The U.S. Military Should Prepare for both Conventional and...

To paraphrase the quote attributed to Trotsky, â€Å"We may not be interested in insurgency but insurgency is interested in us.† The United States faces this dilemma. The question remains how to prepare for this amidst competing interests and threats. The U.S. military should prepare for both conventional and irregular warfare, while prioritizing conventional warfare, recognizing irregular warfare as the most significant short term threat to national interests and conventional warfare the most threatening in the long term. This paper will compare and contrast the considerations for these types of warfare, explain why the U.S. should prioritize conventional operations while preparing for both, and describe the short and long term†¦show more content†¦Given the context of current strategic guidance, it is important to ask if the U.S. can be prepared to conduct both conventional and irregular warfare successfully. The answer is yes. However, preparation for conventi onal operations should always be the priority. Preparation for irregular warfare should not come at the expense of conventional warfare preparation. This is necessary because of the reasons discussed below: the strategic limitations of irregular warfare, the enduring nature of conventional war, resource constraints, and prioritization of operations and training. Irregular Warfare is not a strategy. It is better defined as a military capability. Thomas Hammes articulates this point, â€Å"This conflation of counterinsurgency techniques and strategy by participants in the discussion is not helpful. The very phrase ‘counterinsurgency strategy’ confuses a method or way of fighting with a complete strategy.† Thus, while the U.S. military can be prepared for operations and capabilities dealing with irregular warfare, it should not overtake the primary strategic objectives and purpose of the military – conventional operations. 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