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--General Anthony Zinni - Naval Institute Forum, Sept. 2003
SWJ Editors Note: This past weekend saw some very insightful Op-Eds. We've carried several forward to today's roundup for those non-weekend SWJ warriors.
Also carried over is the quote above by General Tony Zinni. Read it, think about it and go to the link for the full transcript.
COMPLEX OPERATIONS
Standard Warfare May Be Eclipsed By Nation-Building - Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post
The Army on Monday will unveil an unprecedented doctrine that declares nation-building missions will probably become more important than conventional warfare and defines "fragile states" that breed crime, terrorism and religious and ethnic strife as the greatest threat to US national security.
The doctrine, which has generated intense debate in the US military establishment and government, holds that in coming years, American troops are not likely to engage in major ground combat against hostile states as they did in Iraq and Afghanistan, but instead will frequently be called upon to operate in lawless areas to safeguard populations and rebuild countries.
Such "stability operations" will last longer and ultimately contribute more to the military's success than "traditional combat operations," according to the Army's new Stability Operations Field Manual, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post.
More at The Washington Post.
AFGHANISTAN
NATO: Senior Taliban Leader Captured in Afghanistan - Steve Herman, Voice of America
The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan says NATO-led troops have captured a Taliban field commander with close links to the insurgency's senior leadership.
NATO announced that Mullah Sakhi Dad Mujahid, along with another insurgent, was caught without a shot being fired four days ago in the province of Uruzgan. Mujahid was the leader of a "significant" number of insurgents, according to NATO and Afghan officials.
A high-ranking Interior Ministry official tells VOA News Mujahid had been covertly directing a guerilla group conducting suicide attacks in and around the provincial capital, Tirin Kot. The official, who did not want to be named, says Mujahid "broke his word" to reconcile with the democratically-elected government and sever ties with the Taliban, following his release after capture and interrogation in 2004.
At that time, Mujahid was apprehended with a satellite phone containing the numbers of top Taliban figures, including the head of the movement, Mullah Omar. Mujahid is said to be the brother-in-law of Omar.
More at Voice of Ameirca.
US to Deploy More Aerial Surveillance to Afghanistan - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
The military is expanding the number of airplanes for reconnaissance and surveillance in Iraq and Afghanistan in response to demands from the Pentagon chief to assume a "war footing" in getting more planes into the air.
The US Army is sending a new unit of remote-controlled aircraft, similar to one it fielded in Iraq two years ago, to Afghanistan to monitor insurgents and enemy targets. The Air Force, meanwhile, is deploying about three dozen small turboprop planes with reconnaissance and surveillance crews to add to the unmanned planes already being used there. Both services are also trying to put more laptop computers in the hands of soldiers on the ground so they can benefit from the data provided by the "eyes in the sky."
The moves are prompted by criticism from Defense Secretary Robert Gates, who has said it was like "pulling teeth" to get the services to provide more remote controlled aircraft over the skies of Iraq and Afghanistan.
The unmanned planes produce "full motion video" for commanders attempting to locate insurgents or track their activity. The planes range from small, hand-launched craft to much larger planes that can fly at 65,000 feet for hours. Their value comes in how much they can do for long periods of time. It took nearly 600 hours of air time, for instance, before the US military could find the leader of the group Al Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed by a US airstrike in June 2006.
More at The Christian Science Monitor.
We Can't Defeat Taleban, Says Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith - Tom Coghlan and Michael Evans, The Times
The departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan says he believes the Taleban will never be defeated.
Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, the commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, whose troops have suffered severe casualties after six months of tough fighting, will hand over to 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines this month.
He told The Times that in his opinion, a military victory over the Taleban was “neither feasible nor supportable”.
“What we need is sufficient troops to contain the insurgency to a level where it is not a strategic threat to the longevity of the elected Government,” he said.
The brigadier said that his troops had “taken the sting out of the Taleban” during clashes in Helmand province in southern Afghanistan, but at a heavy cost. His brigade suffered 32 killed and 170 injured during its six-month tour of duty. The 2nd Battalion the Parachute Regiment alone lost 11 soldiers, most of them killed by roadside bombs or other explosive devices.
