Afghanistan: No Peace with Terror – London Daily Telegraph leader

It is important to remember why we are in Afghanistan. Our troops are not there to guarantee democracy, nor build dams, nor ensure that girls attend school. Or, to be precise, these are secondary objectives which contribute towards our primary goal, namely the containment of terrorism.

More British subjects died on September 11, 2001 than in any other terrorist attack in history. Afghanistan was the heart of the network which carried out that atrocity.

As coalition soldiers arrived to pacify the country, they discovered an alarming number of British Muslims training with al-Qa'eda – training, we can reasonably assume, for further attacks in the United Kingdom. Our presence in that sparse, beautiful land, in short, was occasioned by self-defence.

It is in this context that we should view the Karzai regime's desire to reach an accommodation with the Taliban. We may dislike the Taliban for their backwardness, their iconoclasm, their treatment of women.

But there are plenty of movements around the world every bit as repellent, whom we are not in the business of fighting. No, our main objection to the Taliban remains what it always has been: that they might rebuild the terrorist infrastructure that we have successfully demolished over the past four years…

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Continue reading "1 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Non-Linear Intuition
A Fundamental Requirement for Military Leaders and why they should read Clausewitz

by MAJ Rob Thornton

September 11th, 2001 was a watershed event in that it was a vividly graphic demonstration of a war declared by a non-state actor on our domestic soil – perhaps not since the British sacked Washington D.C. in the War of 1812 has a foreign entity extended its power across an ocean to threaten us here – what made it all the more frightening was that they had obtained the means to attack us within the confines of our own country. The attacks of 9/11 had both a physical and a moral presence and altered the collective way in which we had considered the world before it occurred. It was the catalyst which changed the way Americans thought about securities and liberties, created organizations and legislations, created a stronger relationship between domestic and foreign policy and has led to our waging war in Afghanistan and Iraq, and on a much broader sense deployments world wide in the Global War on Terror. By most estimates the way we consider the world (and the way in which the world considers us) has changed permanently, and we may well be in a state of persistent conflict for decades to come – a generational struggle as it has been called by some...

Continue reading "Non-Linear Intuition" »

Hat Tip to MountainRunner for his post on the new DoD Strategic Communication Plan for Afghanistan dated 12 September 2007.

In order to augment our ongoing efforts in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense has developed the attached DOD Strategic Communication (SC) Plan for Afghanistan. This SC plan supports and complements NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) operations.

This SC plan directs all DoD organizations to begin execution immediately according to their specified duties and responsibilities. The plan is dynamic, and will continue to be updated and modified as Coalition efforts in Afghanistan evolve. To ensure the successful execution of this plan, DoD leaders are requested to provide the appropriate support to the designated lead organizations. Please review the attached SC plan to identify your responsibilities.

The DoD Strategic Communication Integration Group (SCIG) Secretariat stands ready to work with you and your staff on this important effort…

MountainRunner comments:

There's a lot in this document, including hits and misses. Addressed only to the DOD members of the Strategic Communication Integration Group, and not the Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, it identifies key elements of strategic communications, including those in which DOD is not the lead…

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Strategic Communication Plan for Afghanistan" »

‘Day job hat’ on here. I, along with Capt Josh Cusworth of the Small Wars Center of Excellence, had the privilege of organizing a Counterinsurgency (COIN) seminar featuring Dr. David Kilcullen on 26 September at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia...

Continue reading "COIN Seminar: Dr. David Kilcullen" »

Admiral Mullen Reports for Duty - Derrick Jackson, Boston Globe

We have a new chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The question is: What will happen if he says something that the commander-in-chief does not want to hear?

Navy Admiral Mike Mullen yesterday replaced Marine General Peter Pace because Pace became too much a symbol of the Iraq quagmire. In June, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said he originally wanted to renominate Pace for another two years. But Gates determined that the nation would not have been served by a "divisive ordeal" of renomination hearings.

"The focus of his confirmation process would have been on the past rather than the future, and further, that there was the very real prospect the process would be quite contentious," Gates conceded.

Almost by default, Mullen was viewed in Washington as fresh air, unafraid to blow back at the hot air that got us into Iraq in the first place. So far, he does not appear to be a senseless cheerleader. In his July Senate confirmation hearing, he was pressed by South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham to "assess our likelihood of winning, given what you know now."

Mullen said, "I would be concerned about whether we'd be winning or not." ...

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Continue reading "2 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Accept the Blackwater Mercenaries – Max Boot, Los Angeles Times

Like a volcano finally erupting after repeated rumblings, the actions of a Blackwater USA team in Baghdad last month have brought to the surface a scalding gusher of animosity toward the private military industry. Everyone, it seems, has a reason to hate the men in black.

American soldiers dislike them because they get paid a lot more for similar work. Iraqis dislike them because they have become a symbol of infringements on their sovereignty. And many American leftists dislike them because they are seen as war profiteers.

Given all this antipathy, it is easy to assume the worst about military contractors, justified or not. Take the Sept. 16 incident, in which at least 11 Iraqis were killed and which was the impetus for a House hearing Tuesday. Blackwater says its employees fired in self-defense after being attacked. Iraqis claim that the Blackwaterites fired indiscriminately and without provocation. There is no reason to assume -- as so many critics do -- that the more damning version is true, especially because the harshest condemnations have come from the Iraqi Interior Ministry, a notorious hotbed of sectarianism…

Beyond that, we need to do a better job of integrating contractors with military units so as to avoid mix-ups such as the one that occurred in 2004 when four Blackwater employees were killed in Fallouja, triggering a Marine offensive. Malcolm Nance, a veteran intelligence operative who has worked as a contractor in Iraq, makes an intriguing suggestion in the Small Wars Journal: Create a "force protection command" within the U.S. military that would be responsible for overseeing contractor operations. This would help make contractors more useful to military commanders…

Next Stop Kandahar – Mark Hemmingway, Weekly Standard

… There are warm greetings all around. In a few seconds, Gerber goes from all-business army officer to aw-shucks Midwesterner. The joint Afghan-American mission is a success. In fact, it was such a success you could almost believe you're not in Kansas anymore.

The Afghan village is a fake. It's nothing more than a handful of carefully stacked and modified shipping containers set up in the prairie on the outskirts of Fort Riley. The base is ringed with mock villages and tactical training areas. They're given Arabic or Afghan names, but are generally referred to by their army designation. This village is known as "Cluster City Five."

The terrorists and village dwellers in the exercise are role players supplied by a defense contractor. Most are young males recruited from nearby Kansas State--all too happy to play army for $14 an hour. During their downtime, they sit around in the rusted shipping containers playing cards, joking, and generally enjoying themselves…

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Continue reading "3 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Dividing Iraq to Save It – David Ignatius, Washington Post

During the recent debate in Washington about what is gently termed the "soft partition" of Iraq, I have been remembering one of the macabre signature phrases of the Vietnam War: "It was necessary to destroy the town in order to save it."

I know the senators who endorsed Sen. Joe Biden's plan to devolve power in a more federal Iraq don't mean to destroy the country. They want to save it. But like the unidentified U.S. Army officer who was quoted in 1968 after the destruction of a village called Ben Tre, they are cloaking expediency in the rhetoric of salvation.

Iraq may indeed separate into three semi-autonomous cantons -- Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish -- as Biden and others recommend. Looking at the sectarian strife plaguing the country, that often seems like an inevitable outcome. But this act of national dismemberment is not something that Americans should recommend. No matter how much blood and treasure we have spent in Iraq, we remain outsiders there. It's not our call…

Modern Heroes – Robert Kaplan, Wall Street Journal

I'm weary of seeing news stories about wounded soldiers and assertions of "support" for the troops mixed with suggestions of the futility of our military efforts in Iraq. Why aren't there more accounts of what the troops actually do? How about narrations of individual battles and skirmishes, of their ever-evolving interactions with Iraqi troops and locals in Baghdad and Anbar province, and of increasingly resourceful "patterning" of terrorist networks that goes on daily in tactical operations centers?

The sad and often unspoken truth of the matter is this: Americans have been conditioned less to understand Iraq's complex military reality than to feel sorry for those who are part of it.

The media struggles in good faith to respect our troops, but too often it merely pities them. I am generalizing, of course. Indeed, there are regular, stellar exceptions, quite often in the most prominent liberal publications, from our best military correspondents. But exceptions don't quite cut it amidst the barrage of "news," which too often descends into therapy for those who are not fighting, rather than matter-of-fact stories related by those who are.

As one battalion commander complained to me, in words repeated by other soldiers and marines: "Has anyone noticed that we now have a volunteer Army? I'm a warrior. It's my job to fight." Every journalist has a different network of military contacts. Mine come at me with the following theme: We want to be admired for our technical proficiency--for what we do, not for what we suffer. We are not victims. We are privileged…

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Continue reading "4 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) recently launched the CSIS Commission on Smart Power blog. the Smart Power blog is part of the bipartisan Commission on Smart Power chaired by former deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage and Harvard University’s Joseph Nye.

More...

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The Autumn 2007 issue of the US Army War College’s Parameters is posted.

Parameters, a refereed journal of ideas and issues... Highly recommended.

More, plus links to individual articles, book reviews...

Continue reading "Parameters Autumn 2007" »

COIN is Not Small Change – Clifford May, National Review

It’s the Pentagon’s job to prepare for wars of the future. But somewhere between Vietnam and Iraq, military planners confused “future” with “futuristic.” They convinced themselves that combat in the 21st-century would resemble computer games. Satellites would provide intelligence. “Smart bombs” would do much of the killing. The enemy, overcome by “shock and awe,” would lose his will to fight.

But the future, as they say, ain’t what it used to be. Put to the test in Iraq, American military forces succeeded brilliantly in bringing down Saddam Hussein’s regime. In the next phase, however, an insurgency driven by both al Qaeda and Iran’s mad mullahs, post-modern warfare failed spectacularly.

Satellites could not distinguish between enemy combatants and friendly civilians. Nor could they identify weapons caches and car-bomb factories hidden in schools and mosques. Targets that could not be located could not be destroyed. No computer program could resolve sectarian conflicts fueled by foreign terrorists who slaughtered innocents while American troops were cooped up in well-guarded Forward Operating Bases (FOBs). Videos of beheadings posted on the Internet provoked more shock and awe than a Cruise Missile ever could.

But here is one of the marvelous things about the U.S. military: It learns and adapts. Other bureaucracies do not…

War, Peace and Anthropologists – Austin Bay, Washington Times

… Of course, the U.S. Defense Department has turned common sense into stilted jargon. Terms like "human terrain" are cropping up in Pentagon briefings. "Human Terrain Teams" provide social science support for military operations.

It may have cause in this case. Calling team members anthropologists supporting State and Defense (which is what they are) would antagonize the hard-left denizens of university social science schools — the only group whose professional jargon is more stilted and obscure than the Pentagon's.

