In the past two days, the debate has heated up at Small Wars Journal between two exceptionally brilliant officers regarding the future of NATO and ISAF in Afghanistan. On one side of the debate is Lt. Col. Paul Yingling, author of a critique of military organizational culture entitled “A Failure in Generalship”. The other is noted “COINtra”, Col. Gian Gentile, a history professor at West Point.

Much of the debate centers over a series of articles and rebuttals which have occurred over the past six weeks, but intensifying with George Will’s exhortation to give up on nation-building in Afghanistan and pursue al Qaeda via “over-the-horizon” capabilities. Will was joined by General Charles Krulak, the former Commandant of the US Marine Corps, who also echoed many of Will’s arguments in an e-mail earlier this week. Both George Will and General Krulak--as well as many within the defense community, such as Col. Gian Gentile and Col. TX Hammes--feel that Afghanistan has outlived its strategic relevance due to al Qaeda’s relocation into Pakistan and the perceived futility of building a nation-state in Afghanistan. Lt. Col. Yingling, on the other hand, feels that population-centric counterinsurgency can work in Afghanistan, given the right amount of troops and time. To Yingling, building a stable nation-state in Afghanistan is a necessary step in countering al Qaeda. Other prominent military thinkers agree with Yingling, such as retired Lt. Col. John Nagl, president of the Washington-based think-tank, Center for a New American Security.

Our professional community thrives on respectful, professional debate, such as the debate that exists over the strategic and operational goals in Afghanistan. We owe it to the men and women of ISAF to decide whether or not Afghanistan warrants further involvement, and if the situation does warrant involvement, we must determine the best course towards achieving ISAF’s goals...

Continue reading "Operational Design in Afghanistan" »

A short time ago, I received an e-mail from a female captain currently stationed at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Iraq. She writes:

Hello from Iraq!

As some of you may know, I run in the 'Race for the Cure' [5 kilometers/3.1 miles] in Central Park, NYC each year. I do this in remembrance of my grandmother, Grace [redacted], who passed from this disease years before I was born.

I started this tradition with my aunt, Maryann [redacted], after my last visit here to Iraq in 2005. I was highly disappointed that I wouldn't make it back to the states in time to do this again this year. So....I've decided that I am going to do this here in Iraq instead. I will be running here at 4 p.m. when it is 9 a.m. there in NYC [race takes place on 13 September].

Please feel free to donate to the cause. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Erica [Redacted]

I should also note that during September in Iraq, afternoon temperatures will typically top 100 degres Farenheit (38 degrees Celcius). This particular captain's goal was to raise $500 for research, which she did via a Facebook feed. I have this little theory that I can one-up her, and get another $500 donated for research. (And they say Web 2.0 shouldn't be in the hands of Soldiers...)

How can you help? Just click on this link to sponsor this Soldier who will be running the 5-kilometer "Race for the Cure" in the middle of Iraq. The 5k walk/run takes place on 13 September in Central Park in New York City.

Continue reading "Support the troops AND help cure breast cancer at the same time" »

Earlier this month, retired Marine Colonel TX Hammes wrote an article in Armed Forces Journal regarding the drawbacks of pervasive PowerPoint use in the military. He challenged readers to compete in an essay contest at AFJ, with a selection of books as the prize.

Col. Hammes' article has gotten quite a reception throughout the blogosphere, with a few sites (Red Team Journal by Adam Elkus, Building Peace by "Reach 364", The Best Defense by Thomas Ricks) posting their own replies.

In the hopes of spurring some conversation on the topic--I'm too into the whole instant gratification thing to wait for the winner to be announced in November--I'm posting my own reply to Col. Hammes.

In January 2009, a military-oriented site, “Company Command”, asked current Army commanders and platoon leaders in Iraq what they spent most of their time doing. One officer, Lt. Sam Nuxoll, answered flat-out: “Making PowerPoint slides”...

Continue reading "The TX Hammes PowerPoint Challenge (Essay Contest)" »

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is funding the research and development of a four-legged "walker" vehicle known as the Boston Dynamics BigDog. A marvel of modern robotics technology, it has demonstrated incredible stability and maneuverability on steep, snow-covered slopes and even on ice. In many ways, it resembles a miniature version of the four-legged AT-AT Walkers from The Empire Strikes Back, although it appears to be far more stable (then again, I haven’t seen anyone tie its legs up with a tow cable, so the jury is still out).

As we discovered in Iraq, an effective counterinsurgency strategy requires a significant number of infantry maneuvering about the battlefield on foot, as opposed to hunkered down in their vehicles. Although the forthcoming All-Terrain Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle (in keeping with the Star Wars theme, AT-MRAP) might have its use in a number of areas, nothing will be able to replace the effectiveness of the infantryman patrolling on the ground. Indeed, during the Iraq War, the use of dismounted patrols as opposed to the “commute to work” philosophy which dominated American strategy during the early half of the Iraq War seems to have contributed, at least in part, to the decrease in violence.

No matter how far we advance in manufacturing technology, we increasingly seem to load our infantrymen down with more and more weight. In Afghanistan, where NATO troops are conducting dismounted patrols over steep, rocky mountains, a simple patrol requires immense physical effort, particularly at the higher altitudes, where the air is thin. Surely, a vehicle like the BigDog would be of use in Afghanistan to carry the bulkiest portions of combat equipment.

But leave it to the US Marines—always short of money and coming up with new ways to stretch their dollars—to come up with a much cheaper alternative to the BigDog, using mules as pack animals, just as the Taliban do. It may not be as sexy as the new BigDog, and they may be temperamenta at times, but they have gotten the job done for centuries. While the BigDog represents incredible technology which will undoubtedly be used in a number of different applications--military and civil--did we really need a mega-expensive walker to carry a few rucksacks when a mule would have done just as well?

The terrain in Afghanistan brings up a number of interesting issues. In order to get off the mega-FOBs and patrol the countryside, troops will need some sort of ground transportation. HMMWVs and MRAPs are, as of now, somewhat restricted in the terrain of Afghanistan. With foot marches being slow and tiring, why not outfit a good number of our troops with Four-Wheeled All-Terrain Vehicles? ATVs have been used in small numbers by the US military for quite some time. They would provide a level of mobility that our troops currently do not possess, and they would certainly not be as expensive as the million-dollar-a-pop MRAP, and considerably more mobile. In fact, an earlier SWJ article which laid out the capabilities of the now-cancelled Future Combat System included a description of a vehicle which was dubbed the “M-5 Tactical Segway” (based on an off-road four-wheeled Segway variant). I will be the first to admit that this project suffers from poor advertising (The words “Tactical Segway” give me the image of a platoon full of socially awkward losers whirring down the street on the two-wheel variant). However, a four-wheeled vehicle certainly looks as if it has many supporters within the military establishment.

Focus question for the SWJ crowd: What sorts of transportation systems would you want to see in Afghanistan?

Continue reading "The Marines do it again..." »