Space Warfare and Defense, a Historical Encyclopedia and Research Guide. Bert Chapman. Santa...

SpaceWarfare andDefense, a Historical Encyclopedia andResearchGuide. Bert Chapman. Santa Barbara, CA.: ABC-Clio, 2008. xxx, 403pp. $95.00 (cloth), ISBN 1-59884-006-1. Also available as an e-book,ISBN 1-59884-007-X.

There has been renewed interest in recent years in the concepts ofmissile defense and space warfare due to the promotion of theStrategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program by the Bush administration.Subsequent controversy was most recently evidenced by plansproposed by the Administration in 2007 and 2008 for SDI installationsin Poland and the Czech Republic. During the 1980s, interest in theseprograms was brought to a high point by President Reagan’s conceptof a strategic missile shield proposed in 1983. A number ofbibliographical publications appeared after this stimulus. Amongthem was Strategic Defense Initiative by Robert Lawrence, anannotated monograph published in 1987 which lists approximately1000 citations; a bibliographic essay The Strategic Defense Initiative byAndrew Tuttle, which appeared in the academic book review journalChoice in September, 1989; Militarische Nutzung des Weltraums(Military Use of Outer Space, a Research Bibliography) by HansGunter Brauch and Rainer Fischbach, published in 1988; and SpaceWeapons, by Caroline Harnly, published in 1985. A more recentbibliographical contribution was Harnessing the Heavens: NationalDefense Through Space compiled by ElwoodWhite, published by the U.S Air Force Academy in 2006.

computers—as well as those with computer skills who can easilynavigate the web. The webinar might have pointed out that the digitaldivide remains alive and well in this country. Transparency in govern-ment should not be limited to those with access to computers.

Edward O'DonnellUniversity of Maryland University College

3501 University Boulevard EastAdelphi, MD 20783, USA

E-mail address: eodonnell@umuc.edu

The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a BigOne. David Kilcullen. New York: Oxford University Press, 2009. 346pp. $27.95 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-19-536834-5.

There is a growing literary corpus examining the conduct of warsin Iraq and Afghanistan along with increasing assessments of how toconduct counterinsurgency operations in combat arenas such as theaforementioned countries. David Kilcullen, a former Australianmilitary officer, who has advised U.S. Central Command commanderGeneral David Petraeus and former Secretary of State CondoleezzaRice, is particularly well qualified from his professional experienceand service to provide insights into conducting counterinsurgencyoperations which may become the primary use of U.S. military forcesfor the foreseeable future.

Kilcullen describes the term “accidental guerrilla,” as individualswho become involved in fighting Western military forces becausethey oppose outside or foreign presences in their geographicresidences, such as Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas(FATA) (p. 38). He is interested in conflict between non-state socialgroups such as tribes, clans, and families (p. xiii), and placesconsiderable emphasis on using the term takfiri to describe Islamicterrorists who use terrorism to further their political and religiousideology by killing Muslins not adhering to takfiri tenets, despitepurported Quranic injunctions against religious compulsion. Kilcullenbelieves takfiri is a better term to use than jihadi or mujahidin (holywarrior) to describe Islamist terrorists (pp. xviii–xix).

The Accidental Guerrilla goes on to examine this phenomenon inconflicts as far flung as West Java, southern Thailand, Afghanistan,Iraq, Pakistan's FATA, and Western Europe. He mentions that thereare four possible ways of looking at accidental guerrilla conflictsincluding an antiglobalization backlash, a globalized insurgency, acivil war within Islam, and asymmetric warfare (pp. 7–27). Kilcullenbelieves discrediting insurgent propaganda is fundamental tosuccessful counterinsurgency (p. 15), contends that there aresignificant political difficulties transitioning the U.S. military fromconventional to counterinsurgency combat (p. 27), maintains that AlQaida (Islamist terrorist movement founded by Osama bin Laden andAyman al-Zawahri) tactics involve provocation, intimidation, pro-traction, and exhaustion (pp. 30–32), and that accidental guerrillasemerge from a four-stage cyclical process involving infection,contagion, intervention, and rejection (pp. 35–38).

