The U.S. Army - Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual - No.3-24 - Foreword, Introduction, and Contents

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Angel

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual presents doctrine and structured guidance for understanding insurgency and conducting counterinsurgency operations. It includes forewords by senior military leaders, a University of Chicago Press edition introduction, and a detailed contents framework. The manual covers integration of civilian and military activities, intelligence and analysis processes, campaign design and operational execution, host-nation security force development, leadership and ethics, sustainment, and practical annexes for action planning and legal considerations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages474

Reading Time19 h 54 min

AccessFree to download

List of Tables, Figures, and Vignettes

Foreword to the University of Chicago Press edition

Introduction to the University of Chicago Press edition

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

chapter 1. Insurgency and Counterinsurgency

chapter 2. Unity of Effort: Integrating Civilian and Military Activities

chapter 3. Intelligence in Counterinsurgency

chapter 4. Designing Counterinsurgency Campaigns and Operations

chapter 5. Executing Counterinsurgency Operations

chapter 6. Developing Host-Nation Security Forces

chapter 7. Leadership and Ethics for Counterinsurgency

chapter 8. Sustainment

appendix a . A Guide for Action

appendix b. Social Network Analysis and Other Analytical Tools

appendix c. Linguist Support

appendix d. Legal Considerations

The U.S. Army ✯ Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual The U.S. Army ✯ Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Field Manual U.S. Army Field Manual No.3-24 Marine Corps Warﬁghting Publication No.3-33.5 foreword by General David H. Petraeus and Lt. General James F. Amos foreword to the university of chicago press edition by Lt. Colonel John A. Nagl with a new introduction by Sarah Sewall the university of chicago press chicago and london The University of Chicago Press, Chicago 60637 The University of Chicago Press, Ltd., London Foreword and Introduction to the University of Chicago Press Edition © 2007 by The University of Chicago All rights reserved. Published 2007 No copyright is claimed for the original text of U.S. Army Field Manual No. 3-24/Marine Corps Warﬁghting Publication No. 3-33.5, ﬁrst issued on 15 December 2006. Printed in the United States of America 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 isbn-13: 978-0-226-84151-9 (paper) isbn-10: 0-226-84151-0 (paper) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data United States. Dept. of the Army. The U.S. Army/Marine Corps counterinsurgency ﬁeld manual : U.S. Army ﬁeld manual no. 3-24 : Marine Corps warﬁghting publication no. 3-33.5 / with forewords by General David H. Petraeus, and Lt. General James F. Amos, and by Lt. Colonel John A. Nagl; with a new Introduction by Sarah Sewall. [p. cm](p. cm). Includes bibliographical references and index. isbn-13: 978-0-226-84151-9 (pbk. : alk. paper) isbn-10: 0-226-84151-0 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Counterinsurgency—Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Nagl, John A., 1966– II. Petraeus, David Howell. III. Amos, James F. IV. United States. Marine Corps. V. Title. VI. Title: U.S. Army ﬁeld manual no. 3-24. VII. Title: Marine Corps warﬁghting publication no. 3-33.5 . u241.u79 2007 355.02’18—dc22 2007006105 The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of the American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ansi z39.48-1992. Contents List of Tables, Figures, and Vignettes ix Foreword to the University of Chicago Press edition xiii Introduction to the University of Chicago Press edition xxi Foreword xlv Preface xlvii Acknowledgements xlix Introduction li chapter 1. Insurgency and Counterinsurgency 1 Overview 1 Aspects of Insurgency 3 Aspects of Counterinsurgency 34 Summary 51 chapter 2. Unity of Effort: Integrating Civilian and Military Activities 53 Integration 53 Key Counterinsurgency Participants and Their Likely Roles 60 Key Responsibilities in Counterinsurgency 67 Civilian and Military Integration Mechanisms 69 Tactical-Level Interagency Considerations 76 Summary 77 chapter 3. Intelligence in Counterinsurgency 79 Section I: Intelligence Characteristics in Counterinsurgency 79 Section II: Predeployment Planning and Intelligence Preparation of the Battleﬁeld 80 vi contents Deﬁne the Operational Environment 82 Describe the Effects of the Operational Environment 83 Determine Threat Courses of Action 113 Section III: Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Operations 117 The Intelligence-Operations Dynamic 118 Human Intelligence and Operational Reporting 119 Surveillance and Reconnaissance Considerations 122 Considerations for Other Intelligence Disciplines 123 Section IV: Counterintelligence and Counterreconnaissance 126 Section V: All-Source Intelligence 127 Current Operations 129 Comprehensive Insurgency Analysis 129 Reachback 131 Analytic Continuity 131 Section VI: Intelligence Collaboration 132 Intelligence Cells and Working Groups 133 Host-Nation Integration 134 Section VII: Summary 135 chapter 4. Designing Counterinsurgency Campaigns and Operations 137 The Importance of Campaign Design 137 The Relationship Between Design and Planning 139 The Nature of Design 140 Considerations for Design 141 Design for Counterinsurgency 142

FAQs

What topics does the manual address first in chapter 1?

Chapter 1 covers insurgency and counterinsurgency, including overview and key aspects, and concludes with a summary.

How does the manual recommend integrating civilian and military activities?

It explains unity of effort through identifying key participants and likely roles, responsibilities, integration mechanisms, and tactical-level interagency considerations.

What intelligence functions and methods are included in the manual’s intelligence chapter?

The chapter covers intelligence characteristics in counterinsurgency, intelligence preparation of the battlefield, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance operations, counterintelligence and counterreconnaissance, all-source intelligence, collaboration, and summary guidance.

Oct 22, 2026

Uploaded by Angel