COIN Academy Reading List (Mission Complete)
Small Wars Journal and Abu Muqawama recently commented on the formation of the new U.S. Army Counterinsurgency (COIN) Academy in Afghanistan. We were particularly interested in the Academy’s pursuit of building a first-class COIN library.
So… SWJ and AM have decided to aid in building the library with a little help from our friends. We e-mailed the COIN Academy requesting their reading list. They responded with titles of books and movies that once in hand would go a long way in establishing a world-class COIN library.
To streamline our effort we have set up the Afghanistan COIN Library on Amazon.
The items you purchase from that list are shipped directly to Afghanistan to seed the COIN Academy’s library with titles that will allow the staff to better appreciate history, culture, and insurgency in Afghanistan. The COIN Academy will become a part of the Afghan Defense Uinversity, so the titles will eventually make their way into its library.
A tip of the hat to Small Wars Council member Carl (currently a private sector pilot in Iraq and blogger at Because We’re Here Boy, No One Else; But Us) who started the ball rolling by e-mailing us an offer to send multiple copies of FM 3-24 to the Academy.
Thanks much for helping us out on this project. What do we get out of this? A pretty darn good COIN reading list! Plus the privilege of contributing a little, on the fringe where it counts.
Update 1: Welcome aboard Kings of War. Thanks for spreading the word!
Update 2: Welcome aboard No Angst Zone. Another tip of the hat!
Update 3: Welcome aboard Historicus. Thanks much!
Update 4: Welcome aboard Winds of Change. Most appreciated!
Update 5: Welcome aboard Intel Dump. Thanks Phil!
Update 6: Welcome aboard ZenPundit. Thanks much Mark!
Update 7: Welcome aboard MountainRunner. Hat Tip to Matt!
Update 8: Welcome aboard Blog Them Out of the Stone Age. Thanks Mark!
Update 9: COIN Academy Library Update – Abu Muqawama
Update 10: 114 books purchased as of 0556, 25 December. Job well done and kudos to all who have supported this effort!
Update 11: 119 – five more on Christmas day.
Update 12: Welcome aboard Charlie Foxtrot. Thanks much!
Update 13: We are checking it out now, but apparently the last of 86 unique items and over 140 total books and two movies were purchased today and sent off to the Afghanistan Counterinsurgency Academy in Kabul. Moreover, through this effort the Academy and my (Dave Dilegge) ‘day job’ organization (Wargaming Division of the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab) were able to hook up resulting in 50 Small Wars manuals and COIN related DVDs and CDs sent as well. Thanks to all who helped us and Abu Muqawama with this effort.
