File:Fm3-24fd.pdf

Summary

This manual is designed to fill a doctrinal gap. It has been 20 years since the U.S. Army published a manual devoted to counterinsurgency operations, and 25 since the Marine Corps published its last such manual. With our Soldiers and Marines fighting insurgents in both Afghanistan and Iraq, it is thus essential that we give them a manual that provides principles and guidelines for counterinsurgency operations (COIN).

This field manual/Marine Corps reference publication (FM/MCRP) establishes doctrine (fundamental princi-9 ples) for military operations in a counterinsurgency environment. It is based on lessons learned from previous10 counterinsurgencies and relevant combat operations. It is also based on existing interim doctrine, and doctrine11 recently developed. Many people who articulate and apply U.S. policy and those who conduct operations in12 counterinsurgency environments are neither conversant nor familiar with the principles of insurgencies and13 counterinsurgencies. This is not surprising, considering that those subjects have been generally neglected in14 broader American military doctrine and national security policies since the end of the Vietnam War over 4015 years ago. This manual is designed to reverse that trend. It is also designed to merge traditional approaches to16 counterinsurgency with the realities of a new international arena shaped by technological advances and global-17 ization.18 To make this text useful to leaders involved in counterinsurgency operations regardless of where these opera-19 tions may occur, the doctrine contained herein is broad in scope and involves principles applicable to various20 areas of operation. This FM/MCRP is not focused on any region or country. Insurgencies have many common21 characteristics and patterns, while their ideological basis may vary widely. Fundamental to all counterinsurgen-22 cies is the need to assist local authorities to secure the populace and thereby separate the people from the insur-23 gents while enhancing the legitimacy of the government. Insurgents thrive on terrorizing and intimidating the24 population to gain control over them. Thus, creating chaos to undercut and reduce governmental legitimacy and25 authority, and fostering overall instability. But American military forces must also appreciate the importance of26 other agencies and other missions in achieving a lasting victory. They must be prepared to render required as-27 sistance as well as perform traditionally nonmilitary tasks.28 The primary audience for this manual is leaders and planners at the battalion level and above. This manual ap-29 plies to the United States Marine Corps, the Active Army, the Army National Guard, and the United States30 Army Reserve unless otherwise stated.