This study analyzes the Peruvian Maoist Shining Path insurgency and its association with illegal drug traffickers to determine if United States Army elements deployed to the region, could have a positive impact on the Peruvian Government's fight against these terrorists. The Shining Path insurgency is the most serious insurgency now active in Peru. The actions of the Shining Path threaten the United States' interests and our goals on two fronts. First, the ongoing insurgency threatens the regional security of a democratic country, and secondly, the drug trade in Peru is threatening the very foundation that has made the United States a world power. Peru's internal security problems are particularly complex in that both the drug and insurgency problems have become inseparable. This study focuses on branches of the Army to determine what contributions that branch brings to the conflict, and if that contribution assists in defeating the Shining Path.

ADA 284687 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)