Isabella Carter
Tripwire forces are a strategic approach in deterrence theory, where a military force smaller than that of a potential adversary signals the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral. The idea is that such small deployments can still boost deterrence by increasing the likelihood of intervention from a larger military force. This is based on the assumption that the deaths of these troops in the early stages of fighting would compel a larger military response and that the tripwire force helps defend against the aggressor by slowing their advance, allowing the defender time to marshal additional resources.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Definition | A tripwire force is a strategic approach in deterrence theory. |
| Size | A tripwire force is smaller than the forces of a potential adversary. |
| Purpose | To signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral. |
| Effect | The tripwire effect assumes that an attack on a tripwire force will generate strong domestic pressure for further military intervention by the country whose troops have come under attack. |
| Examples | British military forces in the Falkland Islands before the Falklands War; United States Army Berlin during the Cold War; United States Forces Korea. |
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What You'll Learn
Tripwire forces are smaller than the potential adversary
The tripwire force is a military force designed to signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral. Tripwire forces are too small to significantly shift the local balance of power, but their presence makes a threat to intervene more credible. This is because the deaths of these troops in the early stages of fighting would compel a larger military response. If the troops were to do nothing in response to those deaths, they would be punished at home and the country would suffer damage to its international reputation.
The credibility of a tripwire force is tied to the "force having relevant combat capabilities and being of sufficient size that an adversary could neither sidestep nor capture the force". It is also tied to the potential of the defender to actually mobilise reserves robust enough to launch a counter-attack in a timely manner. For example, the British military forces in the Falkland Islands prior to the Falklands War were intended to serve as a tripwire force, but they were too small and lightly armed to represent a credible signal to Argentina of the UK's military commitment to the islands.
In some instances, a tripwire force can also be useful in deterring salami attacks. This is because the tripwire force is too small, by itself, to present an offensive threat, so it can be deployed without triggering the security dilemma.
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Tripwire forces signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response
A tripwire force is a military force smaller than that of a potential adversary. The idea is that such small deployments can still boost deterrence by increasing the likelihood of intervention from a larger military force. The tripwire force is designed to signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral.
The tripwire force helps deter aggression through the demonstration of the defending side's commitment to militarily counter an armed attack, even if the tripwire force cannot mount a sustained resistance itself. In the event of an attack, it helps defend against the aggressor by slowing the advance of the aggressor's forces to allow the defender time to marshal additional resources.
The credibility of a tripwire force is tied to the "force having relevant combat capabilities and being of sufficient size that an adversary could neither sidestep nor capture the force". It is also tied to the potential of the defender to actually mobilize reserves robust enough to launch a counter-attack in a timely manner.
The deployment of tripwire forces has been a pillar of American grand strategy since 1945. Examples of this strategy include the deployment of British military forces in the Falkland Islands prior to the Falklands War, the United States Army Berlin during the Cold War, and the deployment of Pakistani military units to Yemen in 2014.
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Tripwire forces are designed to not trigger a security spiral
Tripwire forces are a strategic approach in deterrence theory. They are small military units that are designed to signal a defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral.
Tripwire forces are significantly smaller than the forces of a potential adversary. Their small size means they are not a credible offensive threat and so do not trigger a security dilemma. Instead, they are used to deter aggression by demonstrating the defending side's commitment to countering an armed attack. In the event of an attack, a tripwire force can slow the advance of the aggressor's forces, giving the defender time to marshal additional resources.
The idea is that the small deployments of tripwire forces can boost deterrence by increasing the likelihood of intervention from a larger military force. The thinking goes that the deaths of tripwire troops in the early stages of fighting would compel a larger military response, as the leaders of the defending side would be punished at home and suffer damage to their international reputation if they did not act.
However, some argue that the deterrence benefits of tripwire force deployments are exaggerated. They claim that tripwire deployments do not significantly increase the credibility of the deterrent threat, and that the deaths of troops in combat will not necessarily create a strong public motive to intervene. For example, British military forces in the Falkland Islands before the Falklands War were intended to serve as a tripwire force but were ultimately ineffective as they were too small and lightly armed to represent a credible signal of military commitment. Similarly, in 1950, the United States unsuccessfully attempted to deter a North Korean attack on South Korea with a tripwire force.
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Tripwire forces can slow the advance of aggressor's forces
Tripwire forces are a strategic approach in deterrence theory. They are a military force smaller than that of a potential adversary, signalling the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral.
Tripwire forces are designed to slow the advance of aggressor forces, buying time for the defender to deploy larger numbers of troops to the allied territory before it is conquered. This can be achieved by fighting back, not by dying and triggering outrage. The fear of an attack becoming bogged down and risking opposition from an adversary undeterred by early casualties should deter an aggressor from launching an attack.
The British military forces in the Falkland Islands, for example, were intended to serve as a tripwire force before the Falklands War. However, they were ultimately ineffective as they were too small and lightly armed to represent a credible signal of UK military commitment to the islands. Similarly, the United States Forces Korea have been referred to as a tripwire force due to the perception that they are too small to repel an attack by the Korean People's Army.
Tripwire forces can also be useful in deterring salami attacks, which are small, incremental actions that are difficult to respond to individually but amount to a larger, strategic action.
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Tripwire forces are used to avoid provocation
A tripwire force is a strategic approach in deterrence theory. It is a military force that is significantly smaller than the forces of a potential adversary. The idea is that such small deployments can still boost deterrence by increasing the likelihood of intervention from a larger military force.
Tripwire forces are used to signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral. They are designed to be too small to shift the local balance of power, but their presence makes a threat to intervene more credible. This is because the early deaths of these troops in the early stages of fighting would compel a larger military response. If the leaders of the defending side did nothing in response to those deaths, they would be punished at home and the country would suffer damage to its international reputation.
However, this logic has been questioned. Tripwire forces are unlikely to prevent an attacker from capturing its objective and establishing a strong defensive position. Tripwire-force fatalities may not be sufficient to provoke broader intervention. For example, British military forces in the Falkland Islands before the Falklands War were intended to serve as a tripwire force, but they ultimately failed to represent a credible signal to Argentina of UK military commitment to the islands. Similarly, the British attempt to deter a German attack on Belgium in 1914 was unsuccessful.
Despite these failures, some believe that tripwire forces can be effective in avoiding provocation. In 2015, Michael E. O'Hanlon theorized that a small US military deployment in a hypothetically reunified Korea could meet American security guarantees to the region while avoiding provocation of China. A small force posted at a sufficient distance from the Chinese border would not present an offensive threat to China but would ensure the likelihood of American casualties in the event of a land invasion of the Korean Peninsula. This would guarantee future American military commitment to any realized conflict.
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Frequently asked questions
A tripwire force is a military force smaller than that of a potential adversary, which is designed to signal the defending side's commitment to an armed response to future aggression without triggering a security spiral.
The purpose of a tripwire force is to deter aggression by demonstrating the defending side's commitment to an armed response, even if the tripwire force itself cannot mount a sustained resistance.
Yes, an example of a tripwire force is the United States Army Berlin, a U.S. Army formation posted to West Berlin during the Cold War. The small number of American troops stationed there served as a tripwire force against potential Soviet aggression. Other examples include British military forces in the Falkland Islands prior to the Falklands War and U.S. Forces Korea, which have been referred to as a tripwire force against potential aggression from North Korea.
