Impact of Technology on the Command, Control, and Organizational Structure of Insurgent Groups

Recent world events in Iraq have highlighted the power of insurgent groups in battling a more powerful opponent like the United States. Some reports have characterized the insurgency in Iraq as a technology-empowered, network-centric organization without a defined command and control structure while others have painted the insurgency as an undefined hierarchical organization. These contradictory reports have prompted the question: Has technology changed the way the Iraq insurgency operates? Three historical examples, the Front for National Liberation in Algeria, the Irish Republication Army in Ireland, and the Vietcong in South Vietnam display examples of insurgent organizations and further illustrate how these groups used technology for command and control. These historical examples were compared with reported trends of insurgent organization and insurgent activity in Iraq. The ultimate conclusion is that, although Iraqi insurgents attempt to utilize technology for command and control, they must revert to the same methods used by past insurgent groups because the US and coalition forces enjoy superiority in the area of technology. Furthermore, the Iraqi insurgency is an immature organization moving toward a hierarchy.