Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
Yes it was...

However, I'm not at all sure I understand what this means: ??? ???
Ken,

Over a cup of coffee in a place far from the sound of any battle let’s see if we can make a small collaborative dent into TTP’s, Troops to Task, & GWOT which was the point of my paragraph that you cite.

My assumptions:

1) Afghanistan/Pakistan is the next 25-meter target. (a)
2) Limited US resources require a favorable cost/benefit solution to our problems. (b)
3) National & International will to apply the necessary resources to the problem is in short supply. (c)

The problem defined:

There are continuing strikes against US Interests led by adequately trained, resourced, and decentralized movements which are currently massed in and around Afghanistan and amenable to a multifaceted/multiagency response (DIME).

A proposed solution:

Precisely apply a long duration, small footprint, and highly trained and motivated DIME force in order to develop a solution amenable to US Interests.

Historical Precedents’:

SOF in El Salvador
Jesuits in India, Asia, etc.
Ottoman Janissaries


(a) WSJ

Senior U.S. military and civilian officials have grown increasingly pessimistic about Afghanistan and Pakistan. Last month, Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, told lawmakers he was planning to develop a new strategy for the war in Afghanistan that would for the first time focus on both countries, which he said were "inextricably linked in a common insurgency that crosses the border between them."
(b) Wikipedia

As of November 19, 2008, the total U.S. federal debt was $10.6 trillion.[2], with about $37,316 per capita (that is, per U.S. resident). The October 3rd, 2008 bailout bill (H.R.1424), section 122, raised the U.S. debt ceiling from $10 trillion to $11.3 trillion. Of this amount, debt held by the public was roughly $6.3 trillion.[3] In 2007, the public debt was 36.9 percent of GDP [4], with a total debt of 65.5 percent of GDP.[5] The CIA ranked the total percentage as 27th in the world.[6]
(c) Zogby

Do you believe the country is heading in the right direction or are things off on the wrong track?
Regards,

Steve