More at the Times, Globe and Mail and Kings of War blog.
War on Taliban Cannot be Won, Says Army Chief - Christina Lamb, The Times
Britain's most senior military commander in Afghanistan has warned that the war against the Taliban cannot be won. Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith said the British public should not expect a “decisive military victory” but should be prepared for a possible deal with the Taliban.
His assessment followed the leaking of a memo from a French diplomat who claimed that Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles, the British ambassador in Kabul, had told him the current strategy was “doomed to fail”.
Carleton-Smith, commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, which has just completed its second tour of Afghanistan, said it was necessary to “lower our expectations”. He said: “We’re not going to win this war. It’s about reducing it to a manageable level of insurgency that’s not a strategic threat and can be managed by the Afghan army.”
The brigadier added: “We may well leave with there still being a low but steady ebb of rural insurgency . . . I don’t think we should expect that when we go there won’t be roaming bands of armed men in this part of the world. That would be unrealistic and probably incredible.”
More at The Times.
A Manhunt or a Vital War? - Robert Kaplan, New York Times opinion
The rising violence in Afghanistan and fractious political situation in Pakistan have become leading issues in the American presidential campaign and the debates between the candidates. Indeed, after seven years of war in the region, it’s time to ask a very impolite set of questions: If we did, by chance, capture or kill Osama bin Laden and his deputy, Ayman al-Zawahri, would Afghanistan still matter? Would there be public support for sending more American troops to stabilize a country that has rarely in its history enjoyed strong central government and that abuts a tribal area in Pakistan that neither the British nor the Pakistanis have ever been able to control? Is the war in Afghanistan, deep down, anything more than a manhunt for a handful of individuals? And if it is, how do we define victory there?
After all, Afghanistan is not the only ungovernable space with an Islamic setting around the world that can provide a base for terrorists who want to attack the United States. The world is full of them: from Somalia to the southern Philippines to the Indonesian archipelago. Better, perhaps, not to be tied down with thousands of troops in one or two places, and instead use sophisticated, high-tech covert means to hunt down hostile groups wherever they crop up. The problem with Osama bin Laden, one could argue, was not that he had a haven in Afghanistan in the 1990s but that he was not pursued there with sufficient vigor.
So, here’s my answer: In fact, Afghanistan is more than a manhunt, and it does matter, for reasons that have not been fully fleshed out by policy makers or the military.
More at The New York Times.
Winning the Battle, Losing the Faith - Nathaniel Fick and Vikram Singh, New York Times opinion
"The lion of the people will turn on you,” warned Mullah Wakil Ahmed Muttawakil, a former Taliban foreign minister, as we sipped green tea at his home in Kabul a few weeks ago. He noted that while Americans had been shocked by a series of spectacular insurgent attacks over the summer, the United States-led coalition faced a far greater danger than the resurgent Taliban: growing despair among average Afghans that their government is fundamentally illegitimate.
Every aspect of sound counterinsurgency strategy revolves around bolstering the government’s legitimacy. When ordinary people lose their faith in their government, then they also lose faith in the foreigners who prop it up. The day that happens across Afghanistan is the day we lose the war.
With more than 230 military deaths since January, this year is on track to be the deadliest yet for the coalition in Afghanistan. July alone saw a brazen attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, the deaths of nine Americans at a combat outpost in Nuristan and the killing of 10 French soldiers on the outskirts of Kabul. The response has been a growing consensus around sending two to four more combat brigades to Afghanistan - 8,000 to 16,000 troops.
Although larger and more populous than Iraq, Afghanistan has fewer than half the coalition forces, and critical programs to advise the Afghan National Army and Afghan National Police operate at one-third to one-half of their authorized strength. As the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Adm. Michael Mullen, told Congress last year, “In Afghanistan we do what we can; in Iraq we do what we must.”
More at The New York Times.
IRAQ
How to Smooth the Transition in Iraq - John Nagl and Adam Scher, Christian Science Monitor opinion
Mahmoudiya, a town south of Baghdad, was part of the area long known as the "Triangle of Death" because of the extraordinary number of Sunni insurgent attacks against coalition forces and Iraqi civilians it suffered – often half a dozen daily in 2006. Today, with violence down to only a few ineffective attacks in any given week, it has earned the moniker "Triangle of Love."
