UPDATE: Ever since I wrote my thesis on COIN in Iraq back in late 2006, I've been tossing around the idea of actually writing a book on the subject somewhere down the road. I shy away from the idea of trying to write a general history, because that would take volumes (historical context, preceding doctrines, plotting the evolution through OIF-I, II, III, IV, etc.). That just seemed like too monumental an undertaking, and that's when I remembered a lesson from my English comp professor during my first semester of my freshman year: BE SPECIFIC. In other words, I need to offer something with both breadth AND depth, something that is not so much of a "history" as it is a "study" which examines a particular facet of the broader picture. It only took me a few minutes of thinking to realize that I need to write on MTTs. That way, hopefully I can make a scholarly and substantive contribution to the discourse out there on training indigenous forces. Considering the Marine Corps is making a move towards emphasizing foreign training and advising via Special Purpose MAGTFs in its immediate future, I see this idea as having some merit.

This idea is still very much in the infant stages, and will probably remain that way for a few years. I'm scheduled to report back to Quantico in January. But there will always be some downtime where I can revive this little project of mine, and hopefully I'll gain some firsthand experience on down the road that will lend my writing some further credibility. Currently I'm working on an outline and obtaining some preliminary sources, and I may even get started on jotting down some of the context. I suspect I'll be back here more often to pick the brains of any officers and NCOs here who have served with MTTs in Iraq.