The 2004 counterinsurgency campaign in Afghanistan was historic. Service personnel of general purpose, special operations, coalition, and irregular forces worked in unison to defeat the insurgency in a country stricken by war. Their unwavering trust, cooperation, close integration, collaborative planning, and nested execution were in many cases, textbook. In recognition of their professional effort, this case study captures many of the lessons learned in their planning and operations. Success in Afghanistan also came from the determination of millions of Afghans who were supported by these gallant sailors, soldiers, marines, and airmen.

"August 2006"--Cover.

Introduction -- The true believer, the enemy at large -- Tenets of war in Afghanistan and the Afghan resistance -- Historic paralleling and principles of COIN campaigning -- Optimizing command, control, and coordination in a COIN environment -- Combat operations in Afghanistan: find, fix, and finish the enemy and remove the causes of instability -- Civil-military operations (CMO) in COIN -- Results achieved, key lessons learned, and the next level.