The Three-Block Small Wars

Avoid pre-Iraq mistakes in military, Palm Beach Post Editorial, Friday, June 11, 2004

Troops are asked to be warriors one moment and peacemakers the next.

Yes, but we've got a force that has been training for this...

The Marines' Three-Block War in Iraq, Global Beat Syndicate, October 28, 2003

The U.S. Marines have a name for a combination of operations like those going on in Iraq: a "three-block war." That term was first coined by Gen. Charles Krulak, Marine Corps Commandant from 1995-1999, to describe scenarios where troops are engaged in a spectrum of operations, from humanitarian missions, through peacekeeping and peace enforcement-type actions, to full-blown combat -- possibly within the space of three city blocks.

...since at least 1940.

Small Wars Center of Excellence.

-HJC