text: Chapter 5
  Offensive Considerations in Counterinsurgency
  “For it is in the nature of warfare…that the initiative must be maintained, that the
  regular army must lead while its adversaries follow, and that the enemy must be
  made to feel a moral inferiority throughout. There must be no doubt as to which side
  is in the ascendant, no question as to who controls the general course of the war…”
  C. E. Callwell, Small Wars, 1896
  Tactical units conduct offensive operations during COIN operations to destroy,
  disrupt, interdict, deny, or neutralize the elements of an insurgency in support of the
  lines of effort (LOEs). Tactical units may be tasked to conduct offensive operations
  as part of clear-hold-build operations, strike operations or populace and resource
  control operations. Units may be tasked to isolate, disrupt, or fix an insurgency’s
  base, auxiliary, underground, leaders, or guerrillas. This chapter explores how
  offensive operations support the following seven LOEs in counterinsurgencies:
  • Establish civil security.
  • Establish civil control.
  • Support Host Nation security forces.
  • Support to governance.
  • Restore essential services.
  • Support to economic and infrastructure development.
  • Conduct information engagements.
  Section I—OVERVIEW
  In COIN, the characteristics of the offense apply to all offensive operations. Tactical units conduct all four
  types of offensive operations in the COIN environment—Movement to Contact, Attack, Exploitation,
  and Pursuit. Within the four types of offensive operations, units conducting COIN focus on specific tactics
  and techniques which include search and attacks, raids, cordon and searches, ambushes, sniper employment,
  site exploitation (SE), and COIN patrols. Additionally, US forces should conduct combined offensive
  operations with HN security forces at every opportunity in order to reinforce HN legitimacy, support HN
  security forces, and support the HN rule of law.
  PURPOSE IN COIN
  5-1. Units conduct offensive operations to—
  • Secure the populace continuously.
  • Isolate the insurgency from populace.
  • Prevent crime.
  • Destroy, disrupt, interdict, deny or neutralize elements of the insurgency.
  • Secure national and regional borders.
  • Integrate with and support HN security forces.
  CHARACTERISTICS OF THE OFFENSE
  5-2. The characteristics of the offense are surprise, audacity, tempo, and concentration. For COIN, an
  additional characteristic, flexibility, is added.