p.2 An insurgency is a struggle for control over a contested... space...
Insurgencies... exist in a complex social, informational and physical environment.
Think of this environment as a sort of "conflict ecosystem".
p.3 The theater of operations... is a dynamic, living system that changes in response to our actions
and requires continuous balancing between competing requirements.
p.3 we seek to maximize
our survivability and influence, and extend the space which we control... our
functional objective is to impose a measure of control on the overall environment.
p.4 Obviously enough, you cannot command what you do not control.
p.4 The model is structured as a base (Information),
three pillars (Security, Political and Economic) and a roof (Control).
p.5 Within this "three pillars" model, information
is the basis for all other activities. This is because perception is crucial in developing control
and influence
p.6 These three pillars support the overarching objective
of control, which - as we have seen - is the counterinsurgent’s fundamental aim.
p.6 In achieving control, we typically seek to manage the tempo of
activity, the level of violence, and the degree of stability in the environment. The intent is not to reduce violence
to zero or to kill every insurgent... we seek not only to establish control, but also to consolidate
that control and then transfer it to permanent, effective and legitimate institutions.
