Counter Insurgency Operations (COIN) Schooling and Preparation of Nyantastans Strategy

[Nyanta]

There was quite a bit of commotion as the officer walked slowly through the hallways of the office building that had been converted for their use. His colleagues were already training the military police and special forces. He also entered the improvised training room, where countless soldiers were already waiting. The midday sun's rays streamed through the large windows as he placed his books on a small table next to a large green chalkboard. 

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is the counterinsurgency course. You will learn here our results and strategies for the soon occupation of Ulfheimr. As you surely know from the history of the Argic Wars, we also managed to organize an Insurgency successfully.  Other nations have also had to deal with rebels and other obstacles, from which we can learn today."
As he continued to speak, the first soldiers whispered to each other. So it was true, they would conquer Ulfheimr.  The officer cleared his throat and silence returned.
"Now, before I begin, do you all know what counterinsurgency is?"
An eager soldier spoke up. This one looked like a kid, maybe just 19, the officer thought. Good thing his uniform identified him as military police and not special forces. Conscription sometimes had the disadvantage of risking the lives of young people. He didn't pursue the thought any longer and picked up the soldier. Who immediately replied, "To crush rebels with all the power and harshness of the military!"

 

A few more experienced soldiers suppressed a laugh, the officer did not let on. In a calm voice, the latter began to speak. "You are unfortunately mistaken. Counterinsurgency is a part of asymmetric warfare. And it's usually done by special forces and specially trained personnel. In this type of warfare, the enemy hides in the population and uses every opportunity to slowly wear down the occupying power morally. The strategy sounds simple. The insurgents just have to endure. And wear down the occupying arms slowly and long enough. Eventually, then, either a regular army or a well-collected insurgent army can destroy the occupying arms, which have long since lost the will to fight."
The officer took a sip of water from one of the bottles on the table and looked at the partially nodding and perplexed faces, most of which began to take notes after a short time.
"And now we come to the most important point. How do we stop this? How do we not make the same mistakes and not create an insurgency? For this topic today we will rely on 3 theories developed in different times, and we will try to apply them to our situation and improve it."
He reached for one of the books he had brought, held it up briefly, and then opened it. It was a book that counted a good 500 pages and already showed strong signs of use. On the book was written in flaked golden letters, Strategies of the Indirect Approach. It was by Isoroku Ragnval. It was written at the time of the first Argic War.
"What quickly becomes clear is that the insurgents actually always have a higher popularity than the occupying ones. As a result, the population is more willing to help them. This creates the problem that the insurgents not only enjoy a clear goal and popularity among the population, but also have the advantage of mobility, invisibility and legitimacy.  This makes it impossible for regular armies to fight the insurgents, and defeat is inevitable."
The sun was much higher by now, and he noted the main points again on the blackboard with snow-white chalk.
"Please read this book thoroughly. And prepare to fight a battle you will not win." Looking at his watch, he added, "You now have until 1430 noon, after which we will meet again here. And don't be late"
With these words, he closed his book and sat down at the table for the first time. In the meantime, the soldiers ran into the corridors and went to the improvised canteen in the former warehouse of the office building, he thought to himself, while the middle-aged man unpacked and ate the food he had brought with him. 

After the break, the officer continued the lesson by opening the next book on his stack. "As you can see now, it's about how we can solve the problem I just mentioned. An interesting theory was put up by another general on this. It states that most wars should be about securing the popularity of the population, rather than focusing on controlling the territory. In doing so, he assumed the following."
The man turned to the board to jot down the points.

