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DTIC ADA600522: Counterinsurgency Lessons Learned from the French-Algerian War (1954-1962) Applied to the Current Afghanistan War

After eight years of fighting in Afghanistan, the United States currently finds itself deep in a complex, expanding, and ambiguous counterinsurgency war. The counterinsurgency is vexed by centuries old tribal dynamiCS, porous borders where insurgent fighters and material cross unchallenged. and a nagging question of the legitimacy of the central government. The United States military must regain and leverage lessons from past counterinsurgency wars to quell the deliberations of discontent among America's political leaders and some of its society. One counterinsurgency case study is the French-Algerian War (1954-1962). A detailed analysis of the French-Algerian War can provide valuable lessons learned on strategic political will. the criticality of external support to insurgents, capacity building for indigenous forces, and the use of torture to gain intelligence, and the power of popular support. An understanding of these lessons can benefit in the conduct and execution of counterinsurgency operations; thus, preparing and educating America's military and political leaders for the current counterinsurgency war in Afghanistan.

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