Media Note
Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
November 14, 2007
Counterinsurgency for U.S. Government Policy Makers: A Work in Progress
To meet the challenges of the post-September 11 security environment, the State Department, the Defense Department and
the U.S. Agency for International Development have led a collaborative effort to produce an Interim Counterinsurgency
Guide for U.S. government policy makers.
This primer on insurgency and counterinsurgency draws on existing literature and recent experience to educate and inform
policy makers. It is informed by the relevant experience of our allies, notably Australia and the United Kingdom, as
well as input from host nations with whom we are partnering in counterinsurgency campaigns.
An interagency drafting group, with representatives from nine U.S. Government departments and agencies, developed the
Interim Counterinsurgency Guide over a nine- month period. The primer is one component of the Interagency
Counterinsurgency Initiative (ICI), a combined State/Defense initiative launched in September 2006 to develop an
integrated U.S. government approach to 21st century insurgencies. In the coming months, the interagency partners of the
ICI will continue to revise the guide.
2007/1011
Released on November 14, 2007
ENDS