Perhaps the tide is finally turning. SOF surrendered senior leadership in what is largely a SOF operation to a series of highly qualified artillery shooters, tank drivers, and Infantrymen so that we could run up into the mountains and conduct a grand hunting expedition.
Time to drag SOF down out of the mountains and get senior SOF leadership in overall command of these operations to set the larger operational tones for the Campaigns. My first pick would have been a FID and COIN expert like LTG David Fridovich, but a McCrystal is a fine choice as well.
Will be interesting if this shift to "IW" will affect choices for service leadership as well as campaign leadership...The Air Force got its wakeup call when the Fighter Jock community got swept aside in favor of Gen Schwartz (A brilliant, and highly respected GO with solid SOF credentials).
I was briefing ADM Olson a few months ago on a separate topic, and asked him then about getting senior SOF generals into these Theater Command positions. He paused, and said calmly: "Frankly there isn't much appetite for that."
Looks like tastes have changed. That often happens as one grows up...
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