"First," the chalk slid smoothly across the board, "the bulk of the population will be neutral, and the popularity of one's forces can be secured simply by a friendly but active minority. Second, the population must be protected from the insurgents in order to support cooperation. No one will do business with them or help them if they could be killed for it at any time. Thirdly, they should be aware that they must introduce order slowly and gradually."
As he wrote the last point on the board, he also closed the book.
"As you can see, we already have two different opinions and approaches. We will talk briefly about the fact that counterinsurgency is in an inescapable trilemma. We can only meet 2 out of 3 points at any given time. These 3 points are the protection of our own troops, people and bases. Keeping civilians and enemy insurgents apart, and eliminating the insurgents."
He makes a short pause and underlines these points twice.
"Remember that we can only fulfill two of these points. "So let's move on to the last book for today." He opens the last and by far the thinnest book. "Throw away 99 percent of the literature on counterinsurgency. Because they were written by the losers" The officer paused for a moment "As you can see, nothing here is embellished. It is true that there are not many that we can work with effectively, and there is no magic formula. The author of this book suggests only 2 effective ways to fight insurgents. Either by destroying the insurgents with a bloody and horrible blow and making an example of them. Or by keeping the losses on both sides as low as possible".
The officer talked a bit more about the book before he closed it and stood in front of the table. He leaned slightly and looked at the whole class.

"So how can we do it better? We have a big advantage. The Ulfheimr are organized in tribes. We will guarantee and secure independence for all of them. We will form a parliamentary government in which each tribe has an equal voice. Thus, especially the small tribes will be on our side. While we reward them for their cooperation and slowly make our laws conditional. For example, creating jobs by building houses for these tribes and boosting their economy. We will teach them to do these tasks, not just on their own. But we will also educate them on our Laws and enforce them step by step. This will ensure the integration of the smaller tribes, who will now all rule together while we negotiate with the larger tribes. Step by step, we will slowly and carefully integrate the tribes and free them from their indoctrination."
He pauses for a moment, "To put it bluntly, we will reward them for their behavior and at the same time bind them to our laws. But we will do it in such a way that it doesn't happen too suddenly for them or cause big changes all at once. This process will take more time, but the mixture of popularity and the reduction of casualties and fighting should ensure that we don't have any uprisings. And the counterinsurgency will run smoothly." He straightened up and stretched once,
"That's it for today, I expect you back here tomorrow at 0700. Oh, and remember. The most important thing is that we learn from our mistakes immediately and do not repeat them. Many have already made mistakes, it is time that we learn from them and show the wurld how to fight insurgents properly. Namely, by preventing an uprising altogether." He laughed a little. A forced laugh. Even he knew that Nyantastan would hardly be able to show anyone without the help of his allies. But this they had to do on their own, and he hoped that the endless training sessions and subsequent meetings would help prevent failure as much as possible.

 

[Nyanta]

0700 office building, improvised classroom
The sun had not yet risen, but classes were already starting. A few of the tribes near the border that could be talked to had partially defected. A man in his mid-30s with a rugged face and a full beard stood in a suit next to the instructor. His demeanor shows military experience, but it does not look very refined. The instructor begins to speak" If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. And with these words we start today's lesson and change some things until the invasion." He waited a moment looking at the stunned faces, "The man next to me is Harvi Helgran a warrior from Ulfheimr and someone who also speaks our language." With that Havi spoke up, he had a slight accent, but you could understand him well, "That's right sir. Starting today, you will go through a special program to learn our language." No sooner was that said than 4 more men entered the room and stood at the beginning of the rows of tables in the room. "Havi's tribe is helping us learn the Ulfheimr language so that our communication will work smoothly in enemy territory and with the natives. Therefore, each row or unit gets a Norsphone. These men will translate everything your new officers say into simple Norse for you. From now on, we will only speak Nordic to prepare you. The officer staff has already learned Norse, and you will do the same as soon as possible. They will go through an intensive training, confronting them with our new equipment and the circumstances in Ulfheimr. You will adapt to the new conditions, speaking, singing, and even thinking only in Norse. There will be disciplinary sanctions if they are caught speaking in another language. And of course, their progress will be monitored regularly. Let's see how fast they can learn. With that, the officer turned to Havi and told him in Norse, "Your boys, make them native speakers." With that, the officer said goodbye, and the strenuous daily routine of learning Norse began for these men.