Comparing Models for the Restoration of Essential Services During Counterinsurgency Operations

What is the military's most effective model for restoring essential services during counterinsurgency operations? That research question drove this monograph to compare the most popular restoration model, the SWEAT Model (created by the Army Engineer School), against a new model, the Factor-Precedence Model (created by the author). Military and civilian experts have produced various models to provide tools that help practitioners understand, prioritize, and execute essential services restoration during counterinsurgency operations. This monograph assesses the effectiveness of the SWEAT and Factor-Precedence Models using two counterinsurgency case studies set in Baghdad, Iraq (2005 and 2009). By the end of the monograph, the reader should understand why the Factor-Precedence Model proves more effective than the SWEAT Model for past and present essentials services restoration efforts. In addition, the reader should understand why the Factor-Precedence Model will provide useful during future counterinsurgency operations.