Small Wars Journal

Blog Posts

SWJ Blog is a multi-author blog publishing news and commentary on the various goings on across the broad community of practice.  We gladly accept guest posts from serious voices in the community.

Sri Lanka's disconcerting COIN strategy for defeating the LTTE
by Niel Smith | Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:48am | 31 comments
In the comments section of this SWJ post, Phil Rittendorf highlights a very interesting and disconcerting article in the Indian Defence Review containing lessons learned from Sri Lanka's defeat of the LTTE this year. The principles articulated in this article stand in almost complete opposition to the conceptualization of counterinsurgency articulated in FM 3-24. From the article:

"In the President's Office in Colombo officials talk about the 'Rajapaksa Model' (of fighting terror). "Broadly, win back the LTTE held areas, eliminate the top LTTE leadership and give the Tamils a political solution." Sunimal Fernando, one of Rajapaksa's advisors, says that the President demonstrated a basic resolve: "given the political will, the military can crush terrorism." This is not as simple as it sounds. Like most poll promises he did not have plans to fulfill his promise to militarily defeat the LTTE. Eelam I to III were miserable failures. So the 'Rajapaksa Model' evolved, it was not pre-planned."

For Intelligence Officers, A Wiki Way to Connect Dots
by SWJ Editors | Thu, 08/27/2009 - 2:25am | 0 comments
For Intelligence Officers, A Wiki Way to Connect Dots - Steve Vogel, Washington Post.

Intellipedia, the intelligence community's version of Wikipedia, hummed in the aftermath of the Iranian presidential election in June, with personnel at myriad government agencies updating a page dedicated to tracking the disputed results.

Similarly, a page established in November immediately after the terrorist attack in Mumbai provided intelligence analysts with a better understandinsg of the scope of the incident, as well as a forum to speculate on possible perpetrators. "There were a number of things posted that were ahead of what was being reported in the press," said Sean Dennehy, a CIA officer who helped establish the site.

Intellipedia is a collaborative online intelligence repository, and it runs counter to traditional reluctance in the intelligence community to the sharing of classified information. Indeed, it still meets with formidable resistance from many quarters of the 16 agencies that have access to the system. But the site, which is available only to users with proper government clearance, has grown markedly since its formal launch in 2006 and now averages more than 15,000 edits per day. It's home to 900,000 pages and 100,000 user accounts...

More at The Washington Post.

August 2009 Issue of the CTC Sentinel
by SWJ Editors | Wed, 08/26/2009 - 5:55pm | 0 comments
West Point's Combating Terrorism Center has released the August 2009 issue of the CTC Sentinel. August's issue is available here. This month's issue contains the following articles:

- "The Philippines' Continued Success Against Extremists"

By Peter Chalk

- "The Evolving Role of Uzbek-led Fighters in Afghanistan and Pakistan"

By Jeremy Binnie and Joanna Wright

- "Tribal Dynamics of the Afghanistan and Pakistan Insurgencies"

By Hayder Mili and Jacob Townsend

- "A Review of Reconciliation Efforts in Afghanistan"

By Joanna Nathan

- "The Absence of Shi`a Suicide Attacks in Iraq"

By Babak Rahimi

- "Factors Affecting Stability in Northern Iraq"

By Ramzy Mardini

- "Training for Terror: The 'Homegrown' Case of Jami`at al-Islam al-Sahih"

By Jeffrey B. Cozzens and William Rosenau

- Recent Highlights in Terrorist Activity

Who is inspecting the inspectors?
by Robert Haddick | Wed, 08/26/2009 - 9:52am | 3 comments
An article in this morning's New York Times discussed what is shaping up to be a strange ending to Mohamed ElBaradei's career as director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. According to the article, ElBaradei has in his possession a file containing disturbing evidence of Iran's efforts to fabricate nuclear weapons. ElBaradei is under pressure from the U.S. and Europe to release the evidence and allow an open debate on its implications. ElBaradei has resisted, fearing accusations of pro-Western "bias."

