Volume 8 of SWJ Magazine is up

[Stan]

Slapout has a good point here, In that I think the authors and contibutors to the SWJ are looking for a constructive critique of their writing. There is a lot of knowledge, many professors etc on this site, let us all know what you think about the articles. The writing as well as the content and the relivance of the topics. Obviously they were chosen for a reason. And sparking conversation about Small Wars TTP is one of them. So let's read-review and critique. I don't know if a seperate thread would be needed for this commentary but it might be useful.--T

Greetings Footslogger!
You are indeed correct.

Although I previously posted that my favorites were on IEDs and Rwanda, RTK’s “Advising Indigenous Forces” equally impressed me.

Oddly enough, I strike similarities with all three articles.

Tom and I often spoke about all-too-often underestimating Africans (which resulted in 3 civil wars), and to a greater degree (where we were), the French (who took advantage of every event).

We better get a handle on who we’re dealing with, he’s doing the very same thing and he has expendable assets that we don’t.

RTK goes into great detail regarding his role as an advisor and assumptions that US Forces often make abroad. Such assumptions can have serious ramifications. Some cultures simply can’t take being slapped without a way out. To those, it’s not mere revenge, it’s saving face. So, if we know how to advise them, we obviously know how to read them. I think we're paying greater attention, but so are they and the MO has once again changed. Time to observe and take another shot at it.

Our IED makers are the very same ‘tribes’ if you will. Their operations are not that well thought out and we can learn from them. Their operations and behavior are based on our routines.

As Slapout said so well, ‘take the road away from them and make them play by our rules’.