572:, have also called for dedicated task units that are non-hierarchical and can be reorganized, in order to face similar distributed or decentralized terrorist groups. Others, however, argue that decapitation strikes combined with social network analysis are more than unproductive, but can prolong a conflict due to their habit of eliminating rebel or terrorist leaders who are the most capable peace negotiators or have the potential to advance communities hardest hit by terror campaigns after the cessation of hostilities.
225:
90:
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has argued that decapitation is a relatively ineffective strategy. He writes that decapitation is a seductive strategy as it promises "to solve conflicts quickly and cheaply with... little collateral damage, and minimal or no friendly casualties", but decapitation strikes frequently fail or are not
556:
and Jochen Mierau argue that leadership decapitation in a terrorist or rebel group has the tendency to create disorder within the group, but find decapitation ineffective because group disorder can often lead to politically ineffective, unfocused attacks on civilians. The two conclude that "his
527:, or drones, are popularly used for decapitation strikes against terrorist and insurgent groups. Drones are most effective in areas with inadequate air defense. There are mixed scholarly opinions whether or not decapitation strikes via drones effectively degrade the capabilities of these groups.
564:. This tactic involves identifying and eliminating higher ranked members in a hierarchically arranged rebel or terrorist group by targeting lower members first, and using intel gained in initial strikes to identify an organization's leadership. Some strategists, like Generals
514:
communication devices. AR-924 model pagers distributed by GOLD APOLLO were filled with explosives and acquired by
Hezbollah. The explosions have been theorized to be a decapitation strike and prelude to the potential invasion of Southern Lebanon by Israel during the
194:
capabilities. Such countries may have mobile land-based launch, sea launch, air launch, and underground ballistic missile launch facilities so that a nuclear attack on one area of the country will not totally negate its ability to retaliate.
503:. All three targeted political leaders survived the attack as after having finished their meal, they had moved from the dining room (which was targeted and destroyed by the bombing) to Tuđman's private office to continue their talks.
198:
Other nuclear warfare doctrines explicitly exclude decapitation strikes on the basis that it is better to preserve the adversary's command and control structures so that a single authority remains that is capable of negotiating a
542:
in
Afghanistan was in support of kill or capture operations, but that they would be ineffective without a full understanding of how they would affect the local political landscape in the country.
40:
516:
242:
107:
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in order to cripple the Third Reich and its war effort. Several died, but Hitler escaped due to a change in schedule, leaving the rostrum 13 minutes before detonation.
1001:
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150:
attack that aims to destabilize an opponent's military and civil leadership structure in the hope that it will severely degrade or destroy its capacity for
158:
but whereas a counterforce strike seeks to destroy weapons directly, a decapitation strike is designed to remove an enemy's ability to use its weapons.
908:
488:
611:
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against Polish military officers. As Polish law required every university graduate to be a reserve officer, executing the officers among the Polish
811:
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1189:
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Knoke, David (2013). ""It Takes a
Network": The Rise and Fall of Social Network Analysis in U.S. Army Counterinsurgency Doctrine".
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by the targeted opponent. Many countries with nuclear weapons specifically plan to prevent decapitation strikes by employing
111:
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change in the internal composition of militant groups may affect the quality and hence selectivity of their violence."
1194:
480:
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450:
147:
49:
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100:
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Hitler and his inner circle of advisers by a suitcase bomb as part of a broader military coup d'Ă©tat against the
1128:"Targeted Killings in Afghanistan: Measuring Coercion and Deterrence in Counterterrorism and Counterinsurgency"
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mechanisms can be a way to deter decapitation strikes and respond to successful decapitation strikes.
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Talking
Conflict: The Loaded Language of Genocide, Political Violence, Terrorism, and Warfare
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One tactic that is sometimes used to inform the target selection for decapitation strikes is
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In what scholars commonly refer to as the decapitation strike on April 24, 1915...
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1052:"Leadership Matters: The Effects of Targeted Killings on Militant Group Tactics"
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have, and continue to pursue this strategy in its efforts to dismantle militant
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208:
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812:"U.S. Launches 'Decapitation' Strike Against Iraq; Saddam Personally Targeted"
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Dispersal of political leadership and military leadership in times of tension.
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launch capability to local commanders in the event of a decapitation strike.
967:
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Blair, Christopher W.; Horowitz, Michael C.; Potter, Philip B. K. (2022).
815:
322:
286:
249: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
114: in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
935:"Do Emerging Military Technologies Matter for International Politics?"
427:
723:
Re-creating
Armenia: America and the memory of the Armenian genocide
691:
787:"Documents on Predelegation of Authority for Nuclear Weapons Use"
549:
likely to produce the intended consequences even if successful.
314:
176:
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Strategies against decapitation strikes include the following:
841:
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534:, have argued that the experience gained by the American and
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Decapitation strikes have been employed in as a strategy in
186:
A failed decapitation strike carries the risk of immediate,
909:"Hezbollah Pager Attack Looks Like a Decapitation Strike"
285:
of a government's entire leadership group or a nation's
725:. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press. p. 31.
676:"Leadership Targeting and Militant Alliance Breakdown"
306:
and other Iraqi military and political leaders. These
215:
Conventional warfare, assassination and terrorist acts
653:. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. p. 92.
740:"The Truth About Poland's Role in the Holocaust"
75:to stunt Polish science, culture and leadership.