The driving force behind renewed U.S. interest in "cultural contexts" is obviously the War on Terror, which has taken U.S. soldiers and diplomats into some very culturally complicated corners of the planet. This interest is another indicator that the War on Terror is moving to a stage where it is less of a shooting war and more a vast "peace enforcement" operation, but that's a subject for another column.

Applying cultural common sense isn't new. A SEAL commander I met at CENTCOM in October 2001 told me U.S. special operations teams that had just arrived in Afghanistan were "sipping a lot of tea" — negotiating with Afghan tribal leaders. The greeting and tea ceremonies played a major role in framing the discussions. Cultural awareness is key to U.S. Army Special Forces operations. The U.S. Marine Corps' classic "Small Wars Manual" notes the importance of cultural contexts…

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Continue reading "5 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Two petitions; one “actual”, one in sardonic rebuttal; are making the rounds concerning anthropology and the military.

We report, you decide...

Continue reading "Concerned Anthropologists or Scared Anthropologists?" »

I Survived Blackwater - Janessa Gans, Los Angeles Times

When the Iraqi government last month demanded the expulsion of Blackwater USA, the private security firm, I had one reaction: It's about time.

As a U.S. official in Baghdad for nearly two years, I was frequently the "beneficiary" of Blackwater's over-the-top zeal. "Just pretend it's a roller coaster," I used to tell myself during trips through downtown Baghdad.

We would careen around corners, jump road dividers, reach speeds in excess of 100 mph and often cross over to the wrong side of the street, oncoming traffic be damned.

But much more appalling than the ride was the deleterious effect each movement through town had on the already beleaguered people of Iraq. I began to wonder whether my meetings, intended to further U.S. policy goals and improve the lives of Iraqis, were doing more harm than good. With our drivers honking at, cutting off, pelting with water bottles (a favorite tactic) and menacing with weapons anyone in their way, how many enemies were we creating? …

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Continue reading "6 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

By Emily Goldman

Strategic communication is a vital activity for supporting our military operations and national interest. Information can affect attitudes, and ultimately behavior. It is one of the most important tools we have to shape the battlefield months and years in advance. It is indispensable now for fighting adversaries who employ non-traditional and asymmetric means. It can be effective in shaping memories of the past as well as planning for the future...

Continue reading "Strategic Communication: A Tool for Asymmetric Warfare" »

More - Amarillo and British Army Amphibious Assault...

Continue reading "Oldies Sunday" »

Many more...

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A Death in the Family - Christopher Hitchens, Vanity Fair

I was having an oppressively normal morning a few months ago, flicking through the banality of quotidian e-mail traffic, when I idly clicked on a message from a friend headed "Seen This?" The attached item turned out to be a very well-written story by Teresa Watanabe of the Los Angeles Times. It described the death, in Mosul, Iraq, of a young soldier from Irvine, California, named Mark Jennings Daily, and the unusual degree of emotion that his community was undergoing as a consequence. The emotion derived from a very moving statement that the boy had left behind, stating his reasons for having become a volunteer and bravely facing the prospect that his words might have to be read posthumously. In a way, the story was almost too perfect: this handsome lad had been born on the Fourth of July, was a registered Democrat and self-described agnostic, a U.C.L.A. honors graduate, and during his college days had fairly decided reservations about the war in Iraq. I read on, and actually printed the story out, and was turning a page when I saw the following:

"Somewhere along the way, he changed his mind. His family says there was no epiphany. Writings by author and columnist Christopher Hitchens on the moral case for war deeply influenced him … "

I don't exaggerate by much when I say that I froze. I certainly felt a very deep pang of cold dismay. I had just returned from a visit to Iraq with my own son (who is 23, as was young Mr. Daily) and had found myself in a deeply pessimistic frame of mind about the war. Was it possible that I had helped persuade someone I had never met to place himself in the path of an I.E.D.? ...

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Continue reading "7 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Armed Forces Journal article Small Wars, Big Ideas by Christopher Griffin.

... So, what is Kilcullen doing in the blogosphere? He’s been there for some time, contributing to the Small War Journal (SWJ) site through a series of postings on their general blog. Founded by a pair of Marines, Dave Dilegge and Bill Nagle, and named in homage to the Corps’ legendary “Small Wars Manual,” the SWJ provides a combination of blogs, discussion boards, and links to its readers. The SWJ is one of the finest resources on the Internet for the student of counterinsurgency, and has attracted leading experts to contribute to its balanced, informative blog...

Continue reading "Small Wars, Big Ideas" »

Additional articles recently posted by Armed Forces Journal.

Washington’s War by Colonel Douglas MacGregor (USA Ret.)

The human and material cost of America’s occupation of Iraq is reaching a climax. The ongoing “surge” of ground combat troops into Baghdad and its surroundings is producing higher U.S. casualties, exacerbating intersectarian violence and draining the last reserves of American patience.

Like the French Army in Algeria and the British Army in Ireland, the generals in Baghdad are discovering that soldiers and Marines in Iraq control only what they stand on, and when they no longer stand on it, they don’t control it. Meanwhile, the Army grinds itself to pieces while the national military leader¬ship stands by watching, clinging to the promise of more troops for a larger ground force in the future — a promise that is irrelevant to the challenge we now face: getting out of Iraq…

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Continue reading "More from the AFJ" »

Al-Qaeda’s War of Villages – Omar Fadhil, Wall Street Journal

The latest chapter in al Qaeda's war manual in their war against the Iraqi people and the Coalition is this: raiding remote peaceful villages, burning down homes and slaughtering both man and beast. It's a campaign of self destruction.

For about a year al Qaeda has been trying to build a so called Islamic State in Iraq. On several occasions al Qaeda has even declared parts of Baghdad or other places in other provinces the capital of this Islamic State.

But now that they are losing one base after another, their objective seems to have changed from adding more towns and villages to the "state" to destroying the very same towns and villages. Obviously, it's all about making headlines regardless of the means to do that.

This change in plans began to take shape with the battle between al Qaeda and the joint forces on Sept. 6 and 7 in Hor Rijab and then the massacre that followed in the same spot a week later and finally the attacks on other villages north, south and east of Baghdad in the last week or so.

Actually first I'd like to recommend reading a good post by Jules Crittenden about the flawed timing of this "Little Tet".

Anyway, our interest today is more about the field situation and strategy than about timing since the latter seems to be not so friendly to al Qaeda. Well, actually timing is very important here too but at a rather different level. In my opinion al Qaeda found itself forced to start this villages war. It wasn't a choice as much as a last resort because villages are among the few fighting spaces that al Qaeda can still utilize as large cities become increasingly difficult for them to operate in. They know that without engaging the enemy--that's us by the way--their existence and influence would end and I'm almost positive that they feel bitter about having to fight this way…

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Continue reading "8 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

By Wayne Mastin

An interesting discussion thread entitled "Who are the great generals?" has been running for quite a while on the Small Wars Council. I suspect that most of those reading the posts on this thread are looking for a list, preferably very short, of the qualities that justify one in assigning the adjective “great” to senior military officers. In other words, what the readers and posters are seeking are the characteristics that are jointly necessary and sufficient to identify outstanding generals. I further suspect that we can probably agree on a few necessary conditions. However, the truly elusive piece will be gaining agreement on the sufficient condition or conditions. In fact, I doubt that we can propound such a list of traits upon which we can all agree. However, I think that this should not cause us to despair. The discussion is not just an academic exercise in military history. It is, instead, an effort, to identify the sorts of things our officer selection, evaluation, and promotion processes ought to key on and our training institutions ought to emphasize in officer professional development activities...

Continue reading "Great Generalship" »

As a subscriber to Blackwater’s weekly e-mail newsletter, I was beginning to wonder when the PMC would respond via the ‘Net and Blogosphere on recent events. Today’s newsletter links to two new additions to the Private Security Blogosphere portion of Blackwater Tactical Weekly – not ‘official Blackwater’ pages - but in support. Links follow with a lead-in to their latest posts.

Blackwater Facts

One of the deans of Washington's journalistic community describes how trial lawyers are driving the anti-Blackwater movement.

In his October 8 Washington Post piece, syndicated columnist Robert Novak tells how an ambulance-chasing attorney crafted Congressman Henry Waxman's hearings against Blackwater. Novak cites the December, 2006 letter from a California trial lawyer requesting that incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Waxman (D-CA) probe Blackwater...

Blackwater Reporting

With so much negative news coverage of Blackwater in recent weeks, one would expect that its October 3 rescue of the Polish Ambassador to Iraq after an assassination attempt would be front-and-center in the initial press reports.

Most of the early reports buried the Blackwater reference deep into their stories. Here's an initial survey of the coverage, as surveyed online, late on October 3. Some of the stories will have been updated but on the same links, so the emphasis might change. Even so, here's what we found…

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Blackwater Fights Back" »

Transcript: Charlie Rose Interview with David Kilcullen - International Herald Tribune

Continue reading "Charlie Rose: An Hour with Dave Kilcullen" »

Building for the Real Future - Mackubin Owens, New York Post

Last Friday, the Senate approved the nomination of Marine Lt.-Gen. James Mattis as the next commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command. This is great news - because it means the Pentagon can start getting "transformation" right.

Joint Forces Command is the nerve center for "force planning" - that is, for setting priorities and doctrines for building our future military. And Mattis (who'll get a fourth star along with his new job) will also serve as NATO's top commander for transformation.

For the last decade or so, the U.S. military (as well as its allies) has faced an imperative to "transform" from a Cold War force to one better able to handle the challenges of the post-Cold-War world. But the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld viewed new technology as the one-size-fits-all solution to all future military problems - a panacea that would render traditional war-fighting wisdom obsolete.

If nothing else, Iraq and Afghanistan have demonstrated that success in war depends on a great deal more than technological prowess...

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Continue reading "9 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Some recent odds and ends in the MSM related to counterinsurgency...

Crane Predicted Iraq Problems – Alex Roarty, Carlisle Sentinel

An architect of current U.S. military policy in Iraq says that despite recent success by U.S. forces the country still has many challenges to overcome before becoming stable.

Conrad Crane, a historian and author of the recently published U.S. Army manual “Counterinsurgency,” told a crowd of Dickinson College students and professors Wednesday that Iraq has shown progress in several regions.

“But does that mean we’ve gotten over the hump?” said Crane, a retired Army lieutenant colonel. “No.”

Crane, who is also the director of the Military History Institute at the U.S. Army War College and an adjunct professor at Dickinson, spoke at the 26th annual Pflaum Lecture in front of a packed room of nearly 150 people.

Whether the recent steps toward stability can be maintained after an inevitable troop reduction, probably starting early next year, remains to be seen, Crane said.

But he cautioned that if U.S. forces withdraw from Iraq and leave a vacuum of power, the military might have to return in several years. Because of its vast oil reserves, he said, what happens in Iraq will affect the United States even after it withdraws troops from the country.

“This isn’t Vietnam,” Crane said. “If something happens in Iraq, it will affect us.” ...

