text: Chapter 1
  causes of the conflict. Insurgency is a struggle for legitimacy and influence, generally from a position of
  relative weakness. Insurgencies can exist apart from or before, during or after conventional conflicts.
  Throughout history, elements of a population have grown dissatisfied with the status quo. When they are
  willing to fight to change the conditions to their favor, using both violent and nonviolent means to affect a
  change in the prevailing authority, they have often initiated an insurgency.
  1-134. Ideally, the host nation is the primary partner in responding to, isolating, and defeating an
  insurgency. Often, the host nation cannot effectively address sources of instability that provide an insurgent
  organization freedom of movement. A critical goal of a counterinsurgency is to address those sources of
  instability, erode the vulnerabilities of a population, and thus reduce active and passive support to an
  insurgent movement. Although U.S. forces may be directed to support to another nation in countering an
  insurgency, eventually the host nation will need to build its own capacity and capability to resolve its issues
  related to instability.
  1-135. U.S forces must understand the strategic context within which counterinsurgencies are conducted
  so they can plan, prepare for, and execute counterinsurgency operations to achieve national objectives.
  Counterinsurgency efforts support U.S. policy. The U.S. approach to countering an insurgency incorporates
  agencies of the U.S. Government, and when possible, international agencies and partners, in supporting a
  host nation. (FM 3-24 provides doctrine on counterinsurgency and the importance of stability efforts in
  counterinsurgency.)
  FOREIGN INTERNAL DEFENSE
  1-136. Foreign internal defense is participation by civilian and military agencies of a government in any
  of the action programs taken by another government or other designated organization to free and protect its
  society from subversion, lawlessness, insurgency, terrorism, and other threats to its security (JP 3-22).
  Foreign internal defense involves all instruments of national power. Primarily a series of programs, it
  supports friendly nations operating against or threatened by hostile elements. Foreign internal defense
  promotes regional stability by helping a host nation respond to its population’s needs while maintaining
  security.
  1-137. Foreign internal defense requires an evolving combination of offensive, defensive, and stability
  tasks. The military role in foreign internal defense often includes indirect support, direct support (not
  involving U.S. combat operations), and combat operations. Foreign internal defense is often conducted as
  military engagement in peacetime.
  1-138. Army support to foreign internal defense often takes the form of security force assistance. Security
  force assistance activities support foreign internal defense activities where U.S. forces organize, train,
  equip, rebuild, build, and advise a host nation’s security forces. Participating Army forces normally advise
  and assist host-nation forces while refraining from combat operations. However, conduct of U.S. combat
  operations is possible. Security force assistance by all types of Army forces, both conventional forces and
  special operations forces, can support a foreign internal defense mission. (See JP 3-22 for more
  information.)
  1-139. U.S. foreign internal defense supports the host-nation’s internal defense and development. The
  strategic aim of internal defense and development is to prevent subversion, lawlessness, insurgency,
  terrorism, and other threats to a host nation’s security, stability, and legitimacy. It focuses on building
  viable institutions—political, economic, military, and social—that respond to the needs of the society.
  Internal defense and development is not only a single master plan, it is a compilation of all internal defense
  and development plans at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels that a nation possesses. Tactical units
  may only see the local government strategy, economic development plan, or the long-range military plan of
  the host-nation security force unit, all of which inform internal defense and development strategy. Internal
  defense and development has multiple supporting objectives to include—
  * Providing training and opportunities for host-nation security forces to improve and take the lead.
  * Providing opportunity for the host-nation police and other governmental institutions to enforce
  and maintain the rule of law.
  * Providing essential services and addressing the causes of instability to mitigate insurgent goals
  and access.