Rarely.

Quote Originally Posted by MikeF View Post
Actually, I've posed the question to members of the NSC through JSOC. They were often left confounded and asking me for answers b/c they had not read enough, and yes, I had a high enough clearance to engage.
that doesn't surprise me in the least -- though I would suggest you're asking questions at the policy level where they cannot be bothered to know any details. I know of an analyst at DIA who's pretty knowledgeable and there are others around at lower levels.

The problem is not that "we" do not know, the problem is that the power structure is too egocentric to be concerned. Truth is also that they are not a significant issue. Same thing has occurred in all our wars since WW II.
Honestly, it's not being worked. Everyone is hamstrung by the immediate threats in A'stan and Iraq.
At the execution level, that's the way of the world. Think of your Troop at Bragg and your foci there -- then consider your focus in Iraq.
Bottom line-No one is focusing on AQ despite the rhetoric. The overwhelming problem remains that we have not defined the problem set.
We rarely if ever do define the problem set to any real degree of specificity.

Recall my comment above about not even really knowing ones friends. With that in mind, check the Op-Ed at the LINK. I would be willing to bet large sums that someone in State sent up a red flag on the issue and the Date. The NSC crowd could care less. I also believe effort is being expended on AQ, JI, Hezbollah and a slew of others. NSC crowd isn't cioncerned about them either. They are concerned about the multiple threats we face.

Quoth Slap :
...AQ has a Strategy .....we don't! UBL has consistently said he is going to bleed us and bankrupt us. He hasn't deviated one bit from that and he is winning!
I have heard that also, only difference between Slap and I is that I don't think he's winning. Not even close. AQ is not the enemy, they are only one small, not terribly effective crowd in a much larger crowd of folks who dislike the US and do not wish us well. They are not nearly as dangerous and not nearly as bothersome as Hezbollah to name just one other. Nor are they as close to us as still others or as wealthy as still others.

Slap is right that they are focused and dedicated, they have a motive and a plan -- but they do not have the means to do what they say. They are only one aspect of twenty or so of concern to us strategically at this time. Slap also points out they target well. So-so, it seems -- yet if they overreach, a likely occurrence, all they'll do is hack off a whole lot of Americans. That's never a good plan; we tend to get stupid...

A single enemy makes it easy to focus ones effort, ala the Cold War or even WW II and most of the wars after that which were all Cold War influenced. Today, the enemy is multi faceted and multi polar; there are a bunch of them.

Spend too much effort focused on one and you'll miss what the others are up to. I believe the NSC is aware of that. I know others are...