864:"Airstrikes on Iraqi leaders 'abject failure'"
761:, Jan Goldman. Scarecrow Press, Jun 16, 2011.
1018:Bombing to Win: Air Power and Coercion in War
629:- a kind of "decapitation" in party politics.
510:A (suspected) Israeli supply-chain attack on
329:, that threaten the United States and allies.
294:Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
8:
1050:Abrahms, Max; Mierau, Jochen (2017-09-03).
866:. New York Times News Service. 13 June 2004
418:November 9, 1939: Attempt on German FĂĽhrer
165:Distributed command and control structures.
1000:: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
182:Distributed and diverse launch mechanisms.
1110:
1021:. Cornell University Press. p. 253.
950:
489:President of the Presidency of Yugoslavia
348:was part of a larger plot to disrupt the
302:began with a decapitation strike against
281:. The term has been used to describe the
265:Learn how and when to remove this message
130:Learn how and when to remove this message
612:List of military strategies and concepts
887:"Obama: 'Global War on Terror' Is Over"
639:
993:
538:military experience from fighting the
310:failed to kill their intended targets.
952:10.1146/annurev-polisci-050718-032725
43:in 1915, considered the start of the
41:deportation of Armenian intellectuals
7:
377:along with his son the Crown Prince
352:by also killing then-Vice President
247:adding citations to reliable sources
112:adding citations to reliable sources
26:aimed at removing the leadership or
1132:Studies in Conflict & Terrorism
146:theory, a decapitation strike is a
939:Annual Review of Political Science
412:firing squad under the command of
154:. It is essentially a subset of a
30:of a hostile government or group.
14:
1056:Terrorism and Political Violence
530:Some military strategists, like
223:
88:
838:"Cruise missiles target Saddam"
393:(the Portuguese section of the
350:presidential line of succession
234:needs additional citations for
99:needs additional citations for
1126:Wilner, Alex S. (2010-03-15).
972:. New York. pp. 437–440.
889:. U.S. News & World Report
1:
1068:10.1080/09546553.2015.1069671
933:Horowitz, Michael C. (2020).
508:2024 Lebanon pager explosions
404:and the Imperial Family were
481:Prime Minister of Yugoslavia
552:Counterterrorism theorists
1211:
647:Wittmann, Anna M. (2017).
453:, which ultimately failed.
300:2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq
50:German AB-Aktion in Poland
1144:10.1080/10576100903582543
721:Blinka, David S. (2008).
517:Israel–Hezbollah conflict
475:, ordered the bombing of
1190:Continuity of government
1015:Pape, Robert A. (1996).
617:List of military tactics
582:Continuity of government
525:unmanned aerial vehicles
389:, both connected to the
148:pre-emptive first strike
680:The Journal of Politics
622:Operation Looking Glass
562:social network analysis
369:February 1, 1908: King
473:Yugoslav People's Army
443:Claus von Stauffenberg
363:, at the close of the
319:Islamic fundamentalist
532:General Michael Flynn
430:by Swabian carpenter
402:Nicholas II of Russia
383:Alfredo LuĂs da Costa
1037:10.7591/j.ctt1287f6v
966:Coll, Steve (2018).
506:September 17, 2024:
497:President of Croatia
400:July 17, 1918: Tsar
371:Carlos I of Portugal
332:April 14, 1865: The
279:conventional warfare
243:improve this article
108:improve this article
1195:Military leadership
587:Designated survivor
523:In recent warfare,
487:, was meeting with
471:, in charge of the
188:massive retaliation
156:counterforce strike
152:nuclear retaliation
56:during World War II
28:command and control
885:Shinkman, Paul D.
748:. 6 February 2018.
570:Stanley McChrystal
540:Taliban insurgency
365:American Civil War
358:Secretary of State
336:of U.S. President
321:networks, such as
313:The U.S. and its
80:In nuclear warfare
1185:Military strategy
1028:978-0-8014-3134-0
979:978-1-59420-458-6
775:978-0-8108-7814-3
660:978-1-4408-3424-0
463:October 7, 1991:
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422:'s life in the
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915:. 2024-09-17
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627:Burr dilemma
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551:
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477:Banski dvori
420:Adolf Hitler
387:Manuel Buiça
375:assassinated
344:sympathizer
287:royal family
276:
261:
252:
241:Please help
236:verification
233:
197:
185:
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141:
126:
117:
106:Please help
101:verification
98:
65:Soviet Union
20:Decapitation
19:
18:
1099:Connections
945:: 385–400.
848:9 September
822:9 September
554:Max Abrahms
546:Robert Pape
456:Yemen 1948
447:assassinate
432:Georg Elser
379:LuĂs Filipe
342:Confederate
315:NATO allies
308:air strikes
209:fail-deadly
1174:Categories
988:1049576269
919:2024-09-18
797:2015-05-17
634:References
434:, using a
391:Carbonária
1160:109972592
1152:1057-610X
1107:CiteSeerX
1084:146507596
1076:0954-6553
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870:27 August
708:236227864
700:0022-3816
536:Coalition
512:Hezbollah
436:time bomb
410:Bolshevik
395:Carbonari
205:ceasefire
201:surrender
1105:: 2–10.
893:April 4,
576:See also
467:general
465:Yugoslav
406:executed
323:Al-Qaeda
71:allowed
34:Genocide
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1002:link
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327:ISIL
325:and
298:The
177:SLBM
173:ICBM
69:POWs
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