"If you're patrolling correctly and developing the relationships you need to in order to be successful, in no time you'll find someone you trust enough (and, in turn, trusts you) to act as your local cultural advisor."

Then interpretation/interpretors can be a vulnerability. How do you adequately vet someone who has sufficient English skills and just happens to be in your AO? I would stick and move via counter-COIN strategies other than intimidation if I were say an interested Iranian, especially in hotly contested turf. We aren't the only ones on a major learning curve here.

Your reponse is helpful. Is General P. having to kick alot of butt with the implimentation of COIN or is it a relatively smooth transition in operational theory and application?