Okay, so I let my personal and professional life take me away from my study of warfare for a couple of weeks. I know, I know, no excuses. Back on track.

One area where Dr. K and I find common ground is his definition of the composition and nature of an insurgency. IMO, he is an expert in this arena. As he's finishing up the introduction, he offers a picture to illustrate the components. Figure 1.1 Surface and Subsurface Elements of an Insurgency (p. 8). I can't find one previously published so I'll describe it and offer my thoughts.

He starts with a pyramid of insurgency design. From top to bottom, it's

1. Insurgents/Terrorists
2. Supporting Infrastructure
3. Sympathetic networks
4. Population base

He then immerses this pyramid into water with with a broad deliniation of the detection threshold.

This is a marvelous viewpoint. As Dr. Gordon McCormick tells us (paraphrased), "an insurgency is really not an assymetrical fight, at least not in the beginning. The host nation retains a comparative advantage in Mass through it's military arm, but the insurgent maintains a comparative advantage in information. He can see us, but we cannot see him."

It is exactly like standing on the shore and looking at the ocean. One can see the tide roll in and out. For most, they are comfortable in describing the ocean in that manner. However, when one takes the time to dive deep into the water, another world appears. Insurgencies are no different, and a true counterinsurgent must determine how best to dive deep into the water and see what's going on.

So, I applaud this figure.