War of Attrition –

We are experiencing a phenomena known as a “war of attrition” where one side wears down the other side so they hopefully gain the leverage and change in mindset to accomplish their goals. This erosion can consist of cultural changes, changing administrators, rewrite policies and procedures and ignoring previous standards while creating new ones. This slow corrosion over a set time frame contributes to the mass or desired number of extermination of targeted groups or people and can be done through many different strategies such as:

·         A series of administrative personnel changes in the internal policies and procedures of the agency

·         A series of administrative priorities and objectives different than before

·         A series of multiple sabotage or covert actions that are inserted deliberately and timely to cause limited chaos and disorder

·         A series of conflicts or other scuffles that frustrates veteran staff to resign, retire or take a demotion rather than dealing with the issues at hand.

An analysis of such an action shows it is successful and that repeated defeat even on a small scale as designed will give the assailant leverage and gradually exhaust or expire those targeted for the purpose of dominance and control. It has been known to create treasonous conduct, mutiny, desert the fight or demoralize those remaining to the point their doom is accelerated for doom.

The second impact of such a war is the public reaction to such actions as it is sold as a means to make government better or less costly. The mere fact of what this war cost is lost in the transition to the new plans and rarely challenged.

The only way a war of attrition can be fought is to fight in common asymmetric warfare where the rules of engagement change in order to meet the need. Thus the justification is open to interpretation or transitioning of ideologies that survive this war.

This war consists of attacks and counter-attacks. There are few concessions along the way and many victims fall to the process if successful. This strategy is repeated in various administrative strategies that are repeated over and over until they get what they want.

In Arizona Corrections the goal is a workforce reduction of state employees and the conversion or outsourcing of government services to privatization of related agency services and public prisons.