text: Appendix C
  Twenty-Eight Articles:
  Fundamentals of Company-Level Counterinsurgency
  LTC David Kilcullen, PhD, originally submitted his essay, 28 Articles, to Military
  Review for the CAC CG's Special Topics Writing Competition: Countering
  Insurgency. However, he was asked to publish it immediately to help Soldiers in the
  field. Even though doing so cost him the opportunity to compete—and possibly
  win—the competition, the Australian Army officer graciously agreed, and pulled the
  essay from the contest. The article is reprinted in this appendix, with permission,
  from the May-June 2006 issue of Military Review, and formatted to fit this
  publication.
  INTRODUCTION
  C-1. Your company has just been warned about possible deployment for counterinsurgency operations
  in Iraq or Afghanistan. You have read David Galula, T.E. Lawrence, and Robert Thompson. You have
  studied FM 3—24, and now understand the history, philosophy, and theory of counterinsurgency. You
  have also watched Black Hawk Down and The Battle of Algiers, and you know this will be the most
  difficult challenge of your life.
  C-2. But what does all that theory mean at the company level? How do the principles translate into
  action at night, with the GPS down, the media criticizing you, the locals complaining in a language you
  don’t understand, and an unseen enemy killing your people by ones and twos? How does
  counterinsurgency actually happen?
  C-3. There are no universal answers, and insurgents are among the most adaptive opponents you will
  ever face. Countering them will demand every ounce of your intellect. But be comforted: You are not the
  first to feel this way. There are tactical fundamentals you can apply to link the theory with the techniques
  and procedures you already know.
  WHAT IS COUNTERINSURGENCY?
  C-4. If you have not studied counterinsurgency theory, here it is in a nutshell: Counterinsurgency is a
  competition with the insurgent for the right to win the hearts, minds, and acquiescence of the population.
  You are being sent in because the insurgents, at their strongest, can defeat anything with less strength than
  you. But you have more combat power than you can or should use in most situations. Injudicious use
  of firepower creates blood feuds, homeless people, and societal disruption that fuel and perpetuate the
  insurgency. The most beneficial actions are often local politics, civic action, and beat-cop behaviors. For
  your side to win, the people don’t have to like you but they must respect you, accept that your actions
  benefit them, and trust your integrity and ability to deliver on promises, particularly regarding their
  security. In this battlefield, popular perceptions and rumor are more influential than the facts and more
  powerful than a hundred tanks.
  C-5. Within this context, what follows are observations from collective experience, the distilled
  essence of what those who went before you learned. They are expressed as commandments, for clarity, but
  are really more like folklore. Apply them judiciously and skeptically.