Customer Reviews

Tequila Junction: 4th-Generation Counterinsurgency

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

I just finished reading the latest book by John Poole, "Tequila Junction 4th-Generation Counterinsurgency." The book is outstanding. I could not put it down. It's not a novel, but if your interest or responsibility is security, it reads like one. Tequila Junction is, a lesson on current world events including intelligence gathered on non-Muslim threats to America from Central and South America and their links to China. The first part of the book discusses this intelligence and the possibility of politically oriented and drug funded threats to the United States. Yes back to drugs funding political oriented cartels, gangs or maras (MS13, M18 and others) as well as terrorist groups all cooperating in this effort. Poole talks of the United states narrow focus on Al-Qaeda has had its attention diverted from this part of the world. "Latin America provides the perfect example of what can happen from to narrow a focus. Because so little al-Qaeda activity there, U.S. leaders have all but ignored a potential catastrophe at their doorstep. In a place where the two biggest threats to personal freedom combine (drugs and revolution), they have settled for another of their patented "top-down" solutions. Such a solution will have little chance where the source of the problem has yet to be determined." A reader can easily see based on Americas past and current craving for drugs where the implications at home to security and the law enforcement community are obvious if these threats are allowed to go undisputed.

In the second part of the book, Poole describes the unconventional tactics necessary, the military will need in counterinsurgency efforts. These unconventional methods are indirect and involve methods related to police problem solving and indirect conflict. Poole describes 4GW methods of recognizing the gangs and maras as part of the solution-that it is more important to "convert ones foe than to kill him." He talks about, "wars of the future must be won by some other way than expert snipers and pinpoint bombing. The name of the game is no longer to kill as many foes as possible, but rather to sway the allegiance of as many as possible." This is related to law enforcement methods utilized today that are paramount to forming community partnerships and winning community members over in an effort to curtail crime and solve crime problems here at home. Poole discusses these links between law enforcement and military efforts in a way that is easy to understand.

In the latter parts of the book Poole describes methods to use and how to implement these methods effectively. He talks of leadership and the importance of front line personnel being able to think and make decisions on their own based on the overall mission of winning foes over. The book in its appendix titled "Bottom-up Training" describes better training methods to prepare those whose job it is to solve these serious problems at home and abroad.

Those in Law Enforcement and Homeland Security should read this book. The implications from abroad have in the past and currently effect the climate on the streets here at home. Understanding yourself and the adversary are key to success, our efforts will be greatly enhanced by the information contained in this outstanding resource Tequila Junction.

John Poole keeps doing it. Doing what you may ask?

He keeps providing our military leaders, of all ranks, excellent books on how to train and develop U.S. forces to deal with threats today and in the future that understand 4th Generation Warfare. I like Tequila Junction because I agree totally with John, that the biggest threat to the U.S. right now is just across our Southern border. Not from the state of Mexico itself, but from the non-state groups, the drug cartels that are starting to dismantle the state of Mexico and are pouring violence across our borders. And as the political leadership of Mexico (not all), but most continue to put self before service, and remain corrupt, the masses will continue to turn toward these groups to provide them a way to live. This, coupled with our own political leaders failing to secure our border, now seven years after 9/11 due to back channel political deals with the government of Mexico, has become the biggest threat to our nation.

But, as John has done in his other excellent books, he outlines the problem, but recommends a workable solution. It will just take leaders of character to implement it. I think so highly of John's books that I made his Last Hundred Yards one of my two main text books when I taught ROTC at Georgetown University (the other one was the Maneuver Warfare Handbook by William S. Lind). I also have pushed all his other books to my multitude of contacts as recommended mandatory reading for their students. In recent visits I have seen his books on the shelves and in the hands of instructors and students at the U.S. Army Infantry School, Military Intelligence School, and in ROTC programs,as well as the United States Military Academy at West Point (all of which are using my book Raising the Bar to teach adaptability).

Keep it up John,
Don

The military industrial complex will not like this book. Neither will the wealthy private bankers that own the Federal Reserve like it. Because, this book demonstrates how the drug traffic, firearms, and human traffic that ply across the US border can be halted without expensive toys. It also is amazingly accurate about the situation that exists in Mexico, even though the book was written a couple of years ago. Unfortunately, according to my Guatemalan friends (who fled their land when their fathers were killed), Mexico is currently going through what Guatemala has already experienced. It is sad that this information will fall on deaf ears. If you are concerned about the future of America, you need this information. "Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."

Very insightful book giving historical back ground of Latin America and 3rd Generation Warfare we, the US, used there. Poole explained why and how that is not an effective model for use to stop the Chinese, PRC, from using our southern neighbors against us as a way to undermine our country with drugs and distract us while they, the PRC, get their style, communist/socialist, of leadership in positions of power. I thought the suggestions for 4th generation warfare was a far more useful and effective way to handle the problem than the 3rd generation warfare approach used in the 80s. I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 because I would like to have had footnotes on the sources he used to write the historical section of the book. It would have made it easier to back check the data but over all the book is still 5 stars.

