The Basilan Model

After five years in Iraq, the United Statesis looking fora better way to conductcounterinsurgency operations. The successful employment of the"BasilanModel"inthe Muslim-dominated region of the southern Philippines offers valuable insights in combating insurgents who use terrorism to achieve their goals. Senior policy-makers can, andshould, use this model in otherconflicts, but must first understandthe conditions that allowed for its successand either replicate them or construct conditions that create the same effects. Thiscase study analyzes the "conditions" surrounding Joint Task Force (JTF) 510's strategy in Operation EnduringFreedom-Philippines (OEF-P). Understanding whyand how the model was successfulallows commandersand policy-makers to make more informed decisions in combating terrorismand avoid the costlymistakes encountered in Iraqand Afghanistan.Theresults of this study reveal thatspecificpre-conditions enabled the success of JTF-510 and that other conditions, consciously developed, facilitated operationsin a positivemanner. The pre-conditions in-place beforeJTF-510 arrived included along-standing U.S.-Philippine partnership, high English language proficiency, favorable geography, and a conflictarguably characterized as a cultural versus a religious insurgency. Of the conditions consciously developed by JTF-510'sleadership, the decision to limit troop presence,maintaina "low-profile," restrict the rules of engagement,and properly recognize the conflict as an insurgency fromthe start helped overcome many of the challenges encountered inIraq and Afghanistan. Together,theseconditions allowedthis joint venture withtheArmed Forcesof thePhilippines (AFP) to remove the terrorist threat from Basilan Island.The results,however, alsoshowthe model's inabilityto effectively address government reform and stopwidespread corruption, which essentially limitsthe permanency of this victoryin the Philippines.