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Continue reading "In the News: COIN Roundup" »

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "John Burns on Iraq and Journalism" »

The following counterinsurgency related posts caught my eye recently and are not meant to be a comprehensive listing – just what I have read of late – in the last week or so.

In alphabetical order by blog name:

Anthropologists at War – Abu Muqawama (Contemporary Insurgencies, COIN Tactics and Strategy)

… The academic anthropology community whines they have once again become the "handmaiden of colonialism." But the community as a whole can't be accused of having done anything of the sort -- instead, they have steadfastly refused any and all participation in military endeavors. The question Department of Defense anthropologists like Montgomery McFate then ask is, well, what if the work you do reduces human suffering? What if -- by helping U.S. soldiers and Marines understand the cultures and societies in which they're working -- you reduce the numbers of innocent civilians who get killed? The hand-wringers on the academic left don't yet have a good answer for that...

Of What Use is Anthropology? - From an Anthropological Perspective (News, Thoughts, and Reflections from the Mind of Marcus B. Griffin, Ph.D.)

There are a few personnel here I’ve come across in the past month wondering of what use is the anthropological perspective. Of those very few, most of them have taken a wait and see attitude and no one has someone remained hostile once they saw what we are trying to do. Based on some blogosphere traffic pointed out to me, I cannot say the same of a number of anthropologists back in the States and in some cases parts of Europe.

Unfortunately not many of them seem to care to learn what Human Terrain Teams are really doing. In one case a blog entry of mine was footnoted in a recent commentary in Anthropology Today and creates the impression that I am facilitating harm. This is a convenient tar brush I suppose and meant to make the writer seem smarter than me (and could be for all I know) and what we are doing evil. This couldn’t be further than the truth. What we are doing is helping the Army understand the local population in a conflict that has resulted kinetic operations when non-kinetic solutions could have been used if a more nuanced understanding of the culture had been available. In the end, and despite critics on both sides, if anthropology as a discipline cannot promote freedom through cultural understanding in times of crisis, of what value is the discipline? Are we left with just a bunch of just-so stories? Cultural butterfly collections? Humans are known for their character by what they do in times of crisis, so should anthropology, the study of humans…

More, much more...

Continue reading "SWJ COIN Blog Roundup" »

Why Fight For Anyone's Freedom? – Michael Gerson, Washington Post

In the backlash against President Bush's democracy agenda, conservatives are increasingly taking the lead. It is inherently difficult for liberals to argue against the expansion of social and political liberalism in oppressive parts of the world -- though, in a fever of Bush hatred, they try their best. It is easier for traditional conservatives to be skeptical of this grand project, given their history of opposing all grand projects of radical change.

Traditional conservatism has taught the priority of culture -- that societies are organic rather than mechanical and that attempts to change them through politics are like grafting machinery onto a flower. In this view, pushing for hasty reform is likely to upset some hidden balance and undermine the best of intentions. Wisdom is found in deference to tradition, not in bending the world to fit some religious or philosophic abstraction, even one as noble as the Declaration of Independence…

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Continue reading "10 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Rethinking the US Army – 10 October Los Angeles Times by Peter Spiegel and Julian E. Barnes.

Absorbing the lessons of a troubled war, U.S. military officials have begun an intense debate over proposals for a sweeping reorganization of the Army to address shortcomings that have plagued the force in Iraq and to abandon some war-fighting principles that have prevailed since the Cold War...

Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates is expected to weigh in today in a major address in which he will warn that the Army is unlikely to face a conventional war in the future and must reorganize to fight in unconventional conflicts…

Gates also will single out the need for changes in Army personnel policies to better recognize and reward young officers who show promise in less traditional areas, including those skilled in foreign languages and in advising foreign forces…

On the foreign military training issue:

The leading advocate of establishing a stand-alone advisor corps within the Army is Lt. Col. John Nagl, a co-author of the Army's new counterinsurgency field manual who is considered a rising star within the service.

In an article published in a policy journal in June, Nagl, who served as an operations officer in a battalion in Iraq three years ago, proposed a permanent force of 20,000 advisors...

"If we need advisory teams for a decade in Iraq and Afghanistan, it makes sense to build this force structure permanently," Nagl said.

In his speech, Gates is expected to emphasize that such training missions could prevent future wars...

Related from today's New York Times - Faster Army Expansion Plan Approved.

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved a plan to ease the strain of two wars on the military by increasing the size of the active-duty Army to 547,000 by 2010, two years sooner than planned, officials said Tuesday.

Mr. Gates approved the accelerated timetable in a Sept. 26 memo that also barred the Army from reaching the goal by lowering its recruiting standards or employing “stop loss,” a practice of prohibiting soldiers from retiring...

Continue reading "Rethinking the US Army" »

Among the articles in the October 07 issue of the Marine Corps Center for Lessons Learned (MCCLL) Newsletter are:

- Highlights from the recently produced MCCLL pocket guide on the subject of Law of War, Rules of Engagement and Escalation of Force procedures.

- The results of a recent collection visit with Battery B of the 1st Battalion, 12th Marines to discuss its tasking to conduct the Marine Corps detention operations mission as Task Force Military Police.

- The results of a recent collection visit with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 465.

- A report on lessons learned by Combat Logistics Battalion 6 concerning its experiences performing vehicle recovery missions.

- The results of the MCCLL motorcycle safety survey and motorcycle enthusiasts forum that resulted in numerous thoughtful comments from Marines
on motorcycle safety issues.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "MCCLL Oct 07 Newsletter" »

Full transcript follows:

Association of the United States Army

Remarks as Delivered by Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates, Washington, DC, Wednesday, October 10, 2007

First, I would say welcome to Washington. A city where those who travel the high road of humility encounter littler traffic. Where people often say, “I’ll double-cross that bridge when I come to it.” Where you can see prominent people walking down lover’s lane holding their own hands.

The story Peter told about my wanting to be a doctor is true. I often tell people my decision to join CIA probably saved countless lives...

Continue reading "SECDEF Robert Gates, 10 Oct 07 AUSA Speech" »

Hope Yet for Iraq? – Victor Davis Hanson, Real Clear Politics

Iraq for most Americans is now a toxic subject -- best either ignored or largely evoked to blame someone for something in the past.

Any visitor to Iraq can see that the American military cannot be defeated there, but also is puzzled over exactly how we could win -- victory being defined as fostering a stable Iraqi constitutional state analogous to, say, Turkey.

But war is never static. Over the last 90 days, there has been newfound optimism, as Iraqis are at last stepping forward to help Americans secure their country…

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Continue reading "11 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

How to Cope with Global Jihad – Ariel Cohen, Real Clear Politics

The conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and the global Islamist insurgency have revealed that Western democracies and their political and military leaders do not fully comprehend the multifaceted threats represented by radical Muslim nonstate actors. In this, they violate the most famous dictum of Sun Tzu, the Chinese strategic genius of 2,500 years ago: "If you know yourself and understand your opponent you will never put your victory in jeopardy in any conflict."

The broad support that al Qaeda jihadis and radical Islamist militias such as Hamas and Hezbollah enjoy in the Muslim world and in the global Muslim diaspora, as well as among non-Muslim anti-American political forces around the world demonstrates that describing the global Islamic insurgency as a fringe or minority phenomenon is unrealistic and self-defeating. Since 9/11, democracies have fought three wars against nonstate Islamist actors. The West needs to draw important lessons from Iraq, Afghanistan, and the clash between Israel and Hezbollah to address these strategic deficits. Lack of clarity in defining the enemy and delays in formulating political and information strategy severely endanger U.S. national interests and the security of the West…

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Continue reading "12 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Marines' Afghanistan Plan Sparks Debate – Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post

A bid by the Marine Corps to take responsibility for the primary U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is generating a heated debate inside and outside the Pentagon, with some senior officers arguing that the Marines are ideally suited for the Afghan war while others contend that the move would undermine the counterinsurgency strategy there.

Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, has raised the idea of the Marines shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan in meetings with the military's Joint Staff and the office of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "It's just started to be discussed at senior levels," said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman.

Gates yesterday played down the discussion, saying he has not yet seen any proposals. "It's . . . extremely preliminary thinking on the part of, perhaps, some staff people in the Marine Corps," Gates said during a trip to London. "I don't think at this point it has any stature."

The Marine Corps is enthusiastic about a possible move to Afghanistan, with senior officials saying yesterday that its integrated air, ground and logistics units are tailor-made for the dispersed fighting in rugged terrain…

Links:

USMC Distributed Operations - Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory

MAGTF's Rule - Abu Muqawama

A Marine Corps Move to Afghanistan Raises Questions - Westhawk

Marines Want Out of Iraq, Into Afghanistan? - Danger Room

Marines to Take Over Afghanistan? - PrairiePundit

Marines or State Department: Who Does Afghanistan? - Captain's Journal

Marines to Afghanistan? - OPFOR

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "USMC Out of Iraq?" »

Based on previous “turning the corner” related statements and news items we may have come “full-circle” in Iraq…

• “Ladies and Gentlemen, we got him” – Dec 03
• “Coalition forces have turned a corner in Anbar” – Jan 04
• “The insurgency in Iraq is in its last throes” - May 05
• “The insurgency in Iraq is losing steam” – August 05
• “I think we’ve turned the corner, if you will” – December 05
• “I think, in that area, we have turned the corner” – April 07
• “… we seem to be turning a corner” – April 07

That said, and if true and not merely anecdotal, this latest development would be significant and contribute much to neutralizing the influence of the Mahdi Army in Baghdad – much like the Awakening has accomplished concerning Al-Qaeda in Al Anbar.

Relations Sour Between Shiites and Iraq Militia – Sabrina Tavernese, New York Times

In a number of Shiite neighborhoods across Baghdad, residents are beginning to turn away from the Mahdi Army, the Shiite militia they once saw as their only protector against Sunni militants. Now they resent it as a band of street thugs without ideology.

The hardening Shiite feeling in Baghdad opens an opportunity for the American military, which has long struggled against the Mahdi Army, as American commanders rely increasingly on tribes and local leaders in their prosecution of the war.

The sectarian landscape has shifted, with Sunni extremists largely defeated in many Shiite neighborhoods, and the war in those places has sunk into a criminality that is often blind to sect.

In interviews, 10 Shiites from four neighborhoods in eastern and western Baghdad described a pattern in which militia members, looking for new sources of income, turned on Shiites.

The pattern appears less frequently in neighborhoods where Sunnis and Shiites are still struggling for territory. Sadr City, the largest Shiite neighborhood, where the Mahdi Army’s face is more political than military, has largely escaped the wave of criminality...

It was a disparate group with one thing in common: All were Shiites killed by Shiites. Residents blamed the Mahdi Army, which controls the neighborhood…

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "A Baghdad "Awakening" in the Works?" »

A Hero Among Heroes – New York Post editorial

President Bush announced yesterday that the nation's highest military distinction will be awarded - posthumously - to a Long Islander of incredible valor.

