John Pershing and Full-Spectrum Counterinsurgency in Moro Province, 1909–1913

This chapter analyzes the more balanced counterinsurgency strategy employed by Pershing as military governor of Moro Province from 1909 to 1913. The new governor rejected Leonard Wood’s direct approach. But he also had problems with the indirect method adopted by Tasker Bliss, regarding Bliss’s leadership as too passive. He gravitated toward a middle way, both respectful of datus and their power and determined to disarm the Moros. In 1911, it became obvious to him that American military rule of Moro Province could not last much longer. From that point on, he determined to disarm as many Moros as possible, pacify any remaining pockets of resistance, and transfer power to American civilians as quickly as possible. He used Moro insurgents atop Bud Bagsak on Jolo Island as an object lesson. After isolating the insurgents from their noncombatant base, his troops, led by Moro constables and scouts, killed 300–400 Moro fighters in a ferocious five-day battle.