Marine Corps counterinsurgency quote
“The insurgent leader is a stallion standing on his hind legs. You don’t win his heart and mind. You kill him.” - Maj. Stan Leach, 1976
View ArticleCOIN: Know when to say when
To conduct an effective counterinsurgency (COIN) campaign, it is my understanding that one must also have a legitimate government that has the support of the people. But Afghan president Hamid Karzai...
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Why COIN won’t work in Afghanistan
Why do I not believe that our current strategy in Afghanistan is going to work? Check out this extraordinarily complex slide showing the military’s strategy for Afghanistan: "Afghanistan Stability/COIN...
View ArticleStatistics don’t look good for COIN
Things are going from bad to worse in Afghanistan. How is it possible to conduct a successful counterinsurgency campaign in a country that 1.) doesn’t support it’s own government; 2.) despises...
View ArticleWhat did McChrystal say?
Diana West wrote months ago that Gen. Stan McChrystal had several serious flaws (seven by her count), worthy of dismissing the general only weeks after taking command of all troops in Afghanistan. To...
View ArticleTime to reevaluate counterinsurgency
West Point professor Col. Gian P. Gentile writes that it is “time for the deconstruction” of the Army’s Counterinsurgency manual. I agree. Col. Gentile writes (emphasis mine): Concepts such as...
View ArticleThe best article on counterinsurgency
I just came across an incredible article on not only counterinsurgency, but one that also addresses the ideology of our enemies (something our government and military will not do) – jihad. Sergeant...
View ArticleReading on the Battle of Ganjgal
On Sept. 8, 2009, three U.S. Marines, their Navy corpsman, and a soldier were killed as U.S. commanders withheld artillery support. As I write an article on the matter, I wanted to post my sources so...
View ArticleWho is the bigger threat: the Taliban, or our own strategy?
“We are pinned down. We are running low on ammo. We have no air. We’ve lost today,” Marine Maj. Kevin Williams told his Afghan translator as Afghan soldiers repeatedly asked for helicopter support....
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Colonel makes case against COIN in Afghanistan
Col. Harry D. Tunnell IV (US Army photo) Although a fan of counterinsurgency (COIN) in certain cases, I have publicly opposed the population-centric model of COIN utilized in Afghanistan for several...
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