Counterinsurgency in Africa: The Portuguese Way of War, 1961-1974

by John P. Cann III

Overview

The first comprehensive account in English of how the Portuguese Armed Forces prepared for and conducted a distant counterinsurgency campaign in its African possessions with very limited resources, choosing to stay and fight despite the small odds for success. The Portuguese military crafted its doctrine and implemented it to match the guerrilla strategy of protracted war, and in doing so, followed the lessons gleaned from the British and French experiences in small wars. The Portuguese approach to the conflict was distinct in that it sought to combine the two-pronged national strategy of containing the cost of the war and of spreading the burden to the colonies with the solution on the battlefield. It describes how Portugal defined and analyzed its insurgency problem in light of the available knowledge on counterinsurgency, how it developed its military policies and doctrines in this context, and how it applied them in the African colonial environment. The uniqueness of its approach is highlighted through a thematic military analysis of the Portuguese effort and a comparison with the experiences of other governments fighting similar contemporaneous wars.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780313301896
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	02/25/1997
Series:	Contributions in Military Studies , #167
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.56(d)

About the Author

John P. Cann, a former naval flight officer and retired captain, served both on the staff of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special Operations and Low-Intensity Conflict and subsequently on that of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. He holds a PhD in war studies from King's College, University of London, and has published articles on counterinsurgency and military funding.

Table of Contents

Foreword by General Bernard E. Trainor
A Remarkable Feat of Arms
Commitment to the Ultramar
O Exército na Guerra Subversiva: Portuguese Counterinsurgency Doctrine on the Eve of War
Portuguese Organization, Education, and Training for Counterinsurgency
Portuguese Africanization of Counterinsurgency
Portuguese Intelligence Network in Counterinsurgency
Portuguese Approach to Mobility in Counterinsurgency
Portuguese Social Operations and Aldeamentos
Selected Aspects of Logistical Operations
The Portuguese Way
Selected Bibliography
Index

What People are Saying About This

Brigadier-General Renato F. Marques Pinto: Former Chief of Military Intelligence

A fascinating and comprehensive account on the Portuguese-African Campaigns…Through careful research and a balanced presentation of oral history, Captain Dr. Cann shows how a counterinsurgency war could be fought. To my knowledge, this is the best book in English on the subject.

General J.M. Bethencourt Rodrigues: Former Army Chief of Staff

This is a splendid book on a little known subject. Captain Dr. John P. Cann presents a thorough and unbiased study of the Portuguese Campaigns in Africa, 1961-1974. He read many books, examined reports, interviewed people involved in the operations and, retaining the main points, related them in an outstanding way. In the end, his book results in a comprehensive study, unparalleled by any books published in Portugal or elsewhere…Captain Dr. Cann deserves to be commended for a well-done work.

General J.M. Bethencourt Rodrigues Former Army Chief of Staff

This is a splendid book on a little known subject. Captain Dr. John P. Cann presents a thorough and unbiased study of the Portuguese Campaigns in Africa, 1961-1974. He read many books, examined reports, interviewed people involved in the operations and, retaining the main points, related them in an outstanding way. In the end, his book results in a comprehensive study, unparalleled by any books published in Portugal or elsewhere...Captain Dr. Cann deserves to be commended for a well-done work.

Brigadier-General Renato F. Marques Pinto Former Chief of Military Intelligence

A fascinating and comprehensive account on the Portuguese-African Campaigns...Through careful research and a balanced presentation of oral history, Captain Dr. Cann shows how a counterinsurgency war could be fought. To my knowledge, this is the best book in English on the subject.

Editorial Reviews

Cann, who served in the Pentagon, lays out the story with an eye to contrasts with U.S. policy. His study . . . is concise and useful.” —Choice

“The book will be embraced in Portugal, where the parade of celebrations marking the five-century anniversary of Portugal's maritime expansion prepared audiences for Cann's reinterpretation of the colonial war experience in a more positive light.” —African History

From the Publisher

From the perspective of the Portuguese military, tells the story of the decade-long struggle to maintain control of Angola, Guin<'e>, and Mozambique in the face of indigenous wars of independence and a general international distaste for keeping dependent peoples as formal colonies. Explains the overall strategy of maintaining security long enough to open negotiations with the rebels, military organization, Africanization, intelligence, mobility, social operations, and other aspects. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

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