ABSTRACT
Clear. Hold. Build. According to counterinsurgency (COIN) doctrine employed in Operation Enduring Freedom by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, these operational stages lead to the security, stability, and sustainable economic growth necessary for building peace. 1 The application of COIN doctrine has temporal and spatial dimensions depending on the operational environment—ranging from relatively simple tactical decisions and actions to more complex strategic planning. In Afghanistan, such operations range from close personal dialogue between soldiers, marines, the civilian workforce, and local Afghan leaders to collaboration involving ISAF, U.S. government agencies (such as the Department of Defense, Department of State, Agency for International Development, and Department of Agriculture), and the government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GOIRA). From a U.S. military perspective, COIN operations are population-centric by design and demand action different from traditional “kinetic” military response (Flynn, Pottinger, and Batchelor 2010; Petreaus 2010; USACAC n.d.).
