Why read The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual?

Book cover of The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual

Book description

When the U.S. military invaded Iraq, it lacked a common understanding of the problems inherent in counterinsurgency campaigns. It had neither studied them, nor developed doctrine and tactics to deal with them. It is fair to say that in 2003, most Army officers knew more about the U.S. Civil War…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The U.S. Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

John A. Nagl

Author

Military doctrine is rarely particularly enthralling reading. However, this manual, published by the University of Chicago Press, was featured on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It provided a road map for General Petraeus to follow on the ground in Iraq with its focus on creating an Army that could learn and adapt while protecting the population rather than creating more insurgents with excessive violence. For more than two centuries, the Army’s missions had been “Attack” and “Defend”; this book added “Protect,” making it perhaps the most important Army doctrinal manual since the end of the Cold War.

From John's list on the exorbitant cost of America’s War in Iraq.