Lt. Michael P. Murphy, a Patchogue native and Navy SEAL, was deep in enemy territory in Afghanistan two years ago when Taliban gunmen ambushed his unit. Forsaking cover, he was shot as he scrambled into the open to send a distress signal back to the base. He succeeded - but was killed in the ensuing gunfight.

Lt. Murphy will be the first to receive the Medal of Honor for heroism in Operation Enduring Freedom. The president will present it to his parents at the White House on Oct. 22.

Make no mistake: Americans owe their freedom to all the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces. But the courage and instant self-sacrifice that sustains their effort can be seen most clearly in heroes like Lt. Murphy…

More...

Continue reading "13 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

I ran across this post at the King’s College Kings of War blog - Pedagogy for the Long War.

The posting links to a paper that Dr. David Betz, King’s College Department of War Studies, will be presenting at the upcoming USMC Pedagogy for the Long War conference.

A Real Revolution in Military Affairs: On-line Continuous Learning for the Operational Warfighter

This paper begins from the premise that continuous change is the new norm of the strategic and operational environment in which military activities take place. That being the case the most vital war-winning qualities to develop in our military forces are adaptability and flexibility. These are a function of mindsets and skill sets not weapons suites and materiel. Therefore, the first step to addressing the maladaptation of our armed forces, whose institutional DNA is rooted in the wars of the Industrial Age, to the needs of the wars of the Information Age is the creation of an appropriate training and educational regime. But this task is complicated by the hard facts that, first, training and education must be continuous throughout the career at a time when, second, operational tempo is such that sending officers and men to school for extended periods, which was never easy to manage, is even more difficult. Solution: if the soldier cannot go to the school then the school must go to the soldier.

If providers of training and education to the military were able to achieve such a transformation of the way in which they operate that would indeed be revolutionary. As this paper will show, not only is it possible, it is in fact already a reality on a small scale for 58 serving officers (of 112 current students), 47 of whom are British army, 3 RAF, 3 US, 3 Danes, 1 Swede, 1 Canadian, and 1 Australian navy commander, all students on the on-line MA War in the Modern World programme offered by the renowned Department of War Studies at King’s College London...

Betz: Anyway, in the spirit of building the ‘Learning Community’ that is Kings of War’s corner of the Blogosphere I post my paper for any who may find it interesting. Comments and suggestions welcome.

On the conference:

The Conference Steering Committee for Pedagogy for the Long War: Teaching Irregular Warfare invites paper submissions for a conference to be held 29 October through 1 November 2007 at the General Alfred M Gray Research Center, in Quantico Virginia...

Building upon recent lessons of the US and international community of military educators, Pedagogy for the Long War: Teaching Irregular Warfare focuses on shifting the concepts, curricula, and methods of military training and education for general purpose forces, in order to better prepare service people at every stage in their career for the diverse tasks unique to current and projected operating environments over the next twenty years. It is a conference which focuses on pedagogy both as a topic for deliberation and as an activity animating participation.

Continue reading "On-line Continuous Learning" »

Continue reading "... Worth Two Thousand Words" »

Well, this debate has to take place, so here it is - à la L. Paul Bremer III, retired Army Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez blasted the Bush administration at the Military Reporters and Editors conference Friday for a "catastrophically flawed, unrealistically optimistic war plan" and denounced the current "surge" strategy as a "desperate" move that will not achieve long-term stability...

Continue reading "Custer Blames Grant?" »

At an Army School, Blunt Talk on Iraq – Elizabeth Bumiller, New York Times

Here at the intellectual center of the United States Army, two elite officers were deep in debate at lunch on a recent day over who bore more responsibility for mistakes in Iraq — the former defense secretary, Donald H. Rumsfeld, or the generals who acquiesced to him.

“The secretary of defense is an easy target,” argued one of the officers, Maj. Kareem P. Montague, 34, a Harvard graduate and a commander in the Third Infantry Division that was the first to reach Baghdad in the 2003 invasion. “It’s easy to pick on the political appointee.”

“But he’s the one that’s responsible,” retorted Maj. Michael J. Zinno, 40, a military planner who worked at the headquarters of the Coalitional Provisional Authority, the former American civilian administration in Iraq.

No, Major Montague shot back, it was more complicated: the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the top commanders were part of the decision to send in a small invasion force and not enough troops for the occupation. Only Gen. Eric K. Shinseki, the Army chief of staff who was sidelined after he told Congress that it would take several hundred thousand troops in Iraq, spoke up in public.

“You didn’t hear any of them at the time, other than General Shinseki, screaming, saying that this was untenable,” Major Montague said.

As the war grinds through its fifth year, Fort Leavenworth has become a front line in the military’s tension and soul-searching over Iraq. Here at the base on the bluffs above the Missouri River, once a frontier outpost that was a starting point for the Oregon Trail, rising young officers are on a different journey — an outspoken re-examination of their role in Iraq…

Continue reading "Fort Leavenworth Soul Searching" »

The Dignity Agenda – David Ignatius, Washington Post

"We talk about democracy and human rights. Iraqis talk about justice and honor." That comment from Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, made at a seminar last month on counterinsurgency, is the beginning of wisdom for an America that is trying to repair the damage of recent years. It applies not simply to Iraq but to the range of problems in a world tired of listening to an American megaphone.

Dignity is the issue that vexes billions of people around the world, not democracy. Indeed, when people hear President Bush preaching about democratic values, it often comes across as a veiled assertion of American power. The implicit message is that other countries should be more like us -- replacing their institutions, values and traditions with ours. We mean well, but people feel disrespected. The bromides and exhortations are a further assault on their dignity.

… That's why it's encouraging to hear that Rice is taking policy advice from Kilcullen, a brilliant Australian military officer who helped reshape U.S. strategy in Iraq toward the bottom-up precepts of counterinsurgency. Sources tell me Kilcullen will soon be joining the State Department as a part-time consultant. For a taste of his thinking, check out his Sept. 26 presentation to a Marine Corps seminar...

I'm sick of hearing about all the horrible things that happen in Iraq without ever hearing about any of the good ones. That's not because horrible things don't occur here every day; they do. I've witnessed far more death and sadness than I wish anyone ever had to see. And it's not because I believe in some left-wing media conspiracy. If I'm affiliated with a political party at all, I honestly can't remember which one it is.

Rather, I'm sick of hearing about all the horrible things that happen in Iraq because I've been deployed here for more than 24 months since this war began, and I think I have a story to tell that's heroic, maybe even noble. It's not my story. In fact, I'm quite average, and I'm certainly not noble. But I've been blessed to serve with some amazing officers, noncommissioned officers and soldiers who have sacrificed another 15 months away from their families -- and, for once, produced something that I don't think looks all that bad, even in this desolate country.

Over the last six months, I've served at a large U.S. base in Iraq. My soldiers and I have been responsible for securing the area around the main entrance. We've played a major role in protecting thousands of soldiers and civilians who reside on the base. That's a significant accomplishment in itself, even though it's not sexy, and it has required a lot of discipline and dedication from my troops to do it so well…

More...

Continue reading "14 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "Great Escape Sunday" »

The COIN and Irregular Warfare in Tribal Society Pamphlet is designed to assist staff officers, non-commissioned officers, soldiers and Marines in conducting counterinsurgency and irregular warfare operations in a tribal society.

This pamphlet provides a general overview of tribal society and behavior to gain an appreciation of the cultural operating environment. The pamphlet is based on the premise that the key component of COIN and irregular warfare is to effectively communicate intent within the cultural frame of reference of the target audience.

Recommendations for improvements to this pamphlet are encouraged from commands as well as individuals.

Continue reading "Pamphlet: COIN and Irregular Warfare in a Tribal Society" »

General Creighton Abrams fought in several long wars. As a result of his last, he directed a reorganization of the U.S. Army, an effort some called the Abrams Doctrine. This doctrine was subsequently converted into the Weinberger Doctrine and / or Powell Doctrine. All were subtle attempts to avoid the evils and problems of counterinsurgency (COIN) by influencing political masters in national government.

All failed as world events overtook best of intentions. We are now told we are in a long war. Possibly, but we must insure we are not, yet again, preparing for the wrong war. It is fairly obvious that for the next decade or so that commitments, if any, may – note that, may – be focused on nation building and COIN or similar missions. To focus on these missions by adding a large and dedicated foreign advisory training capability would create a large, rank heavy and most certainly unwieldy bureaucracy – in other words – a capability searching for a mission...

Continue reading "The Long War? Or the Wrong War?" »

Marshall Sahlins on Anthropologists in Iraq - "Open Letter to the NYT" at Savage Minds.

You decide - read the letter and all the self-righteous comments that follow. Seems these guys and gals believe anthropology as a social science exists for anthropologists' feel-good, feed at the public trough sake. Unbelievable, to say the least...

The Good, The Bad, and The Replace Media with Concerned Anthropologists

Continue reading "Anthropology by Savage Minds - A Self-Licking Ice Cream Cone" »

Better Numbers – Washington Post editorial

News coverage and debate about Iraq during the past couple of weeks have centered on the alleged abuses of private security firms like Blackwater USA. Getting such firms into a legal regime is vital, as we've said. But meanwhile, some seemingly important facts about the main subject of discussion last month -- whether there has been a decrease in violence in Iraq -- have gotten relatively little attention. A congressional study and several news stories in September questioned reports by the U.S. military that casualties were down. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), challenging the testimony of Gen. David H. Petraeus, asserted that "civilian deaths have risen" during this year's surge of American forces.

A month later, there isn't much room for such debate, at least about the latest figures. In September, Iraqi civilian deaths were down 52 percent from August and 77 percent from September 2006, according to the Web site icasualties.org. The Iraqi Health Ministry and the Associated Press reported similar results. U.S. soldiers killed in action numbered 43 -- down 43 percent from August and 64 percent from May, which had the highest monthly figure so far this year. The American combat death total was the lowest since July 2006 and was one of the five lowest monthly counts since the insurgency in Iraq took off in April 2004…

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Continue reading "15 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

By Wayne Mastin

More and more, America is witnessing an outcry from its military members about the competence and responsibility of its leadership. The beginning of this current crop of critical analyses seems to have been an article entitled “A Failure in Generalship” in the May 2007 issue of Armed Forces Journal by Army Lieutenant Colonel Paul Yingling. Another example is the piece entitled, “The War as We Saw It,” by several young soldiers from the 82d Airborne Division that the New York Times published on August 19, 2007. Now retired General Ricardo Sanchez has added his voice to the clamor...

