Locals rule : historical lessons for creating local defense forces for Afghanistan and beyond / Austin Long, Stephanie Pezard, Bryce Loidolt, Todd C. Helmus.

"Prepared for the Special Operations Joint Task Force—Afghanistan"—title page.

Abstract: "Local defense forces have played a key role in counterinsurgencies throughout the 20th century. With the recent development of the Afghan Local Police (ALP) as a major part of the U.S.-led counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan, lessons learned from earlier efforts to build local defense have become increasingly salient. This study examines eight cases of local defense forces used in the context of counterinsurgency in Indochina, Algeria, South Vietnam, Oman, El Salvador, Southern Lebanon, Afghanistan, and Iraq. It covers an extensive time period (from 1945 to the present) and geographic scope, as well as a wide range of intervening countries and regimes, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Israel, and the Soviet Union. The authors compare the lessons learned from these eight cases and apply them to the current development of the ALP, in order to outline potential challenges and to suggest a way forward that takes into account the historical experience"—back cover.

“Includes bibliography”—(pages 187-208).

Contents: Executive summary -- Historical examples of local defense forces in COIN campaigns -- Comparative analysis and lessons learned -- Applying these lessons to Afghanistan -- Acknowledgments -- Glossary, list of symbols, etc. -- Introduction -- Indochina -- The organization of auxiliary forces -- Special purpose auxiliaries -- Auxiliaries and the end of the French war -- Motivations for using auxiliaries -- Assessment -- Conclusion -- Algeria -- Local defense in the Maghreb -- Evolution of the different forces -- The Evian accords and the fate of local defense forces -- Assessment -- Conclusion -- South Vietnam -- Civilian irregular defense groups -- Combined action platoons -- RF/PFs, PSDF, and the Accelerated Pacification Campaign -- Conclusion and assessment -- Oman -- Oman, Dhofar, and Britain before 1970 -- The coup and emergence of local defense, 1970-1971 -- The tide turns and local defense matures, 1972-1974 -- Victory and transformation of the Firqats, 1975-1985 -- Conclusion and assessment -- El Salvador -- Problems of civil defense -- Conclusion and assessment -- Southern Lebanon -- Israeli operations and the evolution of the security zone -- 1978-1982: the consolidation of the Free Lebanon Army -- 1982-2000: expansion, professionalization, and collapse -- Conclusion and assessment -- The Soviets in Afghanistan -- Modernity beckons: Afghanistan in the 1970s -- A house divided: the Afghan government 1980-1987 -- Local defense in the DRA, 1980-1987 -- Soviet "surge" and withdrawal: 1987-1989 -- Najibullah's tight rope 1990-1991 -- Kabul burning, 1992-1993 -- Conclusion and assessment -- Iraq -- Early local defense forces in Anbar province (2005/2006) -- The Anbar awakening and the Sons of Iraq -- Reintegrating the Sons of Iraq (2008/2009) -- Strengths of local defense in Iraq -- Conclusion and assessment -- Lessons learned from historical cases and applications to the Afghan local police -- Lessons learned -- Lesson one: Manage the trilateral relationship -- Lesson two: Capitalize on intelligence collection -- Lesson three: beware of local history -- Lesson four: Maintain relationships with conventional security forces -- Lesson five: Leverage other government agencies -- Lesson six: Transition forces with care -- Lesson seven: Avoid insurgent strongholds -- Other lessons -- Local defense in Afghanistan after 2008 -- Conclusion: The application of lessons to Afghan local police.

English