This monograph examines the British experience in building and training
indigenous police and military forces during the Malaya and Cyprus
insurgencies. The two insurgencies provide a dramatic contrast to the
issue of training local security forces. In Malaya, the British
developed a very successful strategy for training the Malayan police and
army. In Cyprus, the British strategy for building and training local
security forces generally was ineffective. The author argues that some
important lessons can be drawn from these case studies that apply
directly to current U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine. The research for
this monograph was carried out while the author was a visiting fellow of
All Souls College, Oxford University. The author used the superb library
and archive of the Rhodes House Centre for Imperial and Commonwealth
History at Oxford University. The Strategic Studies Institute is pleased
to offer this contribution to the current debate on counterinsurgency
doctrine.