Rule 1: “Many and Small” Beats “Few and Large.”
Rule 2: Finding Matters More Than Flanking.
Rule 3: Swarming Is the New Surging.
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This was an awesome interview, and if you want, you can watch this in five parts or in one viewing. If you are overseas and bandwidth is a problem, the first option might be your best. Just follow the link to the video, and other options are in the drop down menu on the right hand side.
One thing I would like you to do while listening to these guys, is to think where PMC’s fit into the New Rules of War. Of course you could look at private industry in terms of only defensive operations, but I also want you to look at private industry for offensive operations. How would a PMC adapt and form, if they were to abide by these rules up top? And if you really want to something to chew on, how would you defeat an enemy that was a practitioner of these rules?
For me, I always like looking at the old ways of warfare, and see if today’s strategies are just another form of those old ways. Or if something old, can be outfitted to the new, much like putting on old car body on a modern day frame and engine. Old and new–or hybrid warfare. I think that a modern day interpretation of the Letter of Marque fits nicely within this concept.
Privateers during the Revolutionary War and War of 1812 are a prime example of what I am talking about. Private industry answered the call by providing ‘the many and small’ just because it is easily accomplished. Private industry could not compete by making a large warship, but it certainly could compete by using small and cheap boats.
The ‘finding’ portion of the rule, fits nicely with what the LoM and privateers were able to produce. Private industry was focused on finding their cash cow that was floating around out in the ocean. Privateering made an industry out of ‘finding’, and this free market based warfare would not stop until it was told to (via an expired LoM) or there was no more enemy merchant vessels (cash cows) to attack. If you assign a value to your enemy, or allow privateers to take what the enemy has, well now you have just created a ‘finding’ mechanism.
Finally, the swarming concept is exactly what happens when you unleash private industry upon your enemy. A congress could issue thousands of LoM’s during a war, thus causing a swarming effect upon merchant vessels. During the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, congress issued hundreds of LoMs. With that setup, they actually had companies competing over the capture of these vessels.
From wikipedia, here is a quick shot at the numbers. And of course, there was the best of the best during the Revolutionary War when it came to privateering. Check it out here. “The American privateers are thought to have seized up to 300 British ships. One of the more successful of these ships was the Prince de Neufchatel, which once captured nine British prizes in swift succession in the English Channel.”
I will even add one more component to this LoM concept. Private industry only succeeds when it is more organized and more innovative than their competition. Each company is looking for an edge to beat the other companies for the prize. That competition, and the innovation it spurs, is what makes the concept so lethal when applied to warfare.
Well anyways, watch the videos and let me know what you guys think. Cool stuff. -Matt
Watch the entire clip here. (38 minutes)