The progress there is due in part to the new US strategy. It involved living among the local population to break the hold of the insurgents and now focuses more on partnering and empowering local Iraqi forces than depending on US troops to target and capture enemies.
This switch in Mahmoudiya has spurred economic growth in the area and sheds light on how to manage a drawdown of US forces without sacrificing the hard-won security gains of the past 18 months.
It's clear that the ultimate success of our counterinsurgency strategy in Iraq requires not just a reduction in all types of enemy activity, but also an increase in the capacity of the Iraqi Security Forces and the local governing councils.
Improving Iraq's security and governance sectors will be America's enduring role in the country long after most American troops have left. But we need a new paradigm to transition our large-scale combat presence into a lower profile advisory role. A new concept called the Transition Task Force (TTF) shows us the way in Mahmoudiya.
More at The Christian Science Monitor.
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Relentless Taliban Just Keep Coming - The Times
Fear of Taliban Penetrates Kabul - Daily Telegraph
Bus Passengers Defy Taliban on Road to Renewal - Washington Times
Afghans Start Registering Voters for 2009 Polls - Associated Press
Pakistan's Resolve in Latest Battle Against Taliban - Christian Science Monitor
Officials say Taliban Mad Over Alleged US Strike - Associated Press
International Force Promises to Reduce Civilian Casualties - Voice of America
In Poverty and Strife, Women Test Limits - New York Times
Talking to the Taliban - Daily Telegraph editorial
Peace Under Friendly Fire - New York Times opinion
Can King David Stabilise Afghanistan? - The Times opinion
On Negotiating with the Taliban - Captain's Journal blog
Pakistan's Reporting of Deaths of Senior Terrorist Leaders - Long War Journal blog
On Patrol with Marines in Afghanistan - Captain's Journal blog
Iraq
Rivals Present Sharp Divide on Iraq Goals - New York Times
Retaliatory Turkish Airstrikes Target Kurdish Rebels in Iraq - Washington Post
Turkey Vows to Destroy Kurdish Rebels - Agence France-Presse
Turkish Warplanes Bomb Kurd Bases in N. Iraq - Associated Press
A Joyful Welcome Home for Detainees - Washington Post
11 Die as US Force Raids House in Iraqi City - New York Times
Bomber Strikes During Raid in Northern Iraq - Washington Post
11 Iraqis Die in Mosul Suicide Bombing - Los Angeles Times
Iraq: Battle for Business Begins - The Times
Egyptian Foreign Minister Visits Iraq - Voice of America
No, Iraq Wasn't a 'Distraction' - Wall Street Journal opinion
Iran
Iran's Khatami May Run for President Again - Agence France-Presse
Israelis See Delay in Iran-Russia Missile Deal - Reuters
Iran Says “No”, Now What? - Carnegie Endowment
Iran's Asymmetric Naval Warfare - Washington Institute
Talking to Iran - Washington Post interview
Ahmadinejad Isn't Impressed - Jerusalem Post opinion
Changing Conventional Wisdom About Iran - Time opinion
Iran's Liquidation Sale? - Washington Times opinion
Iran's IRGC: Rogues Or State Arm? - ThreatsWatch blog
Complex Operations
N. Ireland COIN Lessons Learned - Washington Post
The Long War
How bin Laden Got Away - New York Post opinion
Adam Gadahn Resurfaces in New al Qaeda Tape - Long War Journal blog
Al-Qaeda's Pakistan Plan: Public Faces, Private Ownership - ThreatsWatch blog
The War of Ideas
Shut Up, Arab Style? - Washington Times opinion
Where Strategic Communication Leads - Abu Aardvark blog
American Public Diplomacy Wears Combat Boots - MountainRunner blog
US Foreign Policy
This Foreign Policy Mess - Miami Herald opinion
National Security
Security vs. Species Preservation - Washington Times opinion
Homeland Security
Refuges of Crime and Terror - Washington Times opinion
Security, Surveillance and Satellites - ThreatsWatch blog
US Department of Defense
FY2009 Naval Aviation Update - Information Dissemination blog
When Pictures Say It All - Information Dissemination blog
World
Judgment Without Borders - Los Angeles Times opinion
"Libel Tourism": The Fix We Need - New York Post opinion
Africa
Somalia: Islamist Gunmen ask Pirates for Tanks - Daily Telegraph
Mugabe's Men Seize Chance to Take White Farms - The Times
