Spectrar Ghost
Senior Member.
It was suggested that I split discussion of this manual off into a new thread. I'll try to do it justice.
Infowars claims:
http://www.infowars.com/army-manual-outlines-plan-to-kill-rioters-in-america/
The reality seems to be much more mundane.
http://info.publicintelligence.net/USAMPS-CivilDisturbanceOps.pdf Is a course outline for a Military Police class on crowd control, both inside the continental US (CONUS opertations), and outside them (OCONUS operations). It's a 115 page document, so I won't be exhaustive, but there are several points I'd like to touch on:
1) The US Army is allowed to deploy inside the US to quell civil unrest in extreme circumstances.
2) In all such circumstances, the Army will deploy to aid civil authorities at the request of states.
3) There are strict controls on how force can be used for civil disorder regardless of theatre. They are significantly more restrictive in CONUS operations.
4) While the US Army is theoretically allowed to use deadly force while deployed inside CONUS, the circumstances that allow it are narrow, and it is stressed that the minimum neccessary force should be employed at all times.
The infowars article quotes this passage early on. Note that a "show of force" is different than "use of force". A show of force is just that: troops deploy in combat gear in an attempt to dissuade the unlawful use of force. It's the same reason police wear guns - usually showing the ability to bring force to bear actually prevents its use. None of the options listed imply deadly force you'll notice. Crowd Control Agents really just refers to tear gas, which civil authorities also have access to, and for similar reasons.
Let's look at what need's to occur for deployment in CONUS next.
There's a lot here, but I think it's important to be able to see the entire process it takes. I've bolded what I think are the most important parts.
In general, the states need to request support. The army doesn't get to offer. The Attorney General (i.e. a civilian) oversees all such operations. All such operations leave ultimate control (but not command) in the hands of local and state authorities. The president needs to sign an executive order before the Army can deploy. However, the Army can pre-position in advance of such action to reduce delays when the Executive Order does take effect. After order is restored the army goes home.
People will piss you off. Be professional. Never allow yourself to use excessive force.
Use of the Army for civil disturbance is a "drastic last resort". Use minimum neccessary force. If you break the law you will be held accountable.
If the army is called in, the S really has HTF. Regardless the mission lasts only until nonfederal forces can retain civil order. Remember, National Guard units are state forces, so in order for the army to be called in the unrest must be unable to be controlled by the state's National Guard units.
They bring in the lawyers to ensure the RoE follow applicable laws.
Use minimum neccessary force. If you use deadly force you better be sure it's justified. The easiest way to determine minimum neccessary force is a measured and graduated approach where escalations are announced in advance.
Seriously, deadly force is a big deal and you need to have exhausted all your options before you even think about using it. Better yet, Just don't.
Again, your goal is never to need to use deadly force. Don't even load your weapons until deadly force is authorized by an officer.
The army don't operate jails unless there is no room at the inn. They will then need approval from the Army Chief of Staff before operation. They will operate only until civil authorities can process detainees. Those detained by civil authorities will never be sent to army detention centers.
This is only a fifth of the way in. It's a huge wall of text. However I noticed when it was being quoted elsewhere context was being snipped out and wanted to avoid that pitfall.
There is repeated and explicit comment on the use of minimum neccessary force, the near total avoidance of deadly force, the fact that the army operates in CONUS only in circumstances where local and state forces (including National Guard) are insufficient, only at the state's request, and only for the minimum time neccessary to return control to local agencies.
This document is not a plan to kill rioters and demonstrators in America, as Infowars claims. It is instead a plan to restore order with the absolute minimum use of force required, and preferably without any casualties.
Infowars claims:
The reality seems to be much more mundane.
http://info.publicintelligence.net/USAMPS-CivilDisturbanceOps.pdf Is a course outline for a Military Police class on crowd control, both inside the continental US (CONUS opertations), and outside them (OCONUS operations). It's a 115 page document, so I won't be exhaustive, but there are several points I'd like to touch on:
1) The US Army is allowed to deploy inside the US to quell civil unrest in extreme circumstances.
2) In all such circumstances, the Army will deploy to aid civil authorities at the request of states.
3) There are strict controls on how force can be used for civil disorder regardless of theatre. They are significantly more restrictive in CONUS operations.
4) While the US Army is theoretically allowed to use deadly force while deployed inside CONUS, the circumstances that allow it are narrow, and it is stressed that the minimum neccessary force should be employed at all times.
Let's look at what need's to occur for deployment in CONUS next.
In general, the states need to request support. The army doesn't get to offer. The Attorney General (i.e. a civilian) oversees all such operations. All such operations leave ultimate control (but not command) in the hands of local and state authorities. The president needs to sign an executive order before the Army can deploy. However, the Army can pre-position in advance of such action to reduce delays when the Executive Order does take effect. After order is restored the army goes home.
This is only a fifth of the way in. It's a huge wall of text. However I noticed when it was being quoted elsewhere context was being snipped out and wanted to avoid that pitfall.
There is repeated and explicit comment on the use of minimum neccessary force, the near total avoidance of deadly force, the fact that the army operates in CONUS only in circumstances where local and state forces (including National Guard) are insufficient, only at the state's request, and only for the minimum time neccessary to return control to local agencies.
This document is not a plan to kill rioters and demonstrators in America, as Infowars claims. It is instead a plan to restore order with the absolute minimum use of force required, and preferably without any casualties.
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