Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice

I first came about this book when I contacted a reporter for the Washington Post by the name of Thomas Ricks. At the time, he was reporting from Baghdad as the Post's military reporter. He had just written an article about the 3rd Armored Cavalry Division in al-Anbar province of Iraq. I wrote him thanking him for the good reporting and asked him about a reading list he mentioned where a colonel from the 3ACR had asked his commissioned officers to read. That Col. was HR McMaster, who has combat experience in Desert Storm, as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom. His bio is below:

http://www.carson.army.mil/UNITS/3RD%20ACR/main%20pages/71st%20Bio.htm

Well that reading list:

http://www.carson.army.mil/UNITS/3RD%20ACR/Regimental%20Education.pdf

included the title, "Counterinsurgency Warfare," and was the book that Ricks indicated to read, if you only read one.

So if there was one lesson from this book, it was the following:

A counterinsurgency is more a matter of civil affairs than combat. Clear and hold, rather than search and destroy.

Supposedly, this has been a very popular title within the ranks of the Bush Administration. In fact, these are the lessons that McMaster, et al. have been employing in Ramadi and other parts of the Anbar province. But it has taken a long time and is not catching on everywhere. However, if we are to succeed in Iraq, this is our only chance.

As a postscript, McMaster, along with Col. Peter Mansoor (also of the Army) and Col. Thomas Greenwood of the US Marine Corps (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/19/AR2006111901249_pf.html) have been tasked with an alternative to the Iraq Study Group featuring James Baker and Lee Hamilton by General Peter Pace, which will feature these concepts. Hopefully the civilian leadership will listen to those who have succeeded in fighting our enemies.