text: Chapter 4
  Comprehensive Tactical Planning in Counterinsurgency
  “The fight against the guerrilla must be organized methodically and conducted with
  unremitting patience and resolution. Except for the rare exception, it will never
  achieve spectacular results, so dear to laurel seeking military leaders.”
  Roger Trinquier. Modern Warfare—A French View of Counterinsurgency. 1964.
  The aim of counterinsurgency operations is to set the conditions that eliminate
  insurgency by securing and garnering the support of the population, as well
  as increasing the legitimacy of the Host Nation government. To accomplish this,
  tactical COIN planning uses all capabilities, not just military capabilities. This
  chapter shows the tactical planning process of counterinsurgency operations through
  sections on basic tactical design, planning horizons, the military decision-making
  process (MDMP), troop-leading procedures (TLP), and targeting.
  Section I—OVERVIEW
  The battlefield of the Twenty-First Century has proven to be complex due to increasing urbanization,
  globalization, and religious fundamentalism; multiple enemy, friendly, and neutral actors; and ambiguous
  guidance and direction. It is through planning that the commander is able to see the desired outcome, lay out
  effective ways to achieve it, and communicate his vision, intent, and decisions to his subordinates, focusing on
  the results he wants to achieve (FM 5-0). Progress in counterinsurgencies is slow and difficult to measure.
  It can continue for weeks, months, even years. With the complexity of counterinsurgency operations,
  commanders and staff have relied upon end states, the seven COIN lines of effort, measures of effectiveness
  and performance and tight planning horizons to impose order on the chaos and craft functional plans to guide
  counterinsurgent efforts to increase the legitimacy of the Host Nation government along multiple lines of effort.
  END STATE
  4-1. At the tactical level, this is the set of conditions that, when achieved, accomplish the mission.
  4-2. A condition is a specific existing circumstance, framed in military terms. that, when achieved,
  describes one aspect of the desired end state. Achievement of all of the conditions obtains the end state. For
  tactical commanders, the end state is typically a set of required conditions, usually for each LOE, that
  defines the achievement of the commander’s tactical objective.
  4-3. Historically, successful counterinsurgencies commonly focus on the political end state, unified
  in their approach, and flexible in addressing the core insurgency issues. They secure the people, enhance
  the legitimacy of the Host Nation government and, above all, show patience.
  4-4. A military operation must be linked to a political end state, composed of various conditions that
  the populace supports.
  UNITY OF ACTION
  4-5. Close coordination and effective cooperation between the Host Nation (civil, police, and military),
  the US counterinsurgency force and all other coalition partners, allows the full strength of each to engage
  all levels of the insurgency. Unity of effort is key.