ElBaradei will leave the IAEA on November 30th. Between now and then, he will get a last chance to restore his legacy as the world's nuclear proliferation enforcer. ElBaradei's refusal to energetically confront Iran over its violations of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty has resulted in self-inflicted damage to his reputation. Should he leave it to his successor, Yukiya Amano, to open the Iran file to the public, we will be left wondering how ElBaradei viewed his mission at the IAEA. Was it to prevent nuclear weapons proliferation? Or was it to assist the developing world in containing Western power?

This week, advocates of the death penalty for murder received the greatest possible boost to their argument when Scotland's justice minister released Abdel Basset al-Megrahi from prison. Similarly, ElBaradei's tenure at the IAEA has provided no comfort for those who attempt to defend the usefulness of international institutions and international treaty law. Advocates of treaties such as the NPT, the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty, the Missile Technology Control Regime, and others have a responsibility to support the toughest possible enforcers of these agreements. ElBaradei's refusal to be a tough enforcer has damaged the case for international treaty law as a means of conflict prevention. Yukiya Amano will come to work in December finding much damage to repair.

Good Onya Diggers
by SWJ Editors | Tue, 08/25/2009 - 8:17pm | 1 comment
Diggers Assassinate Taliban Leader Mullah Karim - Mark Dodd, The Australian.

Australian special forces have killed a senior Afghan Taliban leader, Mullah Karim, an officially sanctioned assassination designed to rid Oruzgan province of hardcore militants. The operation took place on Monday August 10 but was only announced today by Chief of Joint Operations, Lieutenant-General Mark Evans.

Karim's death brings the number of senior insurgent leaders killed in top secret operations targeting Taliban militants responsible for attacks on coalition soldiers to more than half a dozen. "Mullah Karim was killed during an operation directed against the insurgent network of improvised explosive device operators in Oruzgan province," General Evans said.

In keeping with past targeted killings, few details were released although it's understood from defence sources that personnel from the elite Special Operations Task Group (SOTG), which includes members of the Special Air Service Regiment, were responsible...

More at The Australian.

ISAF Counterinsurgency Guidance Released
by SWJ Editors | Tue, 08/25/2009 - 6:48pm | 14 comments
H/T Ex at Abu Muqawama.

The counterinsurgency guidance issued by Gen. Stan McChrystal to his units in the field has been finalized and released -- and it's very good. I would say it incorporates most of what the U.S. Army and Marine Corps have learned about counterinsurgency warfare over the past eight years and gives a good hint as to how Gen. McChrystal expects his subordinate units -- U.S. and allied -- to fight over the next 12-24 months.

In full below:

COMISAF COIN GUIDANCE
The U.S. Army and the Media in Wartime
by SWJ Editors | Tue, 08/25/2009 - 5:42pm | 0 comments
The Combat Studies Institute is holding its annual symposium - Tuesday, 25 August through Thursday, 27 August. This year the subject is The U.S. Army and the Media in Wartime: Historical Perspectives and is being live blogged at this link. A copy of the agenda can be found here. CSI is taking questions via the blog for guest speakers and panel members.
Fast Forward: The Final "Homecoming"
by Dave Dilegge | Tue, 08/25/2009 - 5:36pm | 0 comments

See Cartoons by Cartoon by Nate Beeler - Courtesy of Politicalcartoons.com - Email this Cartoon

Three months or eight, it does not matter Megrahi, meet your new "cell-mates" in hell. No need to save a space for Mohmmar Qadaffi - or however they spell this evil buffoon's name these days - his Hell Frequent Aficionado program points has him a guaranteed express check-in - a suite with a fire-side view - hottest place in town.

Remembering what we (mis)learned in Bosnia
by Robert Haddick | Mon, 08/24/2009 - 1:22pm | 1 comment
On Sunday, the Washington Post published a dispatch from Sarajevo that described Bosnia's simmering discontent and unfinished business. Thankfully, Bosnia has not returned to ethnic violence. But neither has it resolved its political and ethnic problems.

In 1995, NATO forces, led by the U.S. Army, conducted a large-scale armed intervention into Bosnia in order to enforce the Dayton peace accord. The hoped for "end state" was an ethnically and politically-reconciled Bosnia, managing its own affairs. 14 years later the country is still under international supervision.

