‘A unique, exceptional volume of compelling, thoughtful, and informative essays on the subjects of irregular warfare, counter-insurgency, and counter-terrorism – endeavors that will, unfortunately, continue to be unavoidable and necessary, even as the U.S. and our allies and partners shift our focus to Asia and the Pacific in an era of renewed great power rivalries. The co-editors – the late Michael Sheehan, a brilliant comrade in uniform and beyond, Liam Collins, one of America’s most talented and accomplished special operators and scholars on these subjects, and Erich Marquardt, the founding editor of the CTC Sentinel – have done a masterful job of assembling the works of the best and brightest on these subjects – subjects that will continue to demand our attention, resources, and commitment.’ General (ret.) David Petraeus, former Commander of the Surge in Afghanistan, U.S. Central Command, and Coalition Forces in Afghanistan and former Director of the CIA ‘Terrorism will continue to be a featured security challenge for the foreseeable future. We need to be careful about losing the intellectual and practical expertise hard-won over the last twenty years. This handbook, the brainchild of my late friend and longtime counter-terrorism expert Michael Sheehan, is an extraordinary resource for future policymakers and CT practitioners who will grapple with the evolving terrorism threat.’ General (ret.) Joseph Votel, former commander of US Special Operations Command and US Central Command ‘This volume will be essential reading for a new generation of practitioners and scholars. Providing vibrant first-hand accounts from experts in counterterrorism and irregular warfare, from 9/11 until the present, this book presents a blueprint of recent efforts and impending challenges. Terrorism is a perpetual threat, one that never goes away, but requires expertise and attention to compress its scale and scope. These essays provide the way forward. Nancy Collins, author of Grey Wars and senior fellow of the Modern War Institute, West Point ‘The post-9/11 literature on counterterrorism has been dominated by academics and policy practitioners. The Routledge Handbook of U.S. Counterterrorism and Irregular Warfare Operations widens the existing scope of scholarship on terrorism and counterterrorism by adding a critically important operational perspective to the discussion. Conceived by the legendary Ambassador Michael Sheehan, the handbook assembles a stellar cast of contributors in a unique volume that will enlighten and inspire all those who take part and interest in the ongoing effort to stem one of the most pressing security challenges of our time – from scholars to decisionmakers, and from policy practitioners to military operators.’ Assaf Moghadam, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel, author of Nexus of Global Jihad: Understanding Cooperation among Terrorist Actors ‘The Routledge Handbook of US Counterterrorism and Irregular Warfare Operations consolidates and advances our understanding of the American experience at war since the mass murder attacks of September 11, 2001. It is a book that should be read and discussed beyond the military, as the contributors’ findings are consistent with Sir Michael Howard’s observation that, in war, the causes of victory or defeat are often found far from the battlefield.’ Lt.-General (ret.) H.R. McMaster, former US National Security Advisor and author of Dereliction of Duty and Battlegrounds: The Fight to Defend the Free World ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM AND IRREGULAR WARFARE OPERATIONS This handbook comprises essays by leading scholars and practitioners on the topic of U.S. counterterrorism and irregular warfare campaigns and operations around the globe. Terrorist groups have evolved substantially since 9/11, with the Islamic State often described as a pseudo- state, a terrorist group, and insurgency all at the same time. While researchers’, analysts’, and policymakers’ understanding of terrorism has grown immensely over the past two decades, similar advancements in the understanding of counterterrorism lag. As such, this handbook explains why it is necessary to take a broader view of counterterrorism, which can, and often does, include irregular warfare. The volume is divided into three thematic sections: • Part I examines modern terrorism in the Islamic world and gives an overview of the major terrorist groups from the past three decades; • Part II provides a wide variety of case studies of counterterrorism and irregular warfare operations, spanning from the 1980s to the irregular warfare campaign against the Islamic State in northern Syria in 2018; • Part III examines the government instruments used to combat terrorism and wage irregular warfare, such as drones, Theater Special Operations Commands, and Theater Commands. The handbook fills a gap in the traditional counterterrorism literature by its inclusion of irregular warfare and by providing analyses from academic experts as well as practitioners. It will be of much interest to students of counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, U.S. national security, military affairs, and international relations. The late Michael A. Sheehan previously served as the U.S. Department of State’s coordinator for counterterrorism, the New York City Police Department’s deputy commissioner for counterterrorism, and the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict. Erich Marquardt founded the U.S. military’s premier open-source counterterrorism journal, the CTC Sentinel, and served as editor-in-chief for seven years. Liam Collins is a fellow at New America, former director of the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point, and founding director of the Modern War Institute at West Point. He co-authored Letters from Abbottabad: Bin Ladin Sidelined?, the first report to analyze the documents captured from Bin Ladin’s compound during the Abbottabad raid. ROUTLEDGE HANDBOOK OF U.S. COUNTERTERRORISM AND IRREGULAR WARFARE OPERATIONS Edited by Michael A. Sheehan, Erich Marquardt, and Liam Collins First published 2022 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Michael A. Sheehan, Erich Marquardt, and Liam Collins; individual chapters, the contributors The right of Michael A. Sheehan, Erich Marquardt, and Liam Collins to be identified as the authors of the editorial material, and of the authors for their individual chapters, has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Sheehan, Michael A., editor. | Marquardt, Erich, 1980– editor. | Collins, Liam, 1970– editor. Title: Routledge handbook of U.S. counterterrorism and irregular warfare operations / edited by Michael A. Sheehan, Erich Marquardt, and Liam Collins. Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2022. | Includes bibliographical references and index. Identifiers: LCCN 2021006929 (print) | LCCN 2021006930 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367758363 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367759032 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003164500 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Terrorism—United States—Prevention. | Terrorism—Prevention. | Irregular warfare—United States. | Military policy—United States. Classification: LCC HV6432 .R68 2022 (print) | LCC HV6432 (ebook) | DDC 363.325/170973—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006929 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021006930 ISBN: 978-0-367-75836-3 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-75903-2 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-16450-0 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003164500 Typeset in Bembo by Apex CoVantage, LLC This handbook is dedicated to Ambassador Michael A. Sheehan, a devoted public servant who provided a lifetime of service to our nation before ultimately succumbing to cancer in July of 2018. Mike was a West Point classmate, a close personal friend and advisor, and “uncle” to my sons. He was a warrior and scholar who served his country as a jungle fighter, a diplomat, and a public servant of the highest order. With his passing in 2018, our nation lost an irreplaceable member of its praetorian caste. Mike always described terrorism as a symptom of modern governments’ inability to provide for the broader society. Motivated by extreme and reactive interpretations of religious ideologies and political philosophies, the adoption of seemingly random violence as a means to a political result had to be countered and combated directly. He took it personally when an innocent life was lost to terrorism. This compendium is shaped by his lifelong study and experience from his efforts to defeat terrorism at all levels. Mike assembled an unparalleled roster of experts in terrorism, counterterrorism, and irregular warfare to produce this book. He sought to contribute to the discourse by developing a book that examined counterterrorism and irregular warfare from the operational perspective, so that future warfighters—our