Nicely written piece...especially where he writes about, "Abstain from nation-building, transformation, and counterinsurgency..."
http://ebird.osd.mil/ebfiles/e20120705897205.html
Nicely written piece...especially where he writes about, "Abstain from nation-building, transformation, and counterinsurgency..."
http://ebird.osd.mil/ebfiles/e20120705897205.html
"We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it." from the move, Crimson Tide
This link requires .mil access.
"On the plains and mountains of the American West, the United States Army had once learned everything there was to learn about hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare."
T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War
Wall Street Journal
July 5, 2012
[clipped for copyvio]A Primer For American Military Intervention
With the heart of an infantryman, the president must feel what Churchill called 'stress of soul' for each of the wounded and the dead.
By Mark Helprin
In either 2013 or 2017, a new president will take office. The economy notwithstanding, the world will remain a dangerous place, and military intervention may yet be necessary. Of late America has not fared well in this, and the new president should wipe the slate clean, making sure that we do not fight wars that we need not fight, or lose those that we must.
Although Democrats pretend to have won in Afghanistan so they may retreat, and Republicans so as to absolve themselves of laying the foundation for defeat, withdrawal under fire is not usually a sign of success.
Last edited by davidbfpo; 07-05-2012 at 08:23 PM. Reason: Copyright violations...sorry...we can't put out more than their extract
"We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it." from the move, Crimson Tide
Robert C. Jones
Intellectus Supra Scientia
(Understanding is more important than Knowledge)
"The modern COIN mindset is when one arrogantly goes to some foreign land and attempts to make those who live there a lesser version of one's self. The FID mindset is when one humbly goes to some foreign land and seeks first to understand, and then to help in some small way for those who live there to be the best version of their own self." Colonel Robert C. Jones, US Army Special Forces (Retired)
I'm far from being an "expert" in this, but if you look at the current "phases" of a military operation, and overlap them with the D-I-M-E construct of the instruments of national power (Diplomatic, Informational, Military, Economic), big M really only comes into play in the middle phases (Seize the initiative, Dominate, and to a lesser extent, Stabilize), not the ones at either end (Shape, Deter, Enable civil authority). All other phases need to have D-I-m-E as their driving forces, not M. Does the military conduct Shape, Deter, and Enable civil authority activities? Sure we do, but again, it should be in a little M, not big M, construct. I think FID would fall into the Shape/Deter/Enable civil authorities bucket of activities, and should be done with the minimum number of military resources required.
As for "nation-building" and "transformation", the U.S. military clearly is out of our lane in those areas. We could provide for a secure environment for those activities to initially take place, but we should NOT be conducting those activities themselves, and certainly not be providing long-term security.
"We're here to preserve democracy, not practice it." from the move, Crimson Tide
Sorry to have clipped that, but the full article is behind the WSJ "pay" firewall. We can't post the whole thing due to copyright. If it's republished elsewhere in a free format, then we can link to it.
"On the plains and mountains of the American West, the United States Army had once learned everything there was to learn about hit-and-run tactics and guerrilla warfare."
T.R. Fehrenbach This Kind of War
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