We should pause for a moment and consider what effect the U.S. experience in Bosnia had on policymaking and war management this decade. The seeming ease with which the U.S. and NATO appeared to pacify Bosnia (after the previous disastrous mismanagement by the UN) led policymakers, analysts, and military officers into complacency and overconfidence when they contemplated armed interventions at the beginning of this decade. Generals may or may not prepare to fight the last war, but policymakers clearly make their decisions based on the last experience, whether relevant or not.

Petraeus to Open Intel Training Center
by SWJ Editors | Mon, 08/24/2009 - 3:27am | 0 comments
Petraeus to Open Intel Training Center - Eli Lake, Washington Times.

Gen. David H. Petraeus plans to open an in-house intelligence organization at US Central Command this week that will train military officers, covert agents and analysts who agree to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan for up to a decade. The organization, to be called the Center for Afghanistan Pakistan Excellence, will be led by Derek Harvey, a retired colonel in the Defense Intelligence Agency who became one of the Gen. Petraeus' most trusted analysts during the 2007-08 counterinsurgency campaign in Iraq.

Mr. Harvey distinguished himself in Iraq by predicting that the Iraqi insurgency would spiral out of control, at a time when it was widely underestimated by the Bush administration, in 2003 and 2004. He later dissented from the emerging consensus in Congress and the CIA, when he said, as early as March 2007, that al Qaeda had been strategically defeated. This was during the early days of the surge, at a time when most of the intelligence community thought the Sunni insurgency was intact.

In an exclusive interview with The Washington Times, Mr. Harvey said the center will build on some of the lessons that he and the military learned in Iraq, not just for counterinsurgency but also in terms of intelligence analysis...

More at The Washington Times.

Support the troops AND help cure breast cancer at the same time
by Crispin Burke | Mon, 08/24/2009 - 2:00am | 0 comments
A short time ago, I received an e-mail from a female captain currently stationed at a Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Iraq. She writes:

Hello from Iraq!

As some of you may know, I run in the 'Race for the Cure' [5 kilometers/3.1 miles] in Central Park, NYC each year. I do this in remembrance of my grandmother, Grace [redacted], who passed from this disease years before I was born.

I started this tradition with my aunt, Maryann [redacted], after my last visit here to Iraq in 2005. I was highly disappointed that I wouldn't make it back to the states in time to do this again this year. So....I've decided that I am going to do this here in Iraq instead. I will be running here at 4 p.m. when it is 9 a.m. there in NYC [race takes place on 13 September].

Please feel free to donate to the cause. Thank you very much!

Sincerely,

Erica [Redacted]

I should also note that during September in Iraq, afternoon temperatures will typically top 100 degres Farenheit (38 degrees Celcius). This particular captain's goal was to raise $500 for research, which she did via a Facebook feed. I have this little theory that I can one-up her, and get another $500 donated for research. (And they say Web 2.0 shouldn't be in the hands of Soldiers...)

How can you help? Just click on this link to sponsor this Soldier who will be running the 5-kilometer "Race for the Cure" in the middle of Iraq. The 5k walk/run takes place on 13 September in Central Park in New York City.

Afghanistan Situation is 'Serious and Deteriorating' (Updated)
by SWJ Editors | Sun, 08/23/2009 - 5:46pm | 3 comments
US Military Chief: Afghanistan Situation is 'Serious and Deteriorating' - Voice of America.

The US military's top officer says he believes the situation in Afghanistan is "serious and deteriorating."

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, said in an interview on US television CNN's State of the Union Sunday that the Taliban insurgency has "gotten better [and] more sophisticated" in its tactics over the past couple of years.

In a separate interview on NBC's Meet the Press, Mullen said the US military is focused on preventing another terrorist attack on US soil and that its current strategy in Afghanistan is intended to disrupt and defeat al-Qaida, the Taliban and its extremist allies.

The Obama administration is expecting an assessment from its commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, in the next two weeks on the current situation there.

Republican Senator John McCain said in an interview on ABC's This Week Sunday that McChrystal's assessment should say exactly how many troops are needed in Afghanistan.