The more I read Poole's books, the more I am amazed at how little attention they seem to get, which is truly sad and frightening. I recommend this thought-provoking book to anyone interested in understanding fourth-generation warfare (4GW) and the serious consequences it is having too close to our southern border.

This book is very similar to Poole's previous books - incredibly detailed research from a wide array of sources coupled with a very credible and critical analysis of U.S. national security and military policy and practices. What makes this book different from his other books, and much more important, is that the very real and challenging threats he describes are not somewhere far away overseas - they are right in 'our backyard' in Latin America. Poole made it very clear that there are increasing ties between China and Latin America, especially within Cuba and Venezuela. He took that fact a step further and presented a logical and compelling case to explain what it means now and in the future to our national security. If you do not believe it or were unaware of it, just pay attention to the news and look it up yourself.

Poole divided the book into three sequential and complementary parts: the current intelligence situation in Latin America (including the necessary historical background), an analysis of U.S. strategy and how it stacks up against the threats in the region, and then Poole's recommended counterinsurgency techniques. In a book filled with many stimulating facts, concepts, and passages, one quote that really stood out to me for its apparent simplicity yet inherently profound implications for our standard military and national security approach to perceived and actual threats was, "Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary" (Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948).

I sincerely hope that Poole's research, conclusions, and recommendations in this outstanding book inspire reflection and discussion about our approach to the threats we are currently facing and those we are likely to face in the foreseeable future. His work is a warning that should be heeded.

Nearly all of the previous reviews are glowing and I'd like to add my praise for a job well done. Poole not only clearly teaches the complex nature of the problems faced in Central and South America, but goes on to offer a solid framework for solving them with minimal cost in both blood and treasure.

That said, I want to address the only poor review. It seems the reviewer ignores the 4th Gen Warfare currently being waged in the region. Country after country have flipped to leftist/communist regimes and that cancer has overrun the region. Corruption, murder, intimidation and fraudulent "elections" are the hallmarks of those now in power. Much of this has been funded by drug money. To suggest, as Rand Corp puts forth, that the problem can be solved by expanding substance abuse programs is naive at best and conspiratorial at worst. I smell an agenda from those suggesting such.

This book is detailed, well documented, and offers real solutions at both the micro and macro levels for restoring freedom to the oppressed.

A very insightful analysis of the current geo-strategic situation with serious and dangerous national defense implications for the western hemisphere and the US. This book presents an excellent homeland security threat assessment. It should be required reading for everyone concerned with national and hemispheric defense, the personnel of the Department of Homeland Security, everyone assigned to NORTHCOM and SOUTHCOM, and all state defense force personnel, especially those of the border states.

Outstanding book...promotes out-of-the-box thinking and reframes developing threats. It addresses a number of issues our government is not paying much attention to:

-issues pertaining to homeland security- Poole explains how migration, uncontrolled illegal immigration, contributes to the destruction of a nation-state. The United States is facing this problem now but our government is almost doing nothing about it.

-addresses how illicit activities related to illegal immigration create a market for narco-trafficking which feeds terrorist financing... making the war on terrorism a self licking ice cream cone in favor of terrorist groups such as Hezbollah and Hamas (a Shi'i Iranian backed terrorist group and Palestinian backed Sunni terrorist group).

-the activities create exploitable venues for nation-states which desire to diminish/manage United States influence, China being one example...Russia and Iran a possible second. The subversion of society provides competitive nation-states and means to wage war against the United States via nonmilitary means. This is the essence of fourth generation warfare... leveraging society, subverting societies, in order to achieve victory while undermining US technological military superiority. The state is unable to maintain its territorial integrity and eventually begins to wither away.

John is saying the emperor is naked

With each new book he publishes, John Poole always manages to provide many new and relevant insights that prove equally useful to leaders at all levels. All military decision makers, from policy makers to infantry squad leaders, can draw important lessons from this book.

As an infantry officer in the US Army, I have made John Poole's books required reading for all my soldiers and constantly use his material to establish training and tactics for my unit.

This latest work may not seem pressing at the moment since most of our attention is directed towards the middle east. However, as John Poole argues in his persuasive and meticulously researched arguments, the emerging threats in Latin America may be more serious than many of us have anticipated. In addition, the lessons John Poole extracts about counterinsurgency and the tactics he describes, are useful to counterinsurgents operating in all regions, not just Latin America.

John Poole has done it again with "Tequila Junction"! This time, his focus is on Latin America and the challenges faced by the US there. Things start off at a fast pace in Chapter 1: "Dope Dealers, Gangs, Islamists, or Maoists?" (I ran into 3 of the 4 during my travels in South America in the '80s and the problem has just gotten worse since then). The book goes on to cover not only the problems in the region but also offers up practical solutions that could effectively deal with the problems, if given a chance. A must have for anyone interested in the region.