TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01 - TRADOC - U.S. Army

TRADOC Pam 525-3-7-01Any charade ended yesterday when word of a Coalition force moving by air and sea andclose enough to land reached the capital. Armed Anderian Soldiers appeared everywhere alongwith their curious mix of Russian, Chinese and French combat vehicles. The anticipated invasionset off a mad scramble to escape the Central Province of Sumatra. All the roads were jammed aswere the ports, ferry stations, and airports. Pekanbaru International was a madhouse. Aftereighteen months of phony war with Ander manipulating a band of pirates plying the Strait ofMalacca, the GOI had convinced the Coalition to act.American, British, Australian, and New Zealand ships were reported to be less than a day’ssteaming from the southwest side of Sumatra. Every indication was that the Coalition wouldattack to seize Padang and then strike across the mountains toward Pekanbaru. Anderiandefenses were ready. They would inflict devastating destruction on any Coalition attempt to landnear Padang. Whatever made it ashore would then face a withering hail of missiles, armedUnmanned Aerial Systems and Anderian forces’ fires as they withdrew into the thick jungles andup the slopes of the western ridge mountains rising to over 12,000 feet.Ibn Ander knew he couldn’t defeat a determined Coalition offensive, but he thought he couldforce a negotiated peace that left him in charge of the Caliphate. It had happened elsewherewhen the westerners lost the stomach for casualties and drawn out conflict. They called itasymmetric warfare. He would fight the information war and play the economic cards he’ddrawn all the while giving them as much asymmetry as he could manage. That was why he wasletting the UN delegation get out. Surely, they would go back and tell the world how different theCaliphate was from the rest of corruption-ridden Indonesia.“These Infidels never learn,” Ibn Ander said to his Chief of Staff of the Armed IslamicWarriors. “All we need to do is control the information operations and kill their precious menand women until they cave under the pressure of public polls. How comforting, General Dumai,don’t you agree?”“Holy and Honorable Caliph,” the former GOI general replied, “I’m afraid I don’t shareyour disdain for the Coalition’s might or their failing memories. Let me reinforce the garrisonson the Strait of Malacca just in case. These Coalition officers, especially the Americans, won’tbe fooling around, but you already know that Ibn,” Dumai said, carefully using his leader’s firstname as he’d been instructed.“And that’s the key, Dumai! Draw them in. Create a quagmire. Isn’t that one of theirfavorite descriptions for their military fiascos? With all their sophisticated equipment, ourmountains and jungles will swallow them while your warriors pick away at them. It’s all aswe’ve planned, my friend. Just another page from Imam Osama, God be good to his soul. Wemust be patient.”General Dumai was not at all naïve. He’d risen in the Indonesian Army attending Britishand American staff and war colleges. He knew he couldn’t think like the Brits or Americans, buthe knew how they thought. While he didn’t dare oppose Ibn Ander, he didn’t relish facing thewestern forces closing on Sumatra. He burned his bridges when he joined Ander. Maybe theformer governor was right. Maybe their relatively small force could stall the Coalition. He’d47