But Mullen said the upcoming assessment will not detail what resources are needed in Afghanistan. He also would not speculate whether more troops are required there.

Both Mullen and McCain said they expect to have a better idea on what, if any, progress is being made in Afghanistan within the next year to year-and-a-half.

More:

US Military Says Force in Afghanistan Insufficient - New York Times.

Mullen Issues Caution on Afghanistan - New York Times

Mullen: Afghan Fight 'Serious and Deteriorating' - Washington Post

Mullen: Afghanistan Is Deteriorating - Wall Street Journal

Mullen: Afghanistan 'Vulnerable' to Taliban - Washington Times.

Hard Choices on Afghanistan War Plans - Associated Press

More Troops Needed in Afghanistan, Allies Tell US Envoy - Los Angeles Times

More Troops? Why Mullen Won't Answer. - Christian Science Monitor

Mullen: Afghan Conflict Serious, 'Deteriorating' - Reuters

Mullen and Eikenberry on "Meet the Press" - Real Clear Politics

McCain Says US Needs More Troops in Afghanistan - Bloomberg

Concern About US Public Support for Afghan War - Voice of America

USAID Challenges Reflect Greater Problems at State
by SWJ Editors | Sun, 08/23/2009 - 3:36pm | 0 comments
USAID Challenges Reflect Greater Problems at the State Department

By Matt Armstrong

Cross-posted at MountainRunner

A primary pillar of US engagement with the world in the modern era is foreign assistance. Institutionalized under the Marshall Plan and later the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 that created the US Agency for International Development, development aid was and continues to be a means of denying ideological sanctuary to our adversaries that prey on poverty and despair as well as focusing on developing the capacity for self-governance through economic and other development.

In March 2008, General Anthony Zinni (ret.) and Admiral Leighton Smith (ret.) told Congress:

... the 'enemies' in the world today are actually conditions -- poverty, infectious disease, political turmoil and corruption, environmental and energy challenges.

USAID's mission today is as important as ever and yet it remains leaderless with declining morale and shrinking funds as increasingly America's foreign development aid wears combat boots, just like its public diplomacy.

As a valuable resource in the struggle for minds and wills, it is not coincidental that what we call public diplomacy and foreign assistance have led parallel ups and downs. The January 1948 signing of the legislation authorizing America's international information programs and expanding America's educational and cultural exchanges was passed in a large part because of the Communist reaction to the declaration of what would become the Marshall Plan six months earlier. The decline (or even the temporary elimination) of foreign assistance in 1972 mirrors the decline in public diplomacy (e.g. Fulbright's statement that the "Radios should take their rightful place in the graveyard of Cold War relics."). Much like the meddling in the public diplomacy budget (while at $900b, over half supports exchanges and only a fraction of the remainder is discretionary), the foreign assistance budget is subject to Congressional earmarks that limit flexibility and effectiveness...

Disputing Global Dystopia
by SWJ Editors | Sun, 08/23/2009 - 2:46pm | 0 comments
Via Mark Safranski at Zenpundit - Disputing Global Dystopia: Phillips on "Our Dark Age Future".

... I am sympathetic to Col. Phillips' criticisms of the overly abstract and detached nature of IR in regard to the nature of international law and sovereignty. You can certainly see that "arid" and "imperialistic" attitude in many academics and NGO activists who like to present their novel theories and interpretations as "international law" when they lack any historical basis whatsoever (and are usually gamed to be highly restrictive on the authority of Western sovereign states to use force and permissive/exculpatory of the actions of Marxist/radical/Islamist terrorists or insurgents). Much of Phillips' condemnation of IR smacking of unreality from a practitioner's perspective is spot on.

That said, while definitely fuzzy and spottily adhered to in practice international law is not entirely "illusory", nor is it a byproduct of 20th century Wilsonian American exceptionalism as Phillips argued. Perhaps Hugo Grotius rings a bell? Or Alberico Gentili? Or the long history of admirality courts? Like common law or an unwritten tribal code, international law has evolved over a very long period of time and does exert some constraint upon the behavior of sovereigns. Statesmen and diplomats think about policy in terms of the impression it will make on other sovereigns, and international law is one of the yardsticks they contemplate. Admittedly, at times the constraint of international law is quite feeble but in other contexts it is strong. An American military officer, who can see firsthand the effect of creeping JAG lawyerism on command decisions on the battlefield ( in my view, greatly excessive and harmful ) and in the drafting of byzantine ROE, should know better than to make such a silly statement...

