Publisher's Synopsis
This unique book argues that "coercive" counterinsurgency (COIN) has played a larger role historically than is currently recognized in today's FM 3-24 doctrine, which reflects the popular view of COIN as emphasizing protection of the population. The extent to which the essence of COIN has been misunderstood and misinterpreted, undermining the coercive "gold standard" is a central concern. While there has been some recognition of the utility of coercive action against insurgents, ethical concerns about proportionality and the indiscriminate use of force have imposed constraints. Where the "gold standard" represents deliberate, strict coercion against the population, FM 3-24 emphasizes a far more limited coercive approach, one that may be to the detriment of COIN operations as understood in historical perspective. CHAPTER I * CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ON COIN DOCTRINE * A. INTRODUCTION * B. PROBLEM * C. HYPOTHESIS * D. METHODOLOGY * E. ROADMAP * CHAPTER II * TARNISHED COIN? A REVIEW OF THE "GOLD STANDARD" * A. THE "GOLD STANDARD" THEORY AND PRACTICE * 1. David Galula, the Acclaimed Sage of COIN * 2. Roger Trinquier, Defining Modern Warfare * 3. Charles Lacheroy and Doctrine de Guerre Revolutionnaire (DGR) * 4. Practice versus Theory: Algeria * 5. Sir Robert Thompson and Defeating Communist Insurgency * 6. The Malaya Emergency: Templar's HAM in Practice * B. CHAPTER SUMMARY: THE "BEST PRACTICES" OF THE 20TH CENTURY "GOLD STANDARD" * CHAPTER III * U.S. COUNTERINSURGENCY DOCTRINE * A. FM 3-24: OPERATIONAL APPROACHES * B. U.S. COIN PRINCIPLES: THE CRUX OF FM 3-24 * 1. Employment of Force * 2. Control over the Population * 3. Intelligence and Information Operations * C. CHAPTER SUMMARY * CHAPTER IV * COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS * A. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS * 1. Destruction of Insurgents * 2. Static Forces and Military Outposts * 3. Insurgents Must be Isolated from the Population * 4. Importance of Intelligence * 5. The Intrinsic and Extrinsic Political Realm * 6. Information Operations (IO) * 7. The Use of Indigenous Forces * CHAPTER V * CONCLUDING REMARKS * A. IMPLICATIONS * B. (CURRENT) STATUS OF FM 3-24 REVISION * C. RECOMMENDATIONS AND AREAS FOR POTENTIAL RESEARCH * 1. Forget "Hearts and Minds" (HAM) * 2. Human Rights vs. Civil Rights: Not Mutually Exclusive in COIN * 3. The Reality of Resettlement * 4. Focus on Case Studies, but be Careful * D. FINAL REMARKS * LIST OF REFERENCES
