Blogs, AQ in Iraq, LTG Odierno, I MEF and The Council
More odds and ends from the blogosphere and far flung corners of the Small Wars Journal “empire of knowledge“.
Happy Blogiversary
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at 10 years of blogging:
It’s been 10 years since the blog was born. Love them or hate them, they’ve roiled presidential campaigns and given everyman a global soapbox. Twelve commentators — including Tom Wolfe, Newt Gingrich, the SEC’s Christopher Cox and actress-turned-blogger Mia Farrow — on what blogs mean to them…
Brigadier General Kevin Bergner, spokesman for Multi-National Force — Iraq, comments: “Around here, folks like to read Small Wars Journal, Blackfive and The Mudville Gazette.”
On Al Qaeda in Iraq – Heroes, Boogeymen or Puppets?
SWJ Post – Al Qaeda in Iraq — Heroes, Boogeymen or Puppets? by Malcolm Nance – two strong responses (so far):
Bill Roggio at The Fourth Rail — Al Qaeda and its Role in the Iraq Insurgency
The attempts to minimize the role played by al Qaeda in Iraq in the larger Sunni insurgency took a significant step over the past week. Clark Hoyt, the public editor of the New York Times, claimed that the media had become complicit in the government’s attempts to paint the entire Sunni insurgency with an al Qaeda brush. Also this week, Malcolm Nance published an article at the Small Wars Journal claiming al Qaeda is being given too much credit for the violence in Iraq. In the article, titled “Al Qaeda in Iraq–Heroes, Boogeymen or Puppets?,” Nance claims al Qaeda is but a bit player in the Iraqi insurgency and is largely controlled by the Baathist remnants of Saddam Hussein’s regime. To Nance, al Qaeda is both a U.S. Boogeyman and Baathist Puppet…
Michael Goldfarb at The Weekly Standard’s WorldWideWeekly.com – Al Qaeda in Iraq: Not Just a Boogeyman
Roggio just posted what I think is the definitive takedown of the argument put forward earlier in the week by Small Wars Journal contributor Malcolm Nance. Nance’s theory is that al Qaeda is basically a bit player in the insurgency–small, but lethal–and that the administration is trying to hype the threat the group poses in order to convince the American people that withdrawing from Iraq would be the equivalent of surrendering in the war on terror. Suffice to say, Roggio isn’t buying it…
Nance’s essay strikes me as part of a larger, renewed push by the antiwar crowd to discredit the idea that the war in Iraq has any real connection to the war on terror–as Roggio points out, the New York Times put in its two cents last Sunday with a piece by the public editor declaring that “President Bush and the United States military in Baghdad are increasingly pointing to a single villain on the battlefield: Al Qaeda…
LTG Odierno Update
A month ago we posted Lieutenant General Ray Odierno’s (Commanding General Multi-National Corps — Iraq) Counterinsurgency Guidance. Since then we have received several e-mails in praise of the general’s leadership, understanding of the situation on the ground in Iraq and providing the guidance to get the job done. Here is one from a reliable and knowledgeable source:
LTG Odierno impresses me with his grasp of “the art of the possible” in Iraq, and his command style– which I like very much (little theatrics, all business, works in small groups).
I also am very much impressed with the professionalism & experience of this Corps’ staff-and I would assess that it very much reflects their commander. I think I have to guard against being too impressed with the staff to maintain some objectivity. But after having read the V Corps AAR [After Action Reviews] & OPORDs [Operation Orders] and LTG Metz’s earlier 2005 III Corps AAR, I would assess that the current team appears to be a cut above the others.
This may (and actually I think this the case) reflect the accumulated experience gained on the ground over the past 4 plus years. GEN Petraeus’s influence on the Corps is undoubtedly felt, but I think it too early to assess how much. Odierno & Petraeus are a very good command team— a hard-nosed operational commander and a very good strategic thinker. Odierno has a thorough, nuanced, and thoughtful appreciation of the situation, much better than popularly portrayed in the media (as in Fiasco).
Petraeus is positive, upbeat, and brings a fresh look to often intractable Iraqi problems. This stands in contrast to his predecessor who appeared worn down after nearly three years on the job & ready to throw in the towel. Although the Corps conducted extensive “shaping” operations from Feb-June, the key “Surge” operations began on 19 June when the 5th “surge” [Battalion Combat Team] BCT became operational. All of these operations are conducted in the Baghdad “belts,” or in areas hitherto not occupied or patrolled. The Corps has dubbed the umbrella operation “Phantom Thunder,” of which Arrowhead Ripper is a part.
See Dave Kilcullen’s SWJ post Understanding Current Operations in Iraq for a detailed and ground-truth discussion of Phantom Thunder.
I Marine Expeditionary Force
I MEF sponsored a Tactical Capabilities for Irregular Warfare conference 20 — 24 June at Camp Pendleton, CA. The purpose was to identify, refine and integrate IW capabilities required by the tactical warfighter.
The going-out summary of identified requirements and initiatives included:
• Actionable Intelligence at the Company Level
• Biometric Data
• Combat Hunter Skills
• Cop-Like Skills
• Increased Language/Cultural Information
• Information Operations Capability
• Standardized Training (MTT)
• Enhanced Patrolling Skills
• Precision Engagement
• Squad Fires (Employ Supporting Arms)
• Battalion Level Subject Matter Expert Advisor Cell
I MEF 5-3-5 Philosophy:
Recent Small Wars Council Odds and Ends
On John Robb’s Brave New War (members only)
On Thomas P.M. Barnett – Army America Needs vs. The Wars Americans Prefer to Wage
Much more at the Council – join the discussion – membership is easy and the price is right…
