Quote Originally Posted by PhilR View Post
This is a very interesting topic and one worth discussion. It been my observation that we eventually get tactics correct, but dysfunctional HHQ relationships have long term negative consequences.
I would also posit that the majority of HHQ are in fact quite dysfunctional and that personalities are a major contributor to that flaw. As I said, an overabundance of strong willed smart people with little to do...
... Rob posed the question of how the CENTCOM can best support the two subordinate warfighting commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan in accomplishing assigned policy goals. I'd turn the question around--do the two subordinates see themselves as accomplishing policy goals set by the national level and transmitted through CENTCOM?
Perhaps the policy goals and the combat goals differ? Been my observation that they generally do and that particularly applies to our IMO flawed GCC structure. The question really is who's in charge? The civilian leadership or the GCC CinC? Go to a given country and it's ironclad -- the Ambassador is in charge; enlarge it to a world region and suddenly the four button is in charge? Makes no sense and creates problems.

Regardless, we are where we are and we are fighting very small wars in two nations in a GCC region. Is the GCC's policy or the combat the most critical issue?
...I'd submit that, in reality, each of these three commanders are fighting their own fights and consider the national level as their direct HHQ. I haven't seen CENTCOM given much latitude to provide significant direction to either of the commanders in Iraq or Afghanistan, except on the most routine of administrative and logistics issues.
True and i obviously agree with that...
...This gets sticky because what's best to accomplish the immediate missions in Iraq or Aghanistan (in terms of resources or methods) may not be the best for the region. CENTCOM is the direct commander who should be managing and balancing the two fights--its not a case of micro-managing, but of make resource decsions where there may be a trade-off (BCTs in Iraq vs. BCTs in Afghanistan--also, there's only one JFACC for the theater; neither Petreaus or Neil owns any TACAIR outside of USMC MAGTF fixed wing) and providing left and right limits on issues that affect the whole region (Iran is an issue for Iraq, Afghanistan and the region as a whole).
It's McNeill and, as a non-fan of over centralized air operations I think he and Petreaus should have control of their own assets -- isn't there something about Unity of Command in the books somewhere? Regardless, its' that JFACC's job to support both. Period.

I'd point out that Centcom's inept diddling with BCTs here versus there and routinely forcing units who return to theaters to go to a completely different AO is sorta dumb. I'll also state that the coordination issues you cite are political and NOT military...
... The III MAF and MACV issue in Vietnam is an interesting historical note. While the Marines may have had it correct in their pacification approach, the reality is that they chose a strategy for their section of Vietnam that was totally out of sync with the rest of the theater, that had very different time and resource requirements--and they did this via a service chain of command that went from III MAF to FMFPAC to HQMC--with little regard for the joint commander. I'm not arguing right or wrong, but it was a heady bit of institutional insubordination.
I think John accurately responded to this. I'd also suggest the it was not insubordination, simply holding out quite strongly for what one believed and fighting off bureaucratic and parochial intransigence -- I though that's what we were all supposed to do. Nor will I mention that the rest of the theater was totally out of sync with reality...

Or that such is an example of the inter service difficulty bit. Fallon may or may not have intensely disliked Petreaus but he's unlikley to have talked to him the way some twit alleged he did -- not because four stars don't talk to other four stars that way, they do -- but they don't do it on an interservice basis. Just as Westmoreland tried to persuade Walt to cease the CAP -- but he would not order him to do so -- and Lew was only a three star at the time.