1. Counterinsurgency Operations
Introduction
Share that this class will in no make you an expert in counterinsurgency, but will provide an over view of insurgencies and some key aspect of counterinsurgency operations that will enable leaders to win the counterinsurgency fight.
This class is focused on counterinsurgency, not on specific conditions in either Iraq, Afghanistan or any other theater of operation. However, the understanding of these principles can and must be applied to every theater of operation we operate in. While the examples in this brief may related to OIF, be concepts apply across the borad.
This briefing consist of about 80 slides put together to summarize a 10 day course at West Point and a 3 Week course in Taji. BLUF there is a lot of information packed into a short time.
Please stop me if you have questions, but since we are packing a lot of information into a limited time, we will not have time to share a lot of specific experiences during this time.

2. Agenda Overview Insurgency Conclusions Definitions
Nature or Causes of Insurgencies
Fundamentals of Insurgencies
Strategies
Insurgent’s Perspective
Conclusions
Our agenda is simple, we will define the topics wrapped up under the title of counterinsurgency. This is a two step method. First we look at and gain an understanding of insurgencies and then look at how we apply strategic, operational and tactical means to counter the insurgency.
Much of our discussion will be conceptual and a different approach than we often think of in military discursions. Unlike some of our political leaders, I think you can handle this and grasp these concepts.

3. Insurgency Definition
“ An organized movement aimed at the overthrow of a constituted government through the use of subversion and armed conflict”
(JP 1-02)
Definition IAW FM 3-24 (Final Draft)
This is the joint definition adopted into FM 3-24.
An important thing to emphasize here is the distinction between the actual definition and how insurgents are portrayed in the news. Most reporters use the term insurgent when they really mean foreign fighters. Insurgents can be natives of foreign fighters.

4. Counterinsurgency Definition
“Those military, paramilitary, political, economic, psychological, and civic actions taken by a government to defeat insurgency (See also stability and support operations.)”
FM page 1-40
Definition IAW FM 3-24 (FINAL DRAFT)
Please note in this definition that Military actions are only 1/6th of the solution. This is key in understanding that what we are facing cannot be solved by military actions alone and will require us to understand the political, economic, psychological, and civic issues fueling the insurgency.

5. Quick Check Insurgency or Counterinsurgency ?
Organized movement that uses subversion and armed conflict to overthrow government.
2. Uses military, paramilitary, political, economic, psychological, and civic actions to achieve it’s objectives

6. The Nature of Insurgencies
As stated before, to understand and conduct counterinsurgency operations, you must first understand your enemy, the insurgent.
Key topics to understand about insurgencies are:
Social Responses
Key observations
Insurgent objectives
Prevailing Theory
Conditions that exist for insurgencies

7. Social Actions
Discussion topic here is how insurgency situation is much like any political or social issue we can bring up. If time permits, look at a current topic in the news and apply this model. Have group identify the three categories. Ability to see this grouping in a local issue will help them distinguish between insurgents (active minority) in foreign populations.
Break the model down like this:
Insurgency = active minority for the cause
General Population = neutral or passive majority
COIN Force = active minority against the cause

8. Identify Insurgency Resistance Organization:
“an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to oppose or overthrow the established government or cause withdrawal of an occupying power.”
Resistance
Insurgency
Insurgency:
“an organized resistance movement that uses subversion, sabotage, and armed conflict to achieve its aims.”
A key understanding to our discussion on insurgency is the ability to distinguish between the insurgency and the resistance and general population. As we get through the insurgency discussion and into counterinsurgency you see essence of this understanding. We will focus on converting the resistance which will enable us to completely defeat the resistance.

9. Prerequisites to Insurgency
Three requirements that must exist before an insurgency can occur.
Vulnerable population. The insurgents must offer hope of change and exploit
political, economic, or social dissatisfaction with the current government.
2) Leadership available for direction. Leadership that can direct the frustrations of a dissatisfied populace along the lines delineated by the insurgent’s strategic desired end state.
3) Lack of government control. It may be real or perceived. The greater the control the government has over the situation, the less likely the chances for insurgent success; the opposite is also true.
Other conditions include: Popular support Unity of effort
Will to resist Discipline
Leadership
As we work through our study of insurgencies, you will see that there must be fuel for the insurgency fire. Listed here are the conditions that will exist as an insurgency gains momentum. Understanding this will reveal what must be achieved to stop the insurgency.
Several Other Conditions Might Include:
Popular support. Support can be passive or active. It is not necessary that the entire population actively support an insurgency, but the majority of the population must passively support it.
Unity of effort. The overall thrust of an insurgent movement must provide a strength of unity that dedicates those involved to achieving the same goal.
Will to resist. Simply instilling the will to resist the assertions of the government on the population prolongs the conflict and allows the insurgency time to develop.
Leadership. The leadership structure which properly directs activities and efforts of the insurgency through the exercise of effective tactical and operational control.
Discipline. This aspect must be strongly maintained to ensure security and staying the course to the strategic desired end state.
SLIDE 8 LEAD-IN:

