The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law welcomed John Nagl, President of the Center for a New American Security, on September 13, 2011. Frank Gavin, Strauss Center Director, introduced Dr. Nagl. Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Chair For Leadership in Global Affairs, moderated the event.

Dr. Nagl began by reflecting on his own experience in Operation Desert Storm, after which he developed a strong interest in counterinsurgency. He referenced several well-known cases of counterinsurgency to demonstrate the changing nature of war. A conventional U.S. army went to war in Vietnam unprepared, and it failed to adapt to challenges posed by communist insurgents. Decades later, the U.S. learned more effective counterinsurgency techniques in Iraq and is now employing them in Afghanistan. According to Dr. Nagl, these cases are indicators that we have entered into an era of persistent irregular conflict.

Dr. Nagl introduced the concept of organizational learning as a means of developing the capability to deal more efficiently with insurgencies and sustained small-scale wars. This involves identifying problems in organizational behavior and developing better practices to set as the standard. Dr. Nagl acknowledged that wars against insurgents can not be won by military means alone. Counterinsurgency campaigns should reduce the number of insurgents below a certain level, but they also need to focus on increasing local support for the government and providing essential services such as life support and economic development assistance.

Dr. Nagl surveyed the current state of affairs in Iraq and Afghanistan, voicing his hopes that the Iraqi government will request a long-term security relationship with the U.S. but also noting that the long-term implications of democracy in the Arab world are not yet clear. He concluded that general war is becoming less likely for the U.S. However, on a less optimistic note, factors such as climate change, population growth, and resource depletion will exert more pressure on governments, hindering the establishment of stable peace and driving the future of conflict towards increased violence. Dr. Nagl acknowledged that the U.S. military has learned to adapt to insurgencies with some degree of success over the past five years, but it needs to further develop its capability to wage unconventional wars more efficiently.

Questions from the audience covered the difficulties of implementing counterinsurgency strategies in Afghanistan, U.S. goals in Iraq and Afghanistan, differences between general war and insurgency, and future counterinsurgency measures.

Dr. John Nagl is the President of the Center for a New American Security.  He is also a member of the Defense Policy Board, a Visiting Professor in the War Studies Department at Kings College of London, a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations and the Veterans of Foreign Wars, and a member of the International Institute of Strategic Studies.  Dr. Nagl served as an armor officer in the U.S. Army for 20 years.  He led a tank platoon in Operation Desert Storm and served as the operations officer of a tank battalion task force in Operation Iraqi Freedom, earning the Combat Action Badge and the Bronze Star medal.  He earned his Master of the Military Arts and Sciences Degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College and his doctorate from Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.  Dr. Nagl is the author ofLearning to Eat Soup with a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons from Malaya and Vietnam and was on the writing team that produced the U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual. Dr. Nagl has appeared on The News Hour with Jim Leher, National Public Radio, 60 Minutes, Washington Journal, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

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