A View from Inside the Surge
Abstract
During the early years of Operation Iraqi Freedom, too many units attempted to fight an emerging and eventually flourishing insurgency the wrong way. They overemphasized kinetic operations against an adaptive insurgent hidden in a sympathetic or intimidated population. While there are examples of successful counterinsurgency efforts at various levels of command during the course of Operation Iraqi Freedom, those successes have been sporadic and short-lived at best. However, with the implementation of a new strategy in Iraq based on the tenets of FM 3-24, "Counterinsurgency," our military has proven that it can effectively conduct counterinsurgency operations on a large scale. An increase in troop density at key locations in and around Baghdad, a significant effort to move away from large forward operating bases to combat outposts, and a relentless attack on Al-Qaeda in Iraq were critical to the improved security levels across the country. David Galula's 1964 treatise "Counterinsurgency Warfare: Theory and Practice" served as the primary source behind the development of chapter five of FM 3-24. The principles Galula emphasizes have stood the test of time in various theaters of operation. Unfortunately, his work has remained largely unknown to front-line Soldiers. Writing from first-hand experiences on the counterinsurgency battlefields of the 1940s and 1950s, Galula emphasizes the importance of collecting intelligence from the local population to identify and then purge the insurgents from their midst. As a battalion commander during the surge, I found that our unit had limited effectiveness during our first several weeks on the ground in Baghdad. Almost all of our tactical victories and defeats were kinetic in nature. Over time, however, we pursued a winning strategy centered on the population that resulted in a complete reversal on the ground. I have since found David Galula's book on counterinsurgency warfare to be indispensable as an operational framework.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 2009
- Accession Number
- ADA497101
Entities
People
- James R. Crider
Organizations
- Center for a New American Security