In this episode, we discuss US counterinsurgency efforts in Iraq's Anbar province, Iraq—from the 2006 surge through the rise of the Islamic State in 2013–2014—with two guests who both experienced the US COIN fight firsthand. Retired General Robert Neller served as the commandant as the Marine Corps and in 2005–2007, he was the deputy commanding general of I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward) in Anbar. Dr. Carter Malkasian is a historian who served as an advisor to US military leadership in Iraq and is the author of Illusions of Victory: The Anbar Awakening and the Rise of the Islamic State.
What is the role of security force assistance in achieving national security objectives? Where did security force assistance work well in the post-9/11 era,...
How did the United States leverage local partners in the fight against the Islamic State? What were the unique dynamics of partnering with the...
Special operations forces have been a favorite national security tool during the United States' post-9/11 wars. However, the release of the 2017 National Security...