US COIN Doctrine and Practice: An Ally's Perspective

摘要

This article offers an assessment on the development of U.S. counterinsurgency doctrine and one view of how it has been applied to operations in the field. The hypothesis is that FM 3-24 conveys an effective military doctrine. Although its utility to the soldier and marine is evident from the reports emanating from Iraq, it is equally clear that FM 3-24 is not the final answer. What David Galula identifies as the 80 percent political action formula is beyond the scope of FM 3-24, but it still needs to be addressed. The article provides a brief but necessary reminder of doctrine's function and identifies six criteria for evaluating doctrine to be utilized in examining FM 3-24, testing its theoretical effectiveness. It then offers commentary on counterinsurgency practice in Iraq in the light of the new doctrine before returning to Galula's missing 80 percent. The hypothesis is supported by interviews with authors of the doctrine, service members serving and others who have served in Iraq, post-operational reports, and the ever- growing body of literature. Some careful consideration has also been given to opinion pieces and editorials published in various media.