Post-Apartheid South Africa Enters Anxious Era - New York Times
Desmond Tutu: I will not vote for ANC - Daily Telegraph
Americas
50 Dead in Seven Days in Mexico's Drugs War - The Times
Tijuana Killings May Signal Fall of Cartel - Los Angeles Times
Russia's Warships in Venezuelan Exercise - The Times
Democrats Shouldn't Coddle Chávez - Wall Street Journal opinion
A Choice for Latin America - Washington Post editorial
Asia Pacific
China, Space Weapons and US Security - Council on Foreign Relations
Police Detain Protest Leader in Thailand - New York Times
Critics Slam Thailand's Activist Judges - Christian Science Monitor
Aftermath of a Revolt: Burmar’s Lost Year - New York Times
Arms Deal with Taiwan is Good News, For Now - Westhawk blog
Central Asia
Rice: US Not Trying to Undermine Russia in Kazakhstan - Voice of America
Rice Meets Kazakh PM And President - Associated Press
Kazakhstan Seeks to Balance East and West - New York Times
Europe
Russian Forces Begin to Shut Georgia Checkpoints - New York Times
Russians Leave South Ossetia Post - Wall Street Journal
Russian Forces Leave Zones in Georgia - Associated Press
Putin's Misstep - Washington Times opinion
Middle East
Olmert to Urge Moscow: Don't Arm Israel's Enemies - Associated Press
Livni: Seek Peace with Palestinians, Confront Iran - Voice of America
Peace Talks in Peril, Israeli Leader Warns - Toronto Star
Syria, Lebanon Abuzz Over Militant's Arrest - Los Angeles Times
Back to the Wheelhouse - Abu Muqawama blog
South Asia
India Stalls on US Nuclear Deal - The Australian
Ethnic Violence Intensifies in India's Assam State - Wall Street Journal
33 Killed in Northeast India Fighting - Reuters
Sri Lanka Suicide Blast Kills Opposition Chief, 21 Others - Voice of America
Blast Kills Sri Lanka Opposition Leader - Reuters
BOOKS
In a Time of War - Bill Murphy
The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic.
Baghdad at Sunrise - Peter Mansoor
This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after US forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003.
The Strongest Tribe - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America.
Tell Me How This Ends - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.
The War Within - Bob Woodward
Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 U.S. troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election.
We Are Soldiers Still - Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results.
Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz
Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq?
EVENTS OF INTEREST
3-7 November - Counterinsurgency Leaders' Workshop (COIN Workshop). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center. This event is a five-day program focused on understanding the fundamentals of insurgency and counterinsurgency. This is a version of the same extremely popular workshop offered to hundreds of military and civilian attendees over the past two years. The COIN Center has expanded the number of slots available to compensate for the high demand of previous sessions. The proceedings are UNCLASSIFED and registration is open to all interested US government and allied personnel.
6-7 December - Boyd Conference 2008 (Conference). Charlottetown, Prince Edward, Canada. There is an opportunity to hold a short, intense seminar on the applicability of Boyd’s ideas, particularly operating inside the OODA loop and grand strategy (sustaining our own morale and attracting the uncommitted), on the weekend of December 6-7 at the University of Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, PEI. Canada. The theme would be applying these ideas to conflict in the post-Iraq era, and more specifically to the types of diffused, networked, “open source” armed conflicts that some have called “fifth generation warfare.” We are also interested in exploring solutions, such as the role of “resilient communities” (RC), for countering them. As Oil and food prices have climbed and the mortgage crisis has grown, the need to think more about Resilient Communities has become more urgent. We may have to re-invent our world! We envision this as a working seminar to help shape the policy agenda in the first year of the new administration.