I'm a regular army guy that has spent the last three years conducting FID/COIN. Over some beers with my SF classmates, we continually discuss this topic.

For a broad sweep, we conclude that in Iraq, RA conducts FID/COIN while SF mostly conducts DA (remember broad sweep, not focused towards everyone). In Afghanistan, SF is still actively conducting FID/COIN. Around the world with other militaries, FID is still done well just low key.

One of the fundamental problems everyone is having right now is that most soldiers (SF and RA) wanna be door kickers. Well, that's easy and a monkey could do it- It doesn't win these type of wars.

It's interesting if you take a step back and consider future organizational structure. Within both RA and SF, there is an extensive combat tested FID/COIN capability with many Officers/NCO's. To maximize these skill sets would take a broad organization change in terms of defining unit makeups not by tabs and badges but by capabilities. I was considering Nagl's advisory corps concept in particular.

In Afghanistan And the Troubled Future of Unconventional Warfare, LTC (R) Hy Rothstein argues that SF is no longer conducting UW.

One last thing for the group: a discussion point came up yesterday that we found striking. All the FID material we've read only shows you how to train a new group of kids off the street into a workable fighting force. Does anyone have any info on manuals that show how to train on the more advanced levels? In Iraq now, with some units, they are proceeding very well- gathering intelligence, conducting raids, etc....It does not make sense to try and teach these seasoned leaders basic rifle markmanship.

All broad strokes here for discussion, nothing definitive.