More at Zenpundit and Deconstructing Our Dark Age Future by Lieutenant Colonel P. Michael Phillips at Parameters.

Alba an Aigh? (Updated)
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 08/22/2009 - 10:34am | 7 comments
To my friends in Scotland; the Scottish National Party, and Scottish Prime Minister, and the Foreign Secretary, I praise their courage for having proved their independence in decision making, despite the unacceptable and unreasonable pressures they faced. Nevertheless, they took this courageously right and humanitarian decision ... my friend Brown, the Prime Minister of Britain, his government, the Queen of Britain, Elizabeth, and Prince Andrew, who all contributed to encouraging the Scottish government to take this historic and courageous decision, despite the obstacles.

--Muammar al-Gaddafi, Dictator of Libya

*****

Scottish Minister of Justice Announces Al Megrahi Release

Pan Am Flight 103 Mother: Release is Absolutely Appalling

*****

US Calls Libyan Welcome of Lockerbie Figure Outrageous, Disgusting - David Gollust, Voice of America.

The Obama administration has angrily criticized the warm welcome given by Libya to the convicted bomber of a US jetliner in 1988 who was released from prison by Scottish legal authorities Thursday because of ill health. State Department officials said the jubilant greeting given to Abdel Basset al-Megrahi calls into question Libya's promises in recent years to be a responsible actor in world affairs.

Obama administration officials had warned Libya not to make a hero out of Megrahi, who was freed by Scottish officials because he is said to be near death from prostate cancer.

They are seething over television footage showing the former Libyan intelligence agent being cheered by a flag-waving crowd and showered with flower petals on his late-Thursday arrival in Tripoli.

President Barack Obama, in brief comments to reporters, called the greeting highly objectionable while his spokesman Robert Gibbs was more emphatic, describing the airport scene as outrageous and disgusting.

Senior administration officials had pressed leaders of Britain and the Scottish regional government not to free Megrahi, who had served eight years of a life sentence for the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am jumbo jet over Lockerbie Scotland that killed 270 people.

They have said that while they object to the decision to free Megrahi on compassionate grounds, they accept the legitimacy of the court and are contemplating no retaliatory move against key ally Britain.

However they say the treatment of Megrahi by Libya could have consequences for a US-Libyan relationship that has improved markedly since Libya renounced terrorism and weapons of mass destruction in 2003.

State Department Spokesman Ian Kelly said Friday the images of the welcome given to what he termed a mass murderer were personally offensive, and that he could only imagine how relatives of the Pan Am victims felt. He said they call into question promises Libya has made in recent years to change its ways...

More at Voice of America.

