U.S. Counterinsurgency Doctrine: Is it Adequate to Defeat Hezbollah as a Threat Model of Future Insurgencies?

Hezbollah has emerged as the most dangerous terrorist group in the world. It has about 25,000 active armed members and it can muster a million more in the streets. They are disciplined, highly trained, with incredibly lethal equipment and an unprecedented information operations and counterintelligence networks. Using Israel's lessons learned through Counter Insurgency (COIN) operations against Hezbollah, United States Counter Insurgency (COIN) doctrine needs to be evaluated against the enormous capability of Hezbollah. The specific areas to be studied against COIN doctrine include: Hezbollah training and equipment and the fact that it is consistent with that of an Army; Hezbollah's advanced information operations; advanced network of state supporters; advanced fund raising and financial support network; advanced intelligence network and political and social advancements.