The Political Officer as a Counter-Insurgent (merged thread)

[DGreen]

I'm assuming this applies to more than just political advisors. This is some gound, sound advice for any civilian who is going there.
Some questions regarding sections "Before You Go" and "Make Yourself Tactical"
Are civilians allowed to bring their own firearm(s)? If yes, what kind? Can I bring a 1911? I would imagine I wouldn't be allowed to bring my 30-06. If not, are they issued a firearm? I like all the advice telling you to read all the counterinsurgency writings you can get your hands on, and knowing as much as can about the area and people where you'll be working. Why is it diffiult to request an overlap with the previous DOS employee? It took me by surprise that it even had to be requested. I thought that was a given. And some minor but important advice, I better get off my lazy ass, get back to the gym, and get at least somewhat close to the buff state I used to be in in my 30's and early 40's.

This is probably a dumb question, because the answer is most likely a "Hell, no!" What's the possibility of someone who is a student, without any clearance, and who does not yet work for any civilian or government agencies to go to Iraq for a week or two?

Hi skiguy,

Department of State, USAID, and USDA employees, among others, cannot bring their own firearms and are not to acquire one once they arrive in country. Of course, if they're civilian security then that's another matter. However, I believe some understanding has been reached whereby if a firefight is going on, a civilian employee can utilize a weapon if it is in the Humvee, building, etc. Don't quote me on that but I think that's where it stands right now. The overlap issue essentially comes down to how many bodies State can get into Iraq and Afghanistan. We are massively undermanned (this could be interpreted as not having enough physical bodies in the bureaucracy or the challenges of convincing vice ordering DOS employees to warzones) and the country desks are under a lot of pressure to put people in the field instantly so having an overlap is viewed by many as inefficient staffing. Obviously , this complicates a successful handover with your replacement. In terms of going to Iraq/Afghanistan, I think it's probably very difficult to impossible. However, if you are a student journalist, etc. this might makes things a little easier. Try contacting the DOS and MNF-I about it. I don't have the exact contact information you'd probably need for this but I'm sure you can find it online.