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shadow warfare?

 
 
Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 03:13 am
By November, Rumsfeld had witnessed a demonstration at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, that clarified for him that perhaps the military outfit with the most apposite capacity to fight this new war was the elite Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), the most secretive component of SOCOM. JSOC includes special-mission units of the Army’s Delta force, the Navy’s SEALs, and the Air Force’s Special Tactics Squadron. With special research and intelligence capabilities, and the best of the best among America’s military under their command, JSOC was ideally suited to the shadow warfare that was the only way
to combat the new terrorist enemies.

What does "shadow war" mean here? Does it mean covert warfare?
 
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FBM
  Selected Answer
 
  4  
Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 03:21 am
@PennyChan,
Yes, covert, non-conventional warfare. Sending small, specially trained groups to accomplish specific strategic goals, such as assassinations, kidnappings, interrupting supply lines, gathering information covertly, etc. "Shadow" being a metaphor for "covert," "hidden," "unseen," etc.
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puzzledperson
 
  0  
Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 03:38 am
@PennyChan,
FBM said it pretty well. The only thing I would add is to ask why "shadow warfare" is "the only way to combat the new terrorist enemies". Note that one can use light infantry tactics and commando teams as part of a publicly acknowledged strategy. On the other hand, the covert element is necessary whenever a government doesn't want to be associated with or accountable for its actions. That might be the case when those actions violate American or international law, or the public ethos, or involve the violation of the sovereignty of foreign nations which are at least nominally our ally (e.g. Pakistan).

Incidentally, this thread had no forum distribution list. I took the liberty of adding tags for terrorism and war.
roger
 
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Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 03:49 am
@puzzledperson,
ESL is the only tag needed.
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puzzledperson
 
  -2  
Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 05:00 am
@PennyChan,
Incidentally, in the small screen, low resolution of my cellphone, it appears that Penny Chan is wearing a square of American cheese as a hat. Presumably that isn't the case (though you never know on the Internet), in which case, what is it and what is the cultural background for this item of apparel? On the other hand, if it is indeed a square of American cheese, how old is it? Do you wear a fresh slice each day, or reuse the same one? If the latter, does a specially sanctified storage unit exist for this item of ritual headgear, or do you just put it in the bedside drawer at night?
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PennyChan
 
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Reply Tue 3 Nov, 2015 06:51 pm
Thanks! It helps a lot!
0 Replies
 
 

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