The Tactical Skills Of Street Protestors - Brief Article

Parameters, Autumn, 2001

To the Editor:

Two recent Parameters articles, "Bringing Environmental and Economic Internationalism into US Strategy" by David H. Carstens (Spring 2001) and "The Real Military Revolution" by Thomas K. Adams (Autumn 2000), have a real-world intersection in the recent anti-globalization street protests in Seattle and Quebec.

Protests of this nature are, of course, precisely the sort of conflict environment Major Carstens describes in his article. What is not specifically mentioned in Major Carstens' article is the tactical skill demonstrated by many of the street protestors. More aggressive demonstrators, such as the Anarchist "Black Blocs," have shown a high degree of sophistication in employing decentralized, small-team, and individual decision-making and personal communication devices (cell phones) to stymie the hierarchical police forces arrayed against them. Being intent on property damage and political drama, anarchist protestors have yet to wield real military force. However, it is worth contemplating what damage they could inflict if they had more lethal intentions and weaponry.

In fact, the decentralized but effective actions of anarchist protestors are an interesting contrast to the structure of the Army as we undergo transformation. As Lieutenant Colonel Adams points out, the increasing digitization of the battlefield is forcing decisions downward to the individual soldier. This may have the positive effect of allowing small tactical advantages to be exploited. However, decentralized decisionmaking also has high potential to disrupt the command and control hierarchy of the military, jeopardizing mission goals.

Despite their anarchist ideology, the street protestors' tactical merits may be worth studying. It is possible that the US Army could derive useful tactical lessons from their anti-hierarchical structure. Indeed, armed protestors may be one of the forces we in the Army face in future conflicts.

Sergeant Christian De Leon-Horton

115th MI Group

Schofield Barracks, Hawaii

The Author Replies:

Sergeant De Leon-Horton raises an interesting perspective in his commentary. While it was not the intent of my article to address the tactics, techniques, and procedures of anarchists, I completely agree that recent protestors have demonstrated an unexpected level of "tactical skill" in their efforts to influence policy.

The potential threat to US military forces abroad brought on by civil uprisings against a variety of issues is alarmingly real. One need only look at Somalia to acknowledge the lethality of a well-organized mob joined by a singular cause and armed with unsophisticated weaponry and non-technical but highly effective command and control measures.

Even Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld recognizes the danger. When asked about his progress in deciding on strategic requirements at a press conference on 8 May 2001, Rumsfeld answered, "Mightn't we want to size our forces also for some other things, like a Bosnia or a Kosovo or a noncombatant evacuation in some country, or maybe one or two or three of those things?" With this in mind, protestor tactical merits are not only worth studying, as Sergeant De Leon-Horton suggests, but the potential small-scale contingency operations brought on by such protests must be accounted for in our future military strategy.

Major David H. Carstens