'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008
This article examines the evolution of US irregular warfare (IW) doctrine and practice from 2001 onwards. It argues that, after 9/11, top-tier civilian policymakers in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and across the US government developed a heightened awareness of asymmetric threats and non-conve...
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| Format: | Article |
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Routledge
2014
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| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36105/ |
| _version_ | 1848795223959797760 |
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| author | Ryan, Maria |
| author_facet | Ryan, Maria |
| author_sort | Ryan, Maria |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | This article examines the evolution of US irregular warfare (IW) doctrine and practice from 2001 onwards. It argues that, after 9/11, top-tier civilian policymakers in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and across the US government developed a heightened awareness of asymmetric threats and non-conventional forms of warfare, especially those shaped by contemporary globalisation. The result was a gradual turn towards irregular warfare, led by Rumsfeld and the DoD, designed to ensure ‘full spectrum dominance’ across all modes of conflict. This pre-dated the insurgency in Iraq and the promotion of counterinsurgency in the US Army by General David Petraeus and others. Policymakers' reluctance to acknowledge the insurgency in Iraq was not down to a failure to understand the concept of IW, but because they had viewed Iraq in conventional terms for so many years and were reluctant to admit their mistake. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:28:41Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-36105 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T19:28:41Z |
| publishDate | 2014 |
| publisher | Routledge |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-361052020-05-04T16:47:33Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36105/ 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 Ryan, Maria This article examines the evolution of US irregular warfare (IW) doctrine and practice from 2001 onwards. It argues that, after 9/11, top-tier civilian policymakers in the US Department of Defense (DoD) and across the US government developed a heightened awareness of asymmetric threats and non-conventional forms of warfare, especially those shaped by contemporary globalisation. The result was a gradual turn towards irregular warfare, led by Rumsfeld and the DoD, designed to ensure ‘full spectrum dominance’ across all modes of conflict. This pre-dated the insurgency in Iraq and the promotion of counterinsurgency in the US Army by General David Petraeus and others. Policymakers' reluctance to acknowledge the insurgency in Iraq was not down to a failure to understand the concept of IW, but because they had viewed Iraq in conventional terms for so many years and were reluctant to admit their mistake. Routledge 2014-05-28 Article PeerReviewed Ryan, Maria (2014) 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008. Small Wars and Insurgencies, 25 (1). pp. 41-68. ISSN 1743-9558 irregular warfare counterinsurgency Rumsfeld Global War on Terror 'full spectrum dominance' http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09592318.2014.893600 doi:10.1080/09592318.2014.893600 doi:10.1080/09592318.2014.893600 |
| spellingShingle | irregular warfare counterinsurgency Rumsfeld Global War on Terror 'full spectrum dominance' Ryan, Maria 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title | 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title_full | 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title_fullStr | 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title_full_unstemmed | 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title_short | 'Full spectrum dominance': Donald Rumsfeld, the Department of Defense, and US irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| title_sort | 'full spectrum dominance': donald rumsfeld, the department of defense, and us irregular warfare strategy 2001-2008 |
| topic | irregular warfare counterinsurgency Rumsfeld Global War on Terror 'full spectrum dominance' |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36105/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36105/ https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/36105/ |