A Soldier’s View
by Colonel Gian Gentile, Small Wars Journal Op-Ed
A Soldier’s View (Full PDF Article)
Since Andrew Bacevich placed me in the “Conservative” camp in his Atlantic article and based on the two outstanding pieces just penned in SWJ by Shawn Brimley and Tom Donnelly I thought I would add a few comments of my own. As Joint Force Quarterly editor Colonel (retired) David Gurney has stated publicly on this blog, myself and John Nagl have a set of point-counterpoint articles due out in the next edition of JFQ that address the Bacevich Atlantic article and the issues involved.
First, I thought that Shawn Brimley’s SWJ oped, “Mediating Between Crusaders and Conservatives” drew out very well and accurately the points that Bacevich only touched on and did not develop in his Atlantic piece.
I also found much to agree with in Tom Donnelly’s “One Crusader’s View.” I especially liked his points at the end of the article where he articulated that the future of war is not just more Iraqs and Afghanistans but potentially conflicts that will require the American Army to have competencies at the higher end of the conflict spectrum. And Tom’s acknowledgment that there is still a need in the American army for armor platforms that he states are still (and implicitly in the future) “powerful formations” warmed the cockles of my cavalryman’s heart. I do, however, take issue in degree with what Tom said about current American Army doctrine. He said that “conventional force operational doctrine [did not] disappear with the publication of the counterinsurgency manual.” True, but not in sprit since the organizing principle of the current three American Army doctrinal manuals (FM 3-24, FM 3-0, and FM 3-24) has become nation building and not fighting has in a sense eclipsed the “conventional” side of the Army. I develop this argument much more in the upcoming JFQ piece.
