This article is a great example of how counterinsurgency thinking has become so dominant it has pushed the defense establishment and punditry to the point of absurdity. In effect current American Army operational doctrine, 3-0, is now counterinsurgency doctrine. How else can one explain the conceptual underpinnings of this piece except for the fact that we have become so obsessed with Coin and the koolaide of Surge success that we are now calling for the abolishment of the American Air Force?

And Mr Farley, do you not think the Air Force during the Cold War years had even the slightest thing to do with deterring nuclear war with the Soviet Union?

Oh well heck, while we are at it lets just call for the abolishment of the United States Marine Corps too. Oh no we can’t do that because the Marines are small wars, Coin experts like the Army. And oh yes if we abolished the Marine Corps who would rewrite the Marine Corps Small Wars Manual?

gentile