DImE, PmESII and now MIDLIFE

[Bill Moore]

We don't need the unnecessarily bureaucratic EBO process to develop objectives. Military planners have always developed objectives, and subordinates have synchronized their operations to accomplish those objectives.

I don't recall the start of phase IV in OIF the same way as Hacksaw, but as he stated we were probably too close to the problem to see things clearly. Hard to believe, but that was six years ago now.

After our unit secured our objective in early APR 03, we briefed retired BG Gardner (sp?) who was in charge of the reconstruction effort (phase IV) before Bremmer came in. In response to our questions requesting guidance and money to stand up government services, the response was that they were working on it. So while a shell of a plan may have existed, it apparently was coordinated with the interagency nor resourced. Cdrs at the local level took the initiative and did what they "thought" was right in lieu of guidance and common objectives to work towards.

In the fog of war we empower leaders at the lowest levels to make decisions as we should, but they would have prefered to make decisions that supported known and approved objectives from higher instead of wagging it on our own. Of course, after a few weeks guidance came (maybe more than we wanted), and we adjusted. Not the best way to run a war, but it seems to be the historical norm.