Denying Sanctuary: Rejecting Safe Havens in Counterinsurgency Operations

摘要

Physical sanctuary is one of the bedrocks of a successful insurgency. Denial of these safe havens is critical to a successful counterinsurgency campaign and the eventual defeat of the insurgents by the host state. The United States must create a policy or strategy to combat insurgency through the elimination or minimization of safe havens. The National Military Strategy Executive Summary (published in 1985 in light of experiences in Vietnam) recognizes that there are three possible courses of action to achieve the goal of abolishing safe havens. These include, in a prioritized order: (1) convincing a third-party government (i.e., Pakistan and/or Syria) to successfully secure the territory within their borders through diplomacy, (2) conducting cross-border military operations to kill or capture insurgent leadership and denying localized sanctuary, and (3) effectively securing the borders against insurgent intrusion. The author will examine each option with respect to the national elements of power, feasibility, acceptability, suitability, and risk to determine the most effective course of action for defeating or eliminating safe havens for insurgents in Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.