10. Quick Check Nature of Insurgency
3. What fraction of the population are involved in the insurgency?
4. List the 3 requirements that an insurgency MUST have.

11. Counterinsurgency Fundamentals
Introduction
Share that this class will in no make you an expert in counterinsurgency, but will provide an over view of insurgencies and some key aspect of counterinsurgency operations that will enable leaders to win the counterinsurgency fight.
This class is focused on counterinsurgency, not on specific conditions in either Iraq, Afghanistan or any other theater of operation. However, the understanding of these principles can and must be applied to every theater of operation we operate in. While the examples in this brief may related to OIF, be concepts apply across the borad.
This briefing consist of about 80 slides put together to summarize a 10 day course at West Point and a 3 Week course in Taji. BLUF there is a lot of information packed into a short time.
Please stop me if you have questions, but since we are packing a lot of information into a limited time, we will not have time to share a lot of specific experiences during this time.

12. Operational Fundamentals
Inherently offensive; avoid defensive
Attack when success is very likely on the margins of control, influence, and power
Force the enemy to defend everywhere, consume resources, forsake offensive, and lose initiative…Thus, resource drain to population
Force enemy to withdraw into strong-points; thus, population is alienated and vulnerable
Large PSYOP, CA, and CM efforts
Discussion points:
Why will insurgencies be offensive in nature? Answer – the insurgency is usually a small vulnerable force that must chose its timing and terrain to fight on.

13. Strategy Definitions Annihilation Strategy:
“A strategy which seeks the immediate destruction or capture of the combat power of the enemy's armed forces.”
Exhaustion Strategy:
“A strategy which seeks the gradual erosion of an enemy nation's will or means to resist.”
Note definitions, further explanation follows on the next two slides.
Annihilation is the tactic most of us are versed and trained in. We seek decisive victories over an enemy in a linear battle

14. Insurgent Strategy Annihilation or Exhaustion?
Annihilation Strategy
Seek victory through decisive battle against enemy military
Pro’s: Potentially rapid, easy to conceptualize, clear milestones
Con: Resources needed are not initially available to insurgents, offers the counterinsurgent the kind of enemy its military is optimized to fight
Exhaustion Strategy
Seek social, political, military, or economic collapse of the enemy through a variety of means
Pro’s: Requires few resources, offers a number of paths to victory, easily adaptable to changing circumstances
Con: Time consuming, difficult to measure results, may lead to impatience within the organization
Consider how time and these strategies are related.
Exhaustion
Time intensive (protracted)
Time favors the insurgent in many (but not all) cases
Takes time to exhaust anything
Can exhaust one’s own resources, too
Any social phenomenon takes time to develop (and assess results)
Annihilation
Quicker, rapid
Expectations of rapidity
Decisive that are quickly measured and assessed
Consider the possible outcomes if these two strategies met one another.
One possible outcome:
If exhaustion can’t win, it flees or it won’t provide opportunity for decisive annihilation
If no opportunity, no victory for annihilation.
Meanwhile, annihilation strategy tires or suffers defeat when opportunity favors exhaustion. Exhaustion wins…if it doesn’t exhaust first or get caught and defeated by annihilation
Discussion questions: why do Americans prefer annihilation?
Democracy
Culture (immediate gratification)
(fear of large standing military)
(resources…on the cheap)
(expectations of military based upon history)
Highlight the Pros and Cons of each strategy for the insurgency. Based on their understanding to this point have the group identify which choice most insurgencies will choose.

