the Chinese Communists, the Viet Minh/Viet Cong, and militant Islamist insurgents.

This course considers the nature of future military conflict, the history of future war doctrine, and the impact of current conflict on the conceptualization of the "next war." Students examine current, past, and future low-intensity as well as high-intensity conflicts, and the appropriate use of military force in the power projection role to influence a diplomatic resolution to a conflict. Rogue nations, and related cultural clashes, and religious factors are related to planning for future war.