Well I’m back from Africa, and in the interest of healthy and spirited debate, I’d like to use my space this week to wholeheartedly disagree with my colleague Sean Kreyling and his July 7th post entitled “Is the US Military using the Wrong Metrics in Iraq?” Sean, I respect your intellect and patriotism, but I think you’re way off the mark on this one. In my humble opinion, you’re missing the forest for the trees and in doing so, only perpetuating the dismally superficial counter-insurgency “debate” that Americans witness every day on the news shows.
To describe a cliche with a cliche, talking about “metrics in Iraq” is like “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic:” We may come up with some pretty nice designs, but man oh man– we’ve got bigger problems! And by no means do I support the growing voice in Congress predicting “inevitable defeat” in Iraq (As I’ve articulated clearly in “Small Wars Journal” .) But I do contend that unless we drop the semantics and make real reforms to the way we conceive of, plan for, and conduct warfare, well… we’re all sunk. Continue Reading »
Earlier this month, MSNBC aired a small (but shocking) segment about the South American “Tri-Border Region” that didn’t generate much attention in the US media–it was generally drowned out in the news cycle by Iraq suicide bombings and the New Jersey terror plot. Perhaps if the story had been released a few days later more people would have watched, but I wouldn’t be so sure. As Americans, we tend to ignore news unless we have an “in your face” image or sensational story to cling to. (And right now, Iraq is about as “in your face” as it gets.) That being said, we’d all be very well-advised to invest 5 minutes reading about the Tri-Border: It may leave you wanting to brush up on your Spanish. Continue Reading »
I’m no business expert, but aren’t “retention incentives” supposed to make people want to stay? Not according to the Army, judging from this sneak peek of its much anticipated “incentive program.” The plan, in theory, is designed to stop the mass exodus of young officers leaving the military after multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, modest compensation, and little time at home. To the Army’s credit, the incentive options–which include a $20,000 cash bonus, graduate school, or choice of assignment–are certainly a distinct (and refreshing) change in strategy. The benefits go to some very deserving individuals, and senior military leadership had only recently begun to acknowledge the growing personnel shortage–much less do anything to counteract it. But don’t believe everything you read when the plan is officially unveiled on Monday. Here’s what the speeches and media coverage won’t tell you:Continue Reading »
Military journals are normally a pretty boring read. The articles published in long-standing publications such as Parameters, Military Review, and Infantry are rarely imaginative and never critical. The ambitious officers who submit their writing for review in these journals typically do so in order to pad their resumes with “published articles”– they have little incentive to propose a controversial idea.
But in this month’s issue of Armed Forces Journal, something very strange occurred: A Lieutenant Colonel with an impeccable combat record and a bright future published an article that–in any other year–would have ended his career immediately. In a 5,000 word invective, Paul Yingling openly criticizes the military’s General officers, blaming them for directly for “intellectual and moral failures.” Continue Reading »