One of his most important conclusions is that separating theinsurgents from the people, winning local allies, and connecting thepopulation to the government is vital for successful counterinsurgency(p. 71). Additional important characteristics involve winning thesupport of traditional societal leaders as being more important thangaining support from individuals (p. 68), providing 24-h humansecurity to local populations (pp. 111–112), emphasizing effectivelocal governance (p. 113), protecting people and giving them a viablealternative to violence (p. 128), using gated communities to regulateIraqi sectarian violence (pp. 142–143), keeping commitments to

doi:10.1016/j.giq.2010.01.001

indigenous inhabitants and understanding the importance of tribaldynamics (pp. 156–157), strengthening immigrant community struc-tures in Europe as a way of reducing the risk of terrorism (pp. 251,254), and the critical need for Muslim leaders to play leading roles incountering terrorism (p. 259).

Kilcullen's anthropological approach is effective in stressing thetribal dynamics at play in motivating many societies such as Iraq andPakistan's FATA and how understanding and working with thesecultural traditions can achieve successful results. His statement thatthose individuals and groups fighting the U.S. and other countriessince 9/11 are only concerned with our presence in their territoriesand do not seek the overthrow of the west is mistaken (p. 261) due tothe globalist nature of takfiri ideology. Besides discrediting takfiripropaganda, Kilcullen also needs to recommend directly challengingtakfiri religious beliefs since such beliefs are a core component oftheir operating philosophy.

The Accidental Guerrilla correctly recognizes that fighting coun-terinsurgency campaigns is a time-consuming proposition which willtake decades and require careful cultivation and maintenance of long-term relationships in these campaign arenas which seek to providehuman security and improve the tangible quality of life for people inthese areas. Readers will benefit from Kilcullen's extensive biblio-graphic references documenting his research and will find compli-mentary perspectives provided in John A. Nagl Learning to Eat SoupWith a Knife: Counterinsurgency Lessons From Malaya and Vietnam. TheAccidental Guerrilla is an essential resource for understanding manyaspects of current and emerging counterinsurgency militaryoperations.

Bert ChapmanGovernment Information and Political Science Librarian

HSSE LibraryPurdue University

West Lafayette, IN, USAE-mail address: chapmanb@purdue.edu

doi:10.1016/j.giq.2009.12.008

210 Book Reviews

Another genre of bibliography has appeared relatively recently inthe form of online bibliographies via the Internet, most with links tothe full text of the publications cited. Some examples of these aresources such as Space-Based Weapons (http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/spaceb/space.htm) compiled by Stephanie Rollins of the AirUniversity Library in 2003, the bibliography of Space Debate.org(http://www.spacedebate.org/bibliography), compilations from theWestern State Legal Foundation, and Government Military SpaceDocuments, a bibliography compiled by reference librarians at the AirUniversity Library (http://www.wslfweb.org/space/spacedocs.htm).Now to these sources has been added a 400 plus page monographicreference source Space Warfare and Defense: A Historical Encyclopediaand Research Guide by Bert Chapman. The author's stated purpose is to“chronicle the history and development of military space policy of theU.S. and other countries through 2007.” (xiii) He describes that,although much information in this area is obviously classified, there isstill a significant amount that is openly available from governmentand military documents from both the U.S. and some foreigncountries, scholarly books and journal articles, and analysis producedby research organizations and think tanks, both international anddomestic. He also notes that this is a “very interdisciplinary subject,having connections to science, technology, and the social sciences.”(xiii).

The volume is organized into two large sections. The first is onmilitary space policy and programs (chapters 1–5). The second is onresources providing support for research in this area (chapters 6-10).The policy and programs section encompasses the larger part of thevolume and considers space policy and program developments mainlyby the United States, but also the programs of other countriestechnologically advanced enough to have them—Russia/Soviet Union,China, and the European Union, primarily the EU countries of France,Germany, and the United Kingdom. In the case of the latter, the entryexplains three basic reasons why the European space perspectivediffers from that of the United States.

These two main sections are supplemented by a chronologicallisting which provides brief entries on important events and by a16-page glossary providing definitions of the many acronyms andterms which permeate a work of this nature. However, all theacronyms which occur in the text are not included in the glossary (forexample STRATCOM, MIDAS, MILSATCOM, OST). Although the fullnames of most of these acronyms are defined in the text where theyfirst appear, it would have been helpful for all acronyms to have beenincluded in the glossary.

Throughout the work, the birth and death (if applicable) dates forindividuals cited in the text are given, a useful point of reference forplacing their life spans in chronological perspective. The book alsocontains a modest number of illustrations, some of individuals, someof events, and some, themost interesting, of space hardware—many ofthe artists' renditions of the latter of hardware as it might appear inorbit.

