Episode 11 of the Irregular Warfare Podcast is a deep dive into insurgency and counterinsurgency in the Philippines, presented through the perspectives of both a Republic of the Philippines armed forces officer and a US Special Forces advisor, who each draw on their many years of experience in Philippine counterinsurgency efforts.

Dr. Joe Felter and retired Col. Dennis Eclarin discuss the history and evolution of insurgency and counterinsurgency in the Philippines, with a focus on US support to building effective counterinsurgency forces in both the pre- and post- 9/11 eras. Based on shared operational perspectives and collaboration on research—specifically an extensive micro-conflict database—our guests describe what makes COIN forces effective. They then discuss the implications of their lessons learned for counterinsurgency and security efforts around the world.

Dr. Felter is a William J. Perry Fellow at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation and a research fellow at the Hoover Institution. From 2017 to 2019, Dr. Felter served as US deputy assistant secretary of defense for South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Oceania. He is the codirector of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project and the coauthor of Small Wars, Big Data: The Information Revolution and Modern Conflict. Dr. Felter retired as a colonel from the US Army’s Special Forces.

Col. Eclarin is a retired Republic of the Philippines Army officer who spent his career in the Scout Ranger Regiment. After decades serving in elite combat roles, Col. Eclarin directed the Training Development Center of the Philippine Army’s Training and Doctrine Command, where he played a lead role in analyzing data and implementing the findings of the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project’s efforts in the Philippines. Col. Eclarin is the author of several books on Philippine insurgency and counterinsurgency forces, including Scout Ranger War Stories and Philippine Rebel Stories.

The Irregular Warfare Podcast is a collaboration between the Modern War Institute and Princeton University’s Empirical Studies of Conflict Project. You can listen to the full episode below, and you can find it and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. And be sure to follow the podcast on Twitter!

Image credit: Petty Officer First Class (PH1) Edward G. Martens, US Navy