Eating Soup with a Spoon

There is little executable counterinsurgency doctrine existing in joint publications. What little exists is too vague to establish a foundation for the development of tactical level doctrine because there is no operational authoritative guidance for long-duration counterinsurgency operations. The purpose of this paper is to begin to examine this issue. Tracing the linkages and analyzing existing counterinsurgency doctrine from the strategic to the tactical level will determine what, if anything exists. The observations garnered from that analysis will suggest fundamental changes. Finally, these doctrinal recommendations will suggest methods for organizing, training, and equipping the future force to execute that doctrine.