Continue reading "Publicly Airing the Military’s Dirty Laundry: Caught on the Horns of a Dilemma?" »

Al Qaeda in Trouble – Washington Times editorial

There is some very good news coming from the battlefield in Iraq: The changes in U.S. military strategy instituted earlier this year by Gen. David Petraeus have been achieving remarkable success against al Qaeda in Iraq (AQI). Indeed, it has been so successful that military commanders are debating how severely AQI's terrorist capabilities have been damaged. Since January, the number of suicide bombings has been cut in half, from 60 down to 30 a month. U.S. commanders say that the combination of deployments of additional U.S. soldiers into what had been al Qaeda-controlled areas in Baghdad and Anbar province, as well as the recruitment of Sunnis to fight al Qaeda have made it much more difficult for terrorists to coordinate their operations. Gen. Raymond, Odierno, the second-ranking U.S. commander in Iraq, estimates that al Qaeda has seen it's capabilities "degraded" by 60 to 70 percent since January. The situation has changed so dramatically for the better that Thomas E. Ricks and Karen DeYoung of The Washington Post published a front-page story yesterday in which they reported that the U.S. military "believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al Qaeda in Iraq in recent months." …

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Continue reading "16 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

To Raise Them Up. Part 1: The Lesser and Greater Insurgencies of the Philippines by B.A. Patty at The Long War Journal

B.A. Patty was recently embedded with the Armed Forces of the Philippines. In part one of his three-part series, Patty examines the roles of organizations such as Abu Sayyaf and MNLF in the insurgency and what Filipino and US troops are doing to squelch terrorist activities.

Debating Iraqi Federalism is Pointless by Westhawk at Westhawk

Howls of protest greeted a recent non-binding resolution passed by the U.S. Senate. That resolution, which received a bipartisan 75-23 approval, called for a “soft partition” of Iraq into Sunni, Shi’ite, and Kurdish regions, while retaining Iraqi sovereignty under a weak central government.

Prime Minister al-Maliki, leading Sunni politicians, U.S. Ambassador Crocker, and the U.S. State Department in Washington all shouted down the Senate resolution.

Why is the Use of Anthropology a Contentious Issue? By Marcus Griffin, Ph.D., at From an Anthropological Perspective

The debate in a nutshell is as follows. The general objection to anthropologists working with the military is that research will be used to facilitate the capture, torture, and killing of Iraqis. The professional code of ethics we abide by states that we must not conduct research that will cause harm to research subjects or the subject population. This code came out of the Vietnam War experience whereby some anthropologists used social network analysis to identify tribal leaders that the CIA apparently then assassinated. The second objection is that by using the anthropological perspective, US Forces will be in a position to more effectively prolong their “illegal occupation of Iraq.” I am embarrassed to say that academia is taking this issue very seriously, with some anthropologists writing in the blogosphere to get the national association to consider certain sanctions that include denying the publication of any research conducted in association with the military. That is serious because it leads to ignorance generally and specifically denies faculty like me avenues to measure scholarship and service for purposes promotion and merit pay…

More...

Continue reading "Mid-Week Reading..." »

Know Thine Enemy - New York Times video op-ed

In a video Op-Ed by documentary filmmakers Molly Bingham and Steve Connors, Iraqis explain the roots of the insurgency.

The Jihadi Trainer - New York Times video interview

An interview with Abu Omar, a jihadi fighter, investigating how the Islamic insurgency continues to sustain itself by using the Internet.

Discuss the Videos - Small Wars Council

A cursory viewing makes it seem as if the filmmakers have bought into the insurgent narrative hook, line, and sinker. They present the insurgency as a purely nationalist response to an invading power, discount the role of sectarianism as a motivator for the violence we are seeing in Iraq right now (and even present data that supposedly indicates the vast majority of attacks in Iraq are against US and coalition troops), and basically conclude that the sooner foreign forces are pulled out the sooner Iraqis can go back to the peace they truly desire. Basically, it looks like the kind of video I'd expect to find on a jihadi website--except it's front and center on the NY Times and the documentary has garnered awards from all manner of international film festivals…

The Critics Relent – John Podhoretz, New York Post

To the extent it can be said that news from an active war zone can be good, we're now into the third month of good news from Iraq.

It's not just that violence has receded in the most dangerous places both for American soldiers and Iraqis, though it has by every measure.

It is that the good guys are making genuine advances for the first time against the enemy in a war zone where there is no conventional battlefield - a war in which it is, by definition, difficult to measure gains as we're used to measuring them, by the amount of territory captured or controlled…

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Continue reading "17 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Download A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower

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Continue reading "U.S. Maritime Strategy for 21st Century" »

Progress at West Point – Paul McLeary, Weekly Standard

For over 200 years, the military academy at West Point has schooled future Army officers in the ways of large-scale industrial war and, as the old joke goes, has established a reputation of having 200 years of history, untouched by progress. But with the United States the world's only remaining military superpower, and with insurgent-directed Fourth Generation warfare seemingly the order of the day in 21st century conflict, times have changed.

One of the West Point instructors taking a proactive view of this new environment is Lt. Col. Joe Felter. A 1987 West Point grad who spent the 1990s as a Special Forces operator, Felter has returned to his alma mater as director of the Combating Terrorism Center, a privately-funded think tank that offers valuable instruction to the corps of cadets about the enemy they'll encounter once they march out of the academy's Thayer Gate for the last time. Sitting in his office this past spring, Felter reflected on how the role of young officers has changed from when he graduated. In his day, "if you paid attention during your infantry basic course and your Ranger school you would have a good feel for what you're supposed to do," he said. "But these new lieutenants, they're literally the mayors of towns. They have to work with multiple U.S. government agencies, international agencies, host nation folks, tribal leaders--the threat environment is really complex, and more than ever they need to be prepared for that." …

More...

Continue reading "18 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "Charlie Rose: An Hour with Erik Prince" »

Al Qaeda in Iraq on the Run – Clifford May, National Review
What Happened at Haditha – Wall Street Journal editorial
Eradicating the PKK – Washington Times editorial
Turkey and the PKK – Boston Globe editorial
Pelosi's Armenian Gambit – Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Turkey’s Travail – Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Our Fraying Alliance with Turkey – Graham Fuller, Los Angeles Times
No Turkish Delight – The Australian editorial
Turkey’s Genocidal Battleground – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Turkey and the Armenians: History Speaks – Barbara Lerner, National Review
FISA Deal on the Horizon? – Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Afghanistan: Battle on Canada’s Home Front – Pierre Martin, Toronto Star
'08 Terror Test: What the Candidates Say - Adam Brodsky, New York Post
The US is a Great Place to be Anti-American – Gerard Baker, London Times
Enough of All the Way with USA - Jake Lynch, Canberra Times
Iranian Civil Funding: A Lever of Change – Michael Rubin, Washington Post
Putin’s Teheran Junket - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
A Step Nearer War With Iran – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Benazir Bhutto's Triumphant Return – London Daily Telegraph leader
Pakistan’s Iron Lady? – London Times leader
Bhutto: Green Light to Oust Al Qaeda - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Saudi Mahfouz Chilling Free Speech – Ilan Weinglass, Washington Times
Blaming the Russians – Washington Post editorial
Putinism in the Balkans – Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard
China Son Surplus Time Bomb - Michael Fragoso, Christian Science Monitor

Continue reading "19 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Blackwater USA - Public / Private Partnership in Peacekeeping Conference

This theme will look at those areas where the military and government can use private sector expertise to successfully accomplish security and reconstruction operations. To most effectively and efficiently accomplish stability and reconstruction missions requires using the most appropriate skill sets. Frequently those skill sets reside in the private sector. To best use the taxpayer’s resources may require leveraging the private sector.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007 7:30 AM - Wednesday, December 5, 2007 5:00 PM

Ronald Reagan Bldg & International Trade Center 1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20004

Academic Military or Government $295.00 for a limited time ($395.00 original price)

Industry $395.00 for a limited time ($495.00 original price)

View Event Summary

View Event Agenda

Continue reading "All Considered, You'd Think The Registration Fee Would be Waived..." »

Last week, the Washington Post reported that a bid by the Marine Corps to take responsibility for the primary U.S. military mission in Afghanistan generated a heated debate inside and outside the Pentagon, with some senior officers arguing that the Marines are ideally suited for the Afghan war while others contending that the move would undermine the counterinsurgency strategy there.

Yesterday, Inside Defense reported that Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has nixed that proposal:

Defense Secretary Robert Gates today shot down Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway's proposal to shift Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan, which would leave the Army to handle operations in Iraq.

Gates dismissed the idea when asked about it at a Pentagon media briefing.

"I have pretty much literally, up until this point, heard one sentence about it, that they were thinking about it," he said. "So I would say that if it happens it will be long after I'm secretary of defense." …

Continue reading "Gates Nixes Marine Shift to Afghanistan" »

Christian Lowe at Military.com reports that Marine Corps commanders in Iraq are asking the Pentagon to slow down the deployment of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles. Corps commanders were quoted as saying they needed more time to figure out how to best employ the vehicle as they are four-times heavier than up-armored Humvees and may require a whole new set of tactics to operate effectively in a counterinsurgency environment.

Lowe quotes analysts with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA):

The MRAP has yet to prove its place in future service equipment plans. The gas-guzzling MRAP could impose a strain on logistics, suck funding away from needed vehicle upgrades in the future and could run counter to the intent of counterinsurgency doctrine, which stresses close contact with the population.

But retired Army Colonel Robert Killebrew, a former Special Forces officer and Department of Defense consultant disagrees:

I generally agree with the purchase of MRAPs in large numbers... I find unpersuasive the argument that MRAP will have some kind of doctrinal impact on the conduct of the war in Iraq.

It will have no effect at all on the current tactics of putting troops out on the beat and on their feet taking on insurgents in Baghdad and elsewhere…

Of IEDs and MRAPs: Force Protection In Complex Irregular Operations co-authored by Andrew Krepinevich and Dakota Wood was released by CSBA on 17 October.

About the report:

Simple solutions to complex problems are inherently attractive and almost always wrong. So it is with the Pentagon’s recent decision to enter into “crash” production of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected armored vehicles, or MRAPs. Political and military leaders are currently grappling with this problem, which can be summed up as: How much to invest in a new system that appears to provide enhanced protection for troops against the most common, lethal threat in Iraq, without undermining either the ability of the force to conduct the current mission set before it, or the ability to remain effective across the range of missions and operating environments it will also have to be ready for in the years ahead?

This paper’s purpose is not to offer a definitive answer to this question; rather, it seeks to ensure that the issues relevant to arriving at a good decision are given proper consideration. Those readers seeking a specific recommendation regarding the overall mix of armored vehicles in the US military’s ground force structure will not find it here. However, those who are interested in how to think about the issue in their efforts to reach their own conclusions will hopefully find what follows to be useful.