Part 1: Policies and Programs

Chapter 1, “Development of U.S. Military Space Policy,” is itselforganized into two parts. The first deals with major military andmilitary related documents, organized chronologically, beginningwithTheodore von Karman's Towards New Horizons (1945). In addition todiscussions of individual policies and reports, there are also inter-spersed broader discussions on transitional developments duringspecific time periods. The second part of this chapter presents excerptsand discussion from selected important presidential military space-related documents occurring during each administration beginningwith that of Eisenhower (1953–1961). Developments occurringduring the Reagan administration (1981–1989) are presented inmore pages than others due to both their number and importance. Theconclusion reached at the end of this section is that, despite differences

of opinion and philosophies, a human military presence in space willbecomenecessary if for no other reason than to ensure and protect freespace access due to the growing importance of space to domestic andinternational economics, intelligence, and security. The conclusionsalso cite six challenges which influence policy concerns and decisions,these being budgetary, diplomatic, military doctrinal, organizationalmanagement, political, and technological.

Chapter 2, “U.S. Military Space Programs,” is concerned with adescription and discussion of eight major military space programs,selected on the basis of their significance, also presented inchronological order, beginning with Project Corona, the first photo-reconnaissance satellite program, which began in 1960. The StrategicDefense Initiative, the most prominent of these programs, is given themost space, about eight pages. The SDI article explains the importantconceptual shift of the program that occurred in the early 1990s, awayfrom the global strategic missile defense model toward a morelocalized theater missile defense model. Brilliant Pebbles, anotherimportant but now terminated program, is also given significant focus,about four pages, as is also the essential Defense Support ProgramSatellites, with about six pages.

Chapter 3 reviews the background development and applicationsof 68 different space weapon systems mainly developed by various U.S.military agencies, since the U.S. has been the main source of theirconception, creation, and projected possible use. Entries provide basicinformation in non-technical language. This listing is not comprehen-sive, but is intended to represent the most prominent programs.

Chapter 4 describes the historical background and primarydevelopments occurring in the space weapons and defense programsof the three major world players other than the United States thathave the technological base and resources to have such programs:Russia (and the former Soviet Union), China, and certain countrieswithin the European Union (EU). The greatest attention is given toRussia, with less for China and the EU, a reflection of the greaterimportance and historical time span of the Russian/Soviet program incomparison with China and the EU.

The final chapter (Chapter 5) in this section is devoted topresenting information on nine selected U.S. laws and internationalagreements relating to space. Background information is provided asto their content and intended purpose, as well as their current status.Ratification data are provided, including signatories, ratificationsources, and date.

The entries in these sections are well-written and presentinformation in sufficient length and in enough non-technical detailto enable the reader to get a good grasp and understanding of the topicunder discussion. Each chapter concludes with a bibliography ofrelevant works, some which are also occasionally quoted in the textentries as well. These bibliographical references include not only theusual genres of books and journal articles, but also include asignificant number of U.S. government documents, this reflecting, ofcourse, the importance of government publications to this field ofstudy. Internet website addresses, now an essential component, arealso included for many sources.

Part 2: Resources

The second major division of this book is devoted to researchresources. The first two chapters of this section (chapters 6 and 7)review the resources of the U.S. government. The first chapter isconcerned with the Department of Defense and its subsidiaryagencies such as such as the Defense Technical Information Center,Scientific and Technical Information Network, and the MissileDefense Agency. Information is provided on the various militaryservices, with an emphasis being the U.S. Air Force. The secondchapter in this section presents information about non-U.S. govern-ment departments, such as the U.S. Congress, relevant Congressionalcommittees, and related support agencies such as the Congressional

211Book Reviews

Budget Office and the Congressional Research Service. Also includedhere are independent agencies and commissions such as NASA andits subsidiary agencies, and the NOAA Satellites program, all of whichare involved in one way or another with space warfare capabilities.This divisional grouping benefits organizational clarity in that itseparates organizations into well-defined sections, based on theirplace in the complex government organizational structure, whatotherwise might be a rather confusing mix of agencies due to thelarge number involved.

