In Arab societies it appears (and particularly in Iraq) that the tribe has a greater say in the social organization of the society in general than would be the case in the RSVN. That being said it should still be profitable to insert some forces or arrange for some sort of formal relationship with the Tribal Chief and elders and with their entre' gain access to the various sub-sections of the tribe on an as need be basis. In fact this may be the ink blot strategy that we seem to be following in Iraq presently.

If the guerillas are to be considered the fish swimming amidst the population than the CAP would be the agent which separates the fish from the water. Stingray teams could be used to separate the fish into a known region with intelligence developed with the assistance of the CAP?s. Likewise a Phoenix operation would be used to eliminate the fish again with intel developed from the CAP?s.

I don't know if you should get to wraped around the axial when it comes to this spring offensive stuff in A'stan. Ther existance depends on their ability to maintain a presence in the Pushtun area's and I believe even the Pushtuns are becoming wary of the Talib's. This offensive was to be expected (spring you know), its mainly based on a practically ancient drug culture and we should have probably waited to start the anti drug war until after the Islamic radicals were routed out a couple of years (and for the last ones that is what your going to have to do route them out literely) and develope some intel on them but now we have given them an ally. The drug culture has been around probably for millennium and its not the sort of thing that you'll be able to make a couple of raids and they'll give up. We should have developed an alternate economy befor trying to take away the only livelyhood these people have ever known.

On the other hand as far as Iraq is concerned I believe the SOB (SADAM :who else)was in cahouts with Al Qaeda from 91 on and no one will ever be able to telll me differently.

In addition to the CAP, Stingray, and Phoenix dynamic you probably still need the Quick reaction team (QRT) to assist the CAP if an adversary company gets by the stingray screen. ALso we'd need a force big enough (brigades, batallions, whatever it takes) to take down any safe heavens the geurillas develope (and the to protect our own base area) and strategic recon to develope any intel on potential enemy safe heavens and to occupy them with Stingray tactics to keep them occupied and away from the area's we're protecting.