Continue reading "MRAPs and COIN" »

The Roads Not Taken in Iraq – Fred Barnes, Weekly Standard
Party Here, Sacrifice in Iraq - Will Bardenwerper, New York Times
De Palma’s Redacted Another Bad Film – George Packer, The New Yorker
Threatening Iran is Poor Strategy – Los Angeles Times editorial
Is Iran’s Military ‘Terrorist’? – Los Angeles Times editorial
Reckless Doomsday Talk on Iran – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
The Turkish Front and Middle East Peace – Wall Street Journal editorial
Turkey Must Own Up to Past - Georgie Anne Geyer, Chicago Tribune
Pelosi Sabotaging US War Effort? – Charles Krauthammer, National Review
Pakistan on the Edge – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Pakistan’s Peril – London Times editorial
Bell Tolls in Karachi – The Australian editorial
After the Karachi Bombing – Boston Globe editorial
Pakistani Politics Way Beyond Baffling – Vicki Woods, London Daily Telegraph
History of Trouble in Pakistan’s NW Frontier – Graham Stewart, London Times
While Pakistan Burns - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, Weekly Standard
Bhutto’s Dramatic Return to Pakistan – Ron Moreau, Newsweek Magazine
New Center of Gravity of Arab Stability - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Failure Not an Option at Annapolis Talks – David Kimche, Jerusalem Post
Ahmadinejad and Annapolis – Amnon Rubinstein, Jerusalem Post
Lebanon’s Government by Murder - David Schenker, Baltimore Sun
Sudan in Crisis – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Congress Undermining US Abroad – Victor Davis Hanson, Washington Times
Democrats Fail on FISA – New York Times editorial
Outsourcing Government – Naomi Klein, Los Angeles Times
China Marching in Place – Washington Post editorial
An Autonomous Tibet – Dalai Lama, Miami Herald

Continue reading "20 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

SWJ just received by e-mail this introductory edition of Kabul Direct.

Dear Friend of Afghanistan (and to our foes too, should we still have any left!)

Attached please find the first edition of Kabul Direct, the first English-language journal produced by Afghans in Afghanistan.

In this introductory issue, we have three exclusive in-depth interviews with:

* The former Taliban foreign minister and personal spokesman for Mullah Omar;
* The first elected leader of Afghanistan's other leading insurgent party, Hizbe-Islami; and,
* Afghanistan's own Al Qaeda expert and former official in the Taliban's foreign ministry

Find out why all of these close observers and former associates of the insurgents in Afghanistan believe that peace negotiations will succeed and should have started yesterday. Also learn why they think Afghanistan will never dissolve into a sectarian conflict like Iraq has.

Continue reading "Kabul Direct" »

Continue reading "Charlie Rose: John Negroponte" »

Colin Kahl, an Assistant Professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University and a Fellow at the Center for a New American Security, writes in the November / December issue of Foreign Affairs on while Counterinsurgency – US Army Field Manual 3-24 / Marine Corps Warfighting Publication 33.3.5 is a long overdue step in the right direction, a look back at the history of counterinsurgency offers a sobering reminder of how low the odds of success are regardless of doctrinal excellence...

Continue reading "COIN of the Realm" »

Continue reading "Turkey Lurking Sunday" »

Foreign Policy Challenge - Charles Kupchan and Peter Trubowitz, Los Angeles Times
Next Challenge in Iraq – David Ignatius, Washington Post
What I Risked as an Iraqi Journalist - Bassam Sebti, Washington Post
Turkey’s Iraq Threat – Peter Brookes, New York Post
Put Contractors Under Military Control – Miami Herald editorial
Five Myths About Rendition – Daniel Benjamin, Washington Post
Two Problems with Torture – Stuart Herrington, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Long Odds for Rice and Mideast Peace – Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Russian and Iran: 'Wary" Allies - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Iranian Threat to Mideast Peace – London Times editorial
Iran: Familiar Drumming – Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
Obama – Clinton: A Difference on Iran? – Washington Post editorial
Slim Chance, But It's All Pakistan Has – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Pakistan’s Peril – London Times editorial
The Return of Bhutto – Toronto Star editorial
Karachi Bloodshed Could Spur Progress – Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Bhutto Has Only Herself to Blame – Imran Khan, London Daily Telegraph
Bhutto: Kleptocrat in a Hermes Scarf - Jemima Khan, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan: Order in Chaos – David Warren, Real Clear Politics
The Lie of Che Guevara’s Sainthood - William Ratliff, Washington Times
Terror’s Advocate: “Speak no Evil” - Daphne Merkin, New York Times
Putin the Puppet Master – Oliver North, Washington Times
Keeping India Close – Boston Herald editorial
Will the Third World Ever Catch Up? – Paul Collier, Washington Post
No Longer the General’s Burma – Tom Malinowski, Washington Post
Cambodia’s Festival of Death – Boston Globe editorial
Brute Force Cannot Subdue Freedom – Dalai Lama, Washington Post
Time to Scrap Military Pork – Boston Herald editorial
Army Recruiting Ads Astray – Robert Knight, Washington Times
Wounded Veterans Getting Runaround – Washington Post editorial

Continue reading "21 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Yesterday morning I was participating in an e-mail discussion when, in passing, the term “hearts and minds” came up. As these counterinsurgency (COIN) components are oft misunderstood or misrepresented – here are several notations on what hearts and minds actually means...

Continue reading "Hearts and Minds" »

America Must Act Now on Al Qaeda – Zach Wamp, Washington Times
One Strike, Iran Could be Out – Niall Ferguson, Los Angeles Times
U.S. Out of Iraq How? – Mother Jones Interviews (H/T Zenpundit)
Post-U.S. Iraq Scenarios - Robert Dreyfuss, Mother Jones
Danger Signs from Turkey – London Times editorial
Fraying Ties with Turkey – Graham Fuller, Baltimore Sun
Kurdish Problem is Our Problem – Los Angeles Times editorial
Cause of Iraq’s Chaos: Bad Borders – O’Brien Browne, Christian Science Monitor
Afghanistan: A Once and Future Nation – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Afghanistan’s Forgotten Faces of War – James Carroll, Boston Globe
Troubling Time in Pakistan – Washington Times editorial
Israeli-Palestinian Peace Deal on the Table – Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Who Belongs at Darfur Talks? – Carla Koppell, Christian Science Monitor
America’s Strategic Opportunity with India - R. Nicholas Burns, Real Clear Politics
The Boob Tube in Putin’s Russia – Christopher Marcisz, Boston Globe
Challenge for China – The Australian editorial
The Wire Tap Deal – Wall Street Journal editorial
KC-X: Competition Works - Tom McInerney, Washington Times
Small Wars Journal Leverages Web 2.0 – Defense Industry Daily

Continue reading "22 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

COIN’s Battlefield of the Mind – Christian Lowe, Weekly Standard
At the Eye of the Storm in Baghdad – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
‘No News’ is Bad News in Iraq? – Cal Thomas, Real Clear Politics
Why the Surge is Working in Iraq – Pete Hegseth, New York Post
Turkey’s Wise Hesitation – Washington Post editorial
Turkey – Kurds Closer to the Brink – New York Times editorial
Turkey Must Show Restraint Over Kurds – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Through Turkey’s Eyes - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Time to Get Tough with Turkey? – Jonathan Foreman, National Review
Kurdish PKK’s Nine Lives – Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Turkey’s Identity Crisis – Ralph Peters, USA Today
Let the Armenians Rest – William F. Buckley Jr., National Review
Iraq: Make Walls not War – Peter Galbraith, New York Times
Not This Time in Samarra – Jeff Emanuel, Weekly Standard
SEAL Lt. Michael Murphy: A Hero’s Humanity – New York Post editorial
Middle East Nuke Nightmare – Ralph Peters, New York Post
Iran Buys More Time – Michael Ledeen, National Review
From the H-Bomb to the Human Bomb – Andre Glucksmann, City Journal
Elections or War for Lebanon? – W. Thomas Smith Jr., National Review
The Muslim Letter to the Pope – Mona Charen, Washington Times
Bush Takes a Stand on Tibet – The Australian editorial
China’s Grip on Tibet – H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
UN’s LOST Shortcomings – Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
New Low for Nobel Peace Prize - Philip Terzian, Weekly Standard
Air Force Answers for Loose Nukes – Los Angeles Times editorial

Continue reading "23 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Naval Strategy for the 21st Century - Stuart Koehl, Weekly Standard
Remember Iraq – Thomas Friedman, New York Times
Iraq: The Greatest Story Never Told – Dean Barnett, Weekly Standard
Rashid Settling Down – Michael Yon, National Review
Why Iraqi Kurds Could Oppose Turkish Kin – Tim Butcher, London Daily Telegraph
Losing Turkey – Tony Blankley, Washington Times
Syria Raid Revelation – Stanley Kurtz, National Review
How to Understand Islam - Malise Ruthven, New York Review of Books
Bowing to the Islamists - Paul Belien, Washington Times
The New Battle of Algiers – Roger Kaplan, Weekly Standard
UK: Conservatives for Terror? - Nile Gardiner, National Review
Tricky Mideast Summit – Claude Salhani, Washington Times
The Bhutto Attacks – Aaron Mannes, National Review
Seize Opportunity on Kosovo - Janusz Bugajski and Edward Joseph, Washington Post
To Be a Journalist in Iraq – New York Times editorial
Anti-Terrorism on Trial – David Cole, Washington Post
The Surveillance Law that Matters – Robert Turner, Wall Street Journal
Australia: AQ Convert Wanted to Destroy Western Justice – The Australian editorial
China: Hu’s Challenge – London Times editorial
Hu Searches for New Harmony – John Lee, Canberra Times
EU Paper Pushing – Helle Dale, Washington Times

Continue reading "24 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Continue reading "Charlie Rose: General Michael Hayden" »

The Ramadi Goat Grab – Joe Klein, Time Magazine
Bin Laden’s Growing Anxiety - Fawaz Gerges, Christian Science Monitor
Afghanistan: Time for Bundesmacht to Get Serious – Roger Cohen, New York Times
Act Now on PKK – Washington Times editorial
The PKK’s Dream? – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Powder Keg in Northern Iraq – USA Today editorial
Right Time, Wrong Genocide Resolution - Garin Hovannisian, Los Angeles Times
Turkey Taken For Granted – Michael Costello, The Australian
Iran Sanctions a Boost for Diplomacy – Washington Post editorial
Threatening Iran – Boston Globe editorial
Stopping Iran's Mullahs - New York Post editorial
Who’s Afraid of an Iranian Bomb? – Victor Davis Hanson, National Review
Why Iran’s Democrats Shun Aid - Akbar Ganji, Washington Post
What Would a US Bomb be Aimed At? – Gerard Baker, London Times
Torture Logic - Gabriel Schoenfeld, Weekly Standard
Unholy Terror Mistrial – National Review editorial
Unholyland Foundation – Cal Thomas, Washington Times
Lebanon: A Nation of Mideast Hostages – David Ignatius, Washington Post
Preventive Warfare in Africa – Jacob Laksin, Weekly Standard
Darfur Negotiations – Carla Koppell, Washington Times
Darfur Talks Lessons Learned - Allan Rock, Toronto Sun
Tusk Could Leave Europe Defenceless – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Putin Takes On the Election Observers – New York Times editorial
We’ll Always Have Putin – Leon Aron, New York Times
Russia’s Red Army Dreams – Michael Leeden, National Review
Friends Like These at EU-Russia Summit – London Daily Telegraph editorial
EU Must Act Against Russia - Marina Litvinenko, London Daily Telegraph
Mexico’s Drug Fight Deserves U.S. Support – Miami Herald editorial
A New Course for Cuba Policy - Los Angeles Times editorial
How Not to Promote Democracy in Cuba – Vicki Huddleston, Washington Post
Cubans Between a Rock and a Hard Place - Marifeli Pérez-Stable, Miami Herald
Argentina's New Peronist President? - Los Angeles Times editorial
Burma: America Must Do More - Jared Genser and Meghan Barron, Baltimore Sun
A Maginot Line in the Sky - Ralph Peters, New York Post
They Just Don’t Get LOST - Ed Feulner, Washington Times
Mistaking Vietnam Movies for Real Life – Peggy Noone, Wall Street Journal
Beauchamp: Shattered Diarist – James Robbins, National Review
Beauchamp and the Rule of Second Chances – Michael Yon, National Review
The Koran and Oklahoma's Centennial – Diana West, Washington Times

Continue reading "26 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

By Bill Putnam

The presidential primaries are quickly approaching and yet no candidate has put forward an innovative plan for salvaging the Iraq crisis. Mr. or Mrs. Presidential Candidate, peace in Iraq is possible, but only if true national reconciliation occurs. US-led Coalition efforts to build national unity have thus far produced limited results. Future attempts at this should be willing to adopt more unconventional concepts and focus on the few bonds that still connect Iraq’s different groups. One of these links is the Iraqis’ love for soccer and their national team.