15. Insurgent Strategy (Annihilation or Exhaustion?)
Insurgent = Exhaustion
Annihilation is far too resource intensive for a true insurgent
Available resources are well suited to political, cultural, ethnic religious appeals to populace around a common grievance
Hardest decision is when to use military means
Well chosen small fights can provide new resources, reinforce other means, and provoke over reaction
Should military efforts go poorly it is a disappointment but not a cause of strategic culmination
Implications for insurgent enemies:
How to fight a constantly maneuvering enemy
Defeat mechanism can not be purely military nor purely “hearts and minds”
Tactical level operations will look like annihilation attempts to those on the ground
Must educate involved populations
This is a cause and effect slide. The insurgency will choose exhaustion; creating the right side implications for the COIN force.

16. Exhaustion
1. Enemy attacks using small, limited resources with high confidence of success on edge of C, I, P
Sphere of control, influence, and power
2. Attacks may not necessarily be distant from center of gravity, but asymmetrically target weaknesses….
3. Attacks possible because the attacking side has information and intelligence about the other

17. Exhaustion Sphere of control, influence, and power
These attacks test the resources of C, I, P
Force assesses its resources are insufficient to maintain current sphere of C, I, and P, so it withdraws to a more “supportable” posture.
Attacks encroach again on the new edges of C, I, P

18. Exhaustion Sphere of control, influence, and power
Force shifts its sphere of Control, Influence, and Power in order to better allocate current levels of resources
Attacks again shift …

19. Exhaustion Sphere of control, influence, and power
Commanders increase resources required in order to maintain the sphere of control, influence, and power

20. Popular Support A. Volunteering B. Force C. Extortion D. Terrorism”
“Insurgents rely heavily on the support of local residents for their ability to endure and succeed. Local inhabitants provide food, shelter, volunteers, money, and intelligence without which the insurgents would be unable to carry out their operations. Such civilian support can be attained in any of the following ways.
A. Volunteering
B. Force
C. Extortion
D. Terrorism”
- From Captured Official Manual 208 Iraqi Counter-insurgency Warfare
Back to the concept of “hearts and minds” key recognition is that insurgency is fighting for the support of population as well. They however, will use more extreme tactics.
This excerpt from Iraqi Official Manual 208, “Iraqi Counter-insurgency”, clearly states the importance of the local populace to the success of the insurgency.
It also provides guidance as to the means to use in gaining this support.
SLIDE 21 LEAD-IN: While it may be argued that the ways to gain support listed in this manual are viable, lets look at how our references address this prerequisite for success.

21. Quick Check
Insurgency Fundamentals 4. Insurgent tactics focus on … a. Offense b. Defense 5. Insurgent tactical goal is to force the enemy to withdraw to _______________ 6. 2 types of insurgent strategy a. Insurgents use which type of strategy?

22. Quick Check
Insurgency Fundamentals (cont) 7. Insurgents rely on Popular support for the ability to endure and succeed. List 4 means of attaining this support.

23. Insurgent’s Perspective
An insurgency is almost always protracted in nature

24. Insurgent’s Perspective
Western nations stress tangible factors: Arms, logistics, and manpower…
…Versus…
…Insurgents focus on intangibles such as Space, Time, and Will
Insurgents trade Space for Time; trade Time for Will
While the definition of space is basically the same from either perspective, they use slightly different definitions of Time and Will. Additionally, the insurgents use of these factors also differs from what we may be accustomed.
Space: More Sphere of Influence than actual ground space; provides CONTACT with the populace.
Time: Much more protracted in nature; provides DURATION of CONTACT with the populace.
Will: NOT strategic in nature; more locally oriented. Can be influenced either negatively or positively.
Space + Time = Ability to influence Will

25. (Political Challenge) (Note: conversion takes Time)
Insurgent’s Perspective
Trade Space for Time
(Military Challenge)
Space
Trade Time for Will
(Political Challenge)
Time
Will
Military challenge is how to organize space so than it can be made to yield time
Political challenge is how to organize time so that it could be made to yield will
There is a further break down of space time and will perspectives in back up slides.
Insurgent success stems from political conversion supported by military actions
(Note: conversion takes Time)
Control of people (Will) is more important than control of land (Space)

26. Summary Principal purpose of an Insurgency is to
extract political concessions that are unattainable through less violent means.
Insurgencies can adapt; they can change strategies and/or phases in reaction to external pressures (PMSE) and factors (7 Dynamics).
Insurgencies do THEN learn.
These are the basic concepts of an Insurgency that you should walk away from this class with.

27. “The army must become one with the people so that they see it as their own army. Such an army will be invincible.” Mao Zedong
Perspective of successful insurgent operations from MAO

28. Questions?