What I find interesting about much of this discussion is how many people seem to be surprised by this (I'm not referring to board members, obviously). Even a casual student of history would have noticed the services, especially the Army, ran very quickly away from the counterinsurgency lessons they could have learned from Vietnam. Franks' conduct during Operation Anaconda was also questionable, a trend he carried over into Iraq it seems. Working with the Air Force, I even see them saying that they can "win" a counterinsurgency from the air!

Given the nature of the organizations, I suppose it's inevitable. The Army was very heavily imprinted with the business school and mass production mentality of its senior leaders during World War II and after, and the Air Force has always been possessed by a need to proclaim itself capable of winning, on its own, ANY war it happens to face. This doesn't apply to all members of either service, but there is an organizational culture and identity that encourages these views and approaches. What is to me the most disappointing aspect of it is that our forces currently contain some of the brightest recruits they've ever had. These people are ready and willing to do the job, and for the most part quickly adapt to changing situations if they're given proper background and some guidance. That they could be let down so seriously by their senior commanders is very depressing.