Continue reading "Third Time a Charm?" »

More...

Continue reading "Iraq Briefing 26 October 2007" »

Irregular Warfare: After Smart Weapons, Smart Soldiers – The Economist editorial
Winning One Battle, Fighting the Next – Frederick Kagan, Weekly Standard
Anthropologists and a True Culture War – Richard Shweder, New York Times
Islamist Terrorists Learning From Iraq, So Must We – The Australian editorial
Turkey and Iraq, A Missed Moment – Henry Barkey, Washington Post
Bringing the Iraq War Home – Kevin Ferris, Philadelphia Inquirer
Slipping in Afghanistan – Washington Post editorial
NATO’s Cringe Reflex in Afghanistan – Toronto Star editorial
Recipe for Disaster in Afghanistan - James Travers, Toronto Star
Lt. Michael Murphy: Lone Survivor – Mark Lasswell, Wall Street Journal
Blackwater: Shoot First, Forget the Questions – Vicki Woods, London Daily Telegraph
Curb State Department’s Hired Guns – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Tightening on Teheran – National Review editorial
Iran on Notice – London Times editorial
Preventing World War III – Caroline Glick, Jerusalem Post
Something to Consider Before Attacking Iran – Rami Khouri, Daily Star
It’s All About Iran – Jerusalem Post editorial
Talking Through a Nuclear Showdown – Graham Allison, Boston Globe
Iran Attack Would Help Ahmadinejad at Home - Mehdi Khalaji, Daily Star
U.S.- Israel Relations Crisis – Daniel Pipes, Jerusalem Post
The Palestinians Don’t Want a State – Evelyn Gordon, Jerusalem Post
Fatah and Hamas Human Rights Abuses – Jordan Times editorial
Israel-Palestinians: Truth, Lies and Peacemaking - Gershon Baskin, Daily Star
Abbas’s Opportunity – David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post
Bhutto Sweeps All Aside in Pakistan - Ramesh Thakur, Canberra Times
FISA: Progress on Surveillance – Washington Post editorial
But Who Will Surveil the Judges? – Gary Schmitt, Weekly Standard
Patriot Act and the Bill of Rights – Mitch McConnell, National Review
Waterboarding and Torture – Andrew McCarthy, National Review
Human Rights: The Left’s Mixed Up Priorities – Mona Charen, National Review
As a Country, UK Lacks Power – Matthew Parris, London Times
Cold War Cuba – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
A Deal to Keep with N. Korea – Boston Globe editorial
China’s Crucial Role in Burma – Michael Richardson, Canberra Times
Poland, Untwinned – New York Times editorial
Today’s Hidden Slave Trade – Bob Herbert, New York Times
Liberal Revisionists Vilify America – Michael Knox Beran, National Review
Profile Foreign Donors – Michelle Malkin, Washington Times

Continue reading "27 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

May 2007 General Accounting Office Report: Actions Needed to Improve DOD's Stability Operations Approach and Interagency Planning...

Continue reading "GAO Report: Stability Operations Approach & Interagency Planning" »

More...

Continue reading "NATO Must Increase Assets, Cut Caveats in Afghanistan" »

One presidential candidate's recent remarks regarding a possible unilateral preemptive strike into Pakistan sent a cold shiver down the spines of many national security professionals and officers in the armed forces. It was particularly surprising coming from someone who was an early and often critic of what he saw as the Bush administration’s unilateral, preemptive attack on Iraq. The candidate’s aides have back tracked saying that he would seek President Musharif’s concurrence, but almost everyone who knows the region knows that Musharef would be committing political suicide to allow such an overt action. The potential unintended consequences of a unilateral U.S. strike are sobering; the possibility of the Pakistani nuclear arsenal falling into the hands of a radical Islamic Pakistani successor government is foremost among the defense community’s nightmare scenarios. It would make al Qaeda look like the “Wiggles”, and for all we know, al Qaeda might be shadow partners in the new governing mix.

More...

Continue reading "Out of the Box Thinking for Pakistan" »

Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, reports on a new US State Department intitiative; nay, order; that will see additional diplomats taking posts in Iraq next year because of expected shortfalls in filling openings, the first such large-scale forced assignment since the Vietnam War. As far as we are concerned this is a long overdue move by State to fulfill its end of the 80% political, 20% military counterinsurgency (COIN) fight in Iraq.

While we applaud (what we call “long overdue”) this move, we do acknowledge that State and other non-military departments and agencies lack the resources to fulfill their COIN obligations. It is time for Congress to get serious and ensure that our Nation has the capacity to deploy fully-trained and mission-capable personnel that truly represent all elements of national power.

More...

Continue reading "Prime Candidates for Iraq (Updated)" »

Joint Force Quarterly is published by the National Defense University Press for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. JFQ is the Chairman's flagship joint military and security studies journal designed to inform members of the U.S. Armed Forces, allies, and other partners on joint and integrated operations; national security policy and strategy; efforts to combat terrorism; homeland security; and developments in training and joint professional military education to transform America's military and security apparatus to better meet tomorrow's challenges while protecting freedom today.

Issue 47, 4th Quarter 2007 of Joint Force Quarterly is now posted. Here are several articles of interest:

The Country Team: Restructuring America’s First Line of Engagement by Robert Oakley and Michael Casey, Jr.
The Phoenix Program and Contemporary Warfare by Mark Moyar
Arresting Insurgency by Kyle Teamey
The U.S. Air Force and Stability Operations Transformation by Oliver Fritz and Gregory Hermsmeyer
The Missing Component of U.S. Strategic Communications by William M. Darley
Anaconda: A Flawed Joint Planning Process by Richard B. Andres and Jeffrey B. Hukill
Five Years after Operation Anaconda: Challenges and Opportunities by Michael W. Isherwood
Countering Chinese Influence in Africa by Philippe Rogers
Five Lessons from China’s War on Terror by Martin Wayne

More in this “Focus on China” edition of JFQ.

Continue reading "Joint Force Quarterly Articles of Interest" »

Continue reading "10 Myths Sunday" »

Inside the Surge - Michael Yon, New York Post
Ross Dead Wrong on How to Leave Iraq – Boston Herald editorial
Turks on the Border – National Review editorial
Armies of the Future: Brains, Not Bullets – The Economist editorial
The Real Heroes – Oliver North, Washington Times
On Guard Against Iran – New York Daily News editorial
Pressing Iran to Disarm – Toronto Star editorial
Walking Into Iran’s Trap – David Ignatius, Washington Post
The Challenge of Nuclear Deals - Mark Brzezinski, Boston Globe
Blogowar in the Blogosphere - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
Putting British Interests First – Iain Martin, London Daily Telegraph
Ideology vs. Canada’s National Interest – Harry Sterling, Toronto Star
Who’d be a British Soldier in Basra? – London Daily Telegraph editorial
PKK’s Independence Dream Faces Harsh Reality – Austin Bay, Houston Chronicle
Armenian Genocide Measure is Misguided – Bruce Fein, San Francisco Chronicle
Courage Under Fire: They Tell Iraq’s Story – Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Eerie Silence of Syria Bomb Raid – Greg Sheridan, Sydney Daily Telegraph
The Expanding Axis of Evil – Washington Examiner editorial
Gaza: No Security, No Power – Jerusalem Post editorial
Middle East Conference: More Harm than Good? – Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
In Arabia, A Glimmer of Hope – Michael Goodwin, New York Daily News
Hanoi, Tripoli Elected to UN Security Council – John Metzler, World Tribune
The Smart Way to Shut Gitmo Down – Matthew Waxman, Washington Post
Defining Torture – Clifford May, Washington Times
Bush’s Dangerous Liaisons - François Furstenberg, New York Times
Czar Chertoff – Baltimore Sun editorial
Free Elections Come First – Robert Kagan, Washington Post
Bush on Cuba: ‘Same Old Macho Speech’ – Carl Hiaasen, Miami Herald
Cambodia: Touring the Tragic Kingdom – Boston Globe editorial
Messy Revolutions – Jack Kelly, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Putin’s Guessing Games – Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
A Generation Lost? – James Zumwalt, Washington Times
Will Newspapers Survive? – Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe

Continue reading "28 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Abu Muqawama's counterinsurgency reading list to include bare bones essentials, intermediate reading (colonial and modern), advanced reading, political Islam and Islamist violence, fiction and films can be found here. Recommended additions to the list by site visitors can be found in comments.

One that I would add is The Village by Bing West.