A problem with these two chapters which impedes organizationalclarity of the entries is that, although it appears that the intent is togroup subsidiary bodies under their parent body's heading, the factthat the same type face and weight is used for all heading results inwhat is a confusing alphabetical sequence of entries as per thefollowing example between pages 245 and 248:

Department of Defense DirectivesJoint Chiefs of Staff and the Joint Electronic LibraryMissile Defense AgencyJoint National Integration CenterNational Geospatial Intelligence Agency

The arrangement would have been clearer if it has been brieflyexplained textually and if the organization's headings had been mademore typographically distinctive.

The next two chapters (8 and 9) are concerned with non-government research organizations and think tanks, both U.S. andforeign. The first chapter presents a selection of significant non-government U.S. organizations such as the American Institute ofAeronautics and Astronautics, MissileThreat.com, the National Secu-rity Archives, and the Rand Corporation. The second chapter does thesame for the foreign and international government organizations(IGOs), covering agencies such as the French National AerospaceResearch Establishment, and the Russian Space Science Internet.Entries in these chapters are arranged in alphabetical order andpresent enough detail to provide a good picture of the organizationand its purpose. Citations to representative publications of theorganization are given as are also their web addresses.

The final chapter (10) is concerned with what is termed “ResearchAssistance.” It includes references to selected periodical indexes,scholarly and trade journals, and scholarly books. Preliminarybackground information is provided for each topic which helps todefine the role of that topic in the context of research. Entries areannotated and are, as stated, intended to present a “representativesampling” of relevant titles. This section concludes with brief mentionof a documentary collection produced by the National SecurityArchive at George Washington University and also brief mention ofrelevant Library of Congress subject headings.

Chapman's volume provides an excellent historical overview of thesubject of military activities in the space environment during the

period prior to 2007. It adds another dimension to the resourceknowledge base, since it brings together and provides encyclopediccoverage for many of the significant programs, policies, and resourceswhich the field encompasses. This book provides a solid starting pointfor becoming knowledgeable about the subject of the military inspace.

Considering the plethora of information which can be foundscattered about in books, journals, in government documents, and onthe Internet, having the major programs, policies, and governmentagencies involved in the militarization of space organized andpresented in terms of their significance is welcome. However, itshould be kept in mind that this volume is, as the title indicates, ahistorical reference. In a field such as this which is constantly movingforward, current sources such as SpaceWar (http://www.spacewar.com/militaryspace.html), which provides current space newsupdates, the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, (http://armscontrolcenter.org/policy/missiledefense) providing links to re-cent government analysis and reports, and the Center for DefenseInformation (http://www.cdi.org) which provides updates throughits missile defense links, should be monitored regularly to maintaincurrency with ongoing developments.

References

Brauch, H. G., & Fischbach, R. (1988). Militarische Nutzung des Weltraums, EineBibliographie (Military Uses of Outer Space, A Bibliography). Berlin: Verlag A. Spitz.

CDI, Center for Defense Information, Accessed on 16 April 2009 at http://www.cdi.org.Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation, Accessed on 16 April 2009 at http://

armscontrolcenter.org/policy/missiledefense.Harnly, C. D. (1985). Space Weapons. Phoenix, AZ: Oryx Press.Lawrence, R. M. (1987). Strategic Defense Initiative, Bibliography and Research Guide.

Boulder, CO: Westview Press.Spaced-BasedWeapons. Air University Library, 2003. Accessed on 16 April 2009 at http:

//www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/spaceb/space.htm.Space Debate.org, Expanding the debate on space weaponization. Bibliography.

Accessed on 16 April 2009 at http://www.spacedebate.org/bibliography.Space War, Your World at War. Accessed on 16 April 2009 at http://www.spacewar.

com/militaryspace.html.Tuttle, A.C. The Strategic Defense Initiative (1989). (Bibliographical Essay). Choice, 27,

(1), 61-73.White, E. L. (2006). Harnessing the Heavens: National Defense Through Space. Colorado

Springs, CO: United States Air Force Academy.Western State Legal Foundation. Government Military Space Documents. Air University

Library, Accessed on 16April 2009 at http://www.wslfweb.org/space/spacedocs.htm.

Roger AndersonFormerly Political Science Bibliographer and

International Documents LibrarianUniversity of Kansas, 240 Murphy Hall

Lawrence, KS 66045, USAE-mail address: randerson@ku.edu

doi:10.1016/j.giq.2009.12.007

212 Book Reviews