Indirect and Direct components to strategy for the Long War

[Mark O'Neill]

I think that the understanding of 'direct' and 'indirect' vis a vis OEF-P was perhaps not helped by the article in JFQ in early 2007 by Fridovich and Fred K, (see Fridovich, David and Krawchuk, Fred, Winning in the Pacific: The Special Operations Forces Indirect Approach, Joint Forces Quarterly, Q1 2007, Issue 44, pp 24-27) which did not make the distinction you made quite as clear (note: this is not a critcism of either the General or Fred, I think both men are smart operators who have done fantastic work in advancing commonsense approaches to these issues).

When I worked with another former JSOTF-P commander in Iraq, the position he narrated seemed more in tune with what I would have regarded as a 'classic' SFA task supported by 'good old hearts and minds' stuff (MEDCAPS etc).

Cheers

Mark