To see what Council members are reading go here.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "COIN Reading List" »

Al Qaeda's Quagmire - New York Post editorial
Learning the Right Lessons in Iraq – Michael Gerson, Newsweek Magazine
War, Like Life, Is Not a Movie – Mark Steyn, Orange County Register
Taking Down Terrorist Web Sites – James Zirin, Washington Times
Holy Land Trial: Evil Exposed - Steven Emerson, New York Post
Trash Talking World War III - New York Times editorial
Rein in the Rush to a War in Iran – Chicago Sun-Times editorial
Iran Continues to Meddle - James Lyons, Washington Times
Iran: Sanctions Smanctions – David Warren, Real Clear Politics
A Choice for the Ayatollahs - Ofer Bavly, Miami Herald
Don’t Alienate Ankara – Gidon Remba, Jerusalem Post
Can Bhutto Survive? – Robert Novak, Washington Post
The Importance of a Failed Israeli-Arab Summit – Gideon Levy, Haaretz
Israeli-Arab Conflict Not Ripe for Resolution Yet – Richard Haass, Real Clear Politics
Corruption’s Cost in the Arab World, Beyond – John Cooley, Christian Science Monitor
Don't Expect US to Push Egypt Democracy - Hrach Gregorian, Daily Star
Jordan: Elections without Surprises - Oraib Al-Rantawi, Daily Star
Be Decisive in Darfur – London Daily Telegraph editorial
NATO: Saying Yes to France – Ronald Asmus, Washington Post
Return to Bamiyan - Roger Cohen, New York Times
A World Overwhelmed with Hungry Little Mouths – Melanie Reid, London Times
America’s March of Folly - Francis Fukuyama, Canberra Times
Castro's Last Hurrah - USA Today editorial
More Cuba Fulminations – Boston Globe editorial
Cuba's Regime Deserves No Oxygen - Carlos Gutierrez, USA Today
Burma: Monks and the Military – Charles London, The Nation
Clinton: Foreign Policy Grownup – Sebastian Mallaby, Washington Post
Act on the Shield Law – Washington Post editorial
The Politics of Interrogation - Wall Street Journal editorial
Troubling Questions for Judge Mukasey - Miami Herald editorial
Mukasey: More Answers Needed - Carl Tobias, Batlimore Sun
Inspecting the CIA - Los Angeles Times editorial
PMCs: A Job for Uncle Sam - Baltimore Sun editorial
LOST at Sea - John Fonte, National Review
Annan: No Knight in Shining Armor - Nile Gardner, National Review

Continue reading "29 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Lt. Michael Murphy 'The Protector' - San Francisco Chronicle editorial
US Military: Asking Too Much of Too Few – Joseph Galloway, McClatchy Newspapers
New Threat Stirs Iraqi Nationalism – Richard Gwyn, Toronto Star
Kurdish Terror and the West - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Will Bush Really Bomb Iran? – Sarah Baker, London Times
The Cost of Bellicosity Towards Iran - Kaveh Afrasiabi, Christian Science Monitor
Iran: “Murder with Impunity” – Paul Marshall, Weekly Standard
Mainstream Mosques: Studies in Hate – London Times editorial
How to Build Trust at Annapolis Summit – Alon Ben-Meir, Jerusalem Post
Saudis: Uncongenial, But Trustworthy – Amir Taheri, London Times
Upbeat Indicators – Donald Lambro, Washington Times
Restoring Habeas Corpus – Bruce Fein, Washington Times
The Waterboarding Dodge – Washington Post editorial
Is Mukasey Willing to be a 'No' Man in the White House? – USA Today editorial
Yes, It's Clearly Torture - Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial
Bearing Witness to Torture - Clyde Haberman, New York Times
Reassess America's 'Idealism' – Janet Daley, London Daily Telegraph
Bush's Speech at Castro's Grave - Carlos Alberto Montaner, Miami Herald
Argentina: All in the Family – London Times editorial
Argentinians Elect Woman President - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Kirchners: Two for the Price of One - Roberto Guareschi, Miami Herald
How Argentina Jump-Started its Economy - Mark Weisbrot, Los Angeles Times
Amazonian Swindle – Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Uganda: Bush, Museveni: Step Up! - Carolyn Davis, Philadelphia Inquirer
Prosecuting Our Friends – Mona Charen, Washington Times
The Dalai Lama’s Plea – Toronto Star editorial
Australia: New Jet Fighters Buy Us Leverage – Nicholas Stuart, Canberra Times
German Soldiers and Toilet Paper – London Times editorial
LOST Runs Silent, Runs Deep – Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times

Continue reading "30 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

Ralph Peters in the November 2007 edition of American Legion Magazine - 12 Myths of 21st Century War. Visit the link for Peters' commentary, plus his reasoning behind each myth.

... Two trends over the past four decades contributed to our national ignorance of the cost, and necessity, of victory. First, the most privileged Americans used the Vietnam War as an excuse to break their tradition of uniformed service..... Second, we've stripped in-depth U.S. history classes out of our schools.

Myth No. 1: War doesn't change anything.
Myth No. 2: Victory is impossible today.
Myth No. 3: Insurgencies can never be defeated.
Myth No. 4: There's no military solution; only negotiations can solve our problems.
Myth No. 5: When we fight back, we only provoke our enemies.
Myth No. 6: Killing terrorists only turns them into martyrs.
Myth No. 7: If we fight as fiercely as our enemies, we're no better than them.
Myth No. 8: The United States is more hated today than ever before.
Myth No. 9: Our invasion of Iraq created our terrorist problems.
Myth No. 10: If we just leave, the Iraqis will patch up their differences on their own.
Myth No. 11: It's all Israel's fault. Or the popular Washington corollary: "The Saudis are our friends."
Myth No. 12: The Middle East's problems are all America's fault.

… The unprecedented wealth and power of the United States allows us to afford many things denied to human beings throughout history. But we, the people, cannot afford ignorance.

Discuss at Small Wars Council

Continue reading "12 Myths of 21st Century War" »

U.S. Defense Policy at a Crossroads - Frederick Kagan, American Enterprise Institute
War vs. ‘War’- Jonathan Foreman, National Review
Winning in Afghanistan - Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
Blackwater and Justice in Iraq – Los Angeles Times editorial
Saudi King: He’s One to Talk on Terror – Wall Street Journal editorial
Paying a Call on the Saudi Embassy – Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard
Yemen’s Truce with Al Qaeda – Jane Novak, Weekly Standard
Iran’s Challenge – Helle Dale, Washington Times
On Iran Fear is Counterweight of Overconfidence – Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Wildfires in the Middle East - Dan Simpson, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Israel Lobby Has Sights on Iran – Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Mining for Trouble in Lebanon – Lenny Ben-David, Jerusalem Post
Jerusalem: An Embodiment of the Middle East Conflict - Ghassan Khatib, Daily Star
Rules of the Game: Palestinian-Style – Barry Rubin, Jerusalem Post
PM's Foreign Evasion is Highly Dangerous - Allan Mallinson, London Daily Telegraph
Tortured Logic - New York Daily News editorial
The Mukasey Test – Washington Times editorial
Target Mukasey - New York Post editorial
I Know Waterboarding is Torture - Malcolm Nance, New York Daily News
Mukasey's Confirmation: A Vote about Torture – Jonathan Turley, Los Angeles Times
There’s No Avoiding the Waterboarding Issue - Stephen Winn, Kansas City Star
Partners in the War on Terror - John D. Rockefeller IV, Washington Post
The Global Poverty Gap - Robert Samuelson, Real Clear Poltics
Surveillance Sanity – Benjamin Civiletti, Wall Street Journal
Shortsighted on Missile Defense - Charlie Szrom, Weekly Standard
On Cuba, The U.S. is an Island - Paolo Spadoni, Los Angeles Times
Cuban-Americans: Hardliners, Moderates, Appeasers - Frank Calzon, Miami Herald
Unbury the LOST Treaty – Washington Post editorial
LOST 25 Years and Counting – New York Times editorial
The Mysterious Case of the Law of Sea – National Review editorial
Engineer Corps Reform – Paul Harrison, Washington Times

Continue reading "31 October SWJ Op-Ed Roundup" »

I’d like to digress from my usual analysis of insurgent strategy and tactics to speak out on an issue of grave importance to Small Wars Journal readers. We, as a nation, are having a crisis of honor.

Last week the Attorney General nominee Judge Michael Mukasey refused to define waterboarding terror suspects as torture. On the same day MSNBC television pundit and former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough quickly spoke out in its favor. On his morning television broadcast, he asserted, without any basis in fact, that the efficacy of the waterboard a viable tool to be used on Al Qaeda suspects.

Scarborough said, "For those who don't know, waterboarding is what we did to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is the Al Qaeda number two guy that planned 9/11. And he talked …" He then speculated that “If you ask Americans whether they think it's okay for us to waterboard in a controlled environment … 90% of Americans will say 'yes.'” Sensing that what he was saying sounded extreme, he then claimed he did not support torture but that waterboarding was debatable as a technique: "You know, that's the debate. Is waterboarding torture? … I don't want the United States to engage in the type of torture that [Senator] John McCain had to endure."

In fact, waterboarding is just the type of torture then Lt. Commander John McCain had to endure at the hands of the North Vietnamese. As a former Master Instructor and Chief of Training at the US Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape School (SERE) in San Diego, California I know the waterboard personally and intimately. SERE staff were required undergo the waterboard at its fullest. I was no exception. I have personally led, witnessed and supervised waterboarding of hundreds of people. It has been reported that both the Army and Navy SERE school’s interrogation manuals were used to form the interrogation techniques used by the US army and the CIA for its terror suspects. What was not mentioned in most articles was that SERE was designed to show how an evil totalitarian, enemy would use torture at the slightest whim. If this is the case, then waterboarding is unquestionably being used as torture technique...

Continue reading "Waterboarding is Torture… Period (Links Updated # 9)" »

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "Gen. Casey on A Failure in Generalship" »

In reference to an earlier post - COIN Seminar: Dr. David Kilcullen – Wargaming Division of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory has posted my summary report (pdf – word) of the event.

From the earlier post (updated):

The Small Wars Center of Excellence had the privilege of organizing a Counterinsurgency (COIN) seminar featuring Dr. David Kilcullen on 26 September at Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia.

Dr. Kilcullen spoke to a standing room only crowd at the Gray Research Center and provided an excellent and very informative brief (1 ½ hour) followed by a Q&A period that could have lasted well beyond the allotted 45 minutes.

The purpose and scope of the COIN seminar was to share some basic observations on COIN theory and practice derived primarily from Dr. Kilcullen’s service in Iraq (2006 and 2007), Afghanistan (2006), and pre 9/11 campaigns in SE Asia and the Pacific. Additionally, the forum served as a conduit to open a discussion on issues relevant to seminar attendees.

Dr. Kilcullen opened with a caveat – everyone sees Iraq differently, depending on when they served there, what they did and where they worked. Because the environment is highly complex, ambiguous and fluid; observations from one time / place may or may not be applicable elsewhere – even in the same campaign in the same year. He enjoined the audience to first understand the essentials of the environment, then determine whether analogous situations exist, before attempting to apply “lessons”. Dr. Kilcullen’s role in Iraq (hence his bias) was as Senior COIN Advisor to General David Petraeus (Commanding General, Multi-National Force – Iraq [M-NF – I]). He spent approximately 65 percent of his time in the field and the remainder at M-NF – I Headquarters and the US Embassy in Baghdad.

The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory’s Wargaming Division has posted Dr. Kilcullen’s briefing slides here. The SWJ has posted a ‘backup’ copy of the brief here. The presentation, as well as the Q&A were videotaped and will be made available; along with the briefing slides, the summary report, a 45 minute video interview with Dr. Kilcullen, and several of his articles and SWJ Blog postings; on DVD. I’ll post another heads-up as the DVD production date nears.

Nothing follows.

Continue reading "COIN Seminar Summary Report" »