Do Information Operations (IO) contribute to success in counterinsurgency campaigns? What IO measures of excellence exist to demonstrate achievement of success in counterinsurgencies? These questions currently challenge U.S. military forces deployed to Operation IRAQI FREEDOM. This monograph develops a systems framework to better analyze and understand the interactions of IO subsystems as part of counterinsurgency operations. In addition to developing an adaptive systems framework to understand the importance of IO as part of COIN, this document explains the importance of system's aims to identify centers of gravity and feedback loops through existing doctrinal typology of situation-specific considerations. Feedback loops are developed into measures of excellence that allow synchronization and synergy of IO subsystems to be translated through cultural barriers and adjusted as necessary to affect the perception management of all targeted audiences in a counterinsurgency campaign. The historical case study analysis of the Malayan counterinsurgency (1948-1960) is utilized to describe IO as part of COIN systems approach.