Lockerbie Fallout Puts Scotland on the Spot - Wall Street Journal

Qaddafi Praises Britain Over Lockerbie Release - New York Times

US, Britain Criticize Celebrations for Lockerbie Plotter - Washington Post

New Questions in Lockerbie Bomber's Release - New York Times

The Libyan Ultimatum - The Times

London Condemns Reception Bomber Received in Tripoli - Voice of America

Lockerbie Release Casts Dark Shadow Over Britain's Ties With US - The Times

Papers: Bomber's Release 'a Betrayal of Justice' - CNN

Scots Law Now 'Laughing Stock of the World' - The Scotsman

Trade 'Link' to Bomber's Release - BBC

'Deal in the Desert' - The Times

British Firms Hope Lockerbie Release will Boost Business - The Guardian

British Trade with Libya Set to Soar - The Indpendent

Libya's Gadhafi Welcomes Lockerbie Bomber - Associated Press

Gaddafi's Son: Trade Link to Lockerbie Bomber's Release - Daily Telegraph

Gaddafi Embraces Murderer, Thanks Brown - Daily Mail

Barack Obama Calls Tripoli Welcome 'Highly Objectionable' - Daily Telegraph

Anger as Americans Wake to Hear News - The Scotsman

Gaddafi Defies Criticism - Jerusalem Post

At Home With The Lockerbie Bomber - The Times

Lockerbie Bomber's Release is a Scottish Decision - Christian Science Monitor

No 10 Facing Lockerbie Questions - BBC

So Why is Brown Silent on Release of Megrahi? - The Scotsman

US Lawmakers Condemn Release - Wall Street Journal

UK Govt Under Scrutiny Over Role in Lockerbie Release - Agence France-Presse

Scotland Official Talks of Lockerbie Release - CNN

'Boycott Scotland' Bid to Brand Nation a Global Pariah - The Scotsman

Most Families Outraged at Pan Am 103 Bomber's Release - CNN

Victims' Relatives on Opposite Sides - Washington Post

FBI Chief Condemns Lockerbie Bomber's Release - Los Angeles Times

FBI's Mueller Says al-Megrahi Release Is 'Mockery' of Justice - Bloomberg

FBI Chief Condemns Lockerbie Bomber's Release - Los Angeles Times

US Families of Lockerbie Victims Plan Next Move - Associated Press

British, Libyan Leaders Spoke of Bomber's Release Weeks Ago - Washington Times

Lockerbie Release Could Topple SNP Government - The Times

Pressure Mounting on Gordon Brown - Daily Telegraph

Lockerbie Minister Facing Critics - BBC News

Scot-Free - Washington Post editorial

'Dear Moammar' - Wall Street Journal editorial

Terrorists Go Scot Free - National Review opinion

SNP's Libya Stunt Shamed My Nation - Daily Telegraph opinion

Stench of a Deal in the Lockerbie Release - The Times opinion

Lockerbie Defendant and "Compassionate Release" - Wall Street Journal opinion

*****

The Brits Are Okay with It - The Corner

Scottish Sympathy & Libyan Perfidy - Blackfive

What a Wonderful World - The Belmont Club

Trade Lockerbie Bomber for Oil Contracts? - Hot Air

Letting Terrorists Go - Powerline

Mercy for a Mass Murderer? - On Faith

Al-Megrahi's Comfortable Retirement Back Home - David Calling

Day of Shame for Scotland - Jawa Report

Anger at Welcome for Mass Murderer in Libya - PrairiePundit

The Problem Is Qaddafi, Not Megrahi - Contentions

Shell Has Been Stalking the Libyans - Royal Dutch Shell

*****

Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 - Victims of Pan Am Flight 103

Boycott Scotland - Boycott Scotland

It Ain't Over Till It's Over
by Dave Dilegge | Sat, 08/22/2009 - 9:32am | 0 comments
Just a quick note that we will be continuing the dialogue on the Small Wars Council's TRADOC Senior Leaders Conference forum. The next SLC is just 6 months away and we encourage Council members and other interested parties to discuss the issues examined this week in Gettysburg and to shape the issues that might, or should, be discussed and examined at the next SLC.

SWJ thanks General Martin Dempsey and crew for their kind invitation to attend the SLC this week and for the opportunity to address the conference during the closing remarks on issues concerning SWJ, social networking / Web 2.0 and our impressions from the week. The experience was rewarding and educational...

We're Not the Soviets in Afghanistan
by SWJ Editors | Sat, 08/22/2009 - 9:09am | 2 comments
We're Not the Soviets in Afghanistan - Frederick W. Kagan, Weekly Standard opinion.

Comparisons between our current efforts in Afghanistan and the Soviet intervention that led to the collapse of the USSR are natural and can be helpful, but only with great care. Below are a number of key points to keep in mind when thinking about the Soviet operations, especially when considering the size of the US or international military footprint.

War did not begin in 1979 when the Soviets invaded. It started in 1978 following the Saur Revolution in which Nur M. Taraki seized power from Mohammad Daoud. Taraki declared the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan and set about bringing real socialism to the country.

Soviet advisors recommended that Taraki proceed slowly with social and economic reforms. They recognized that the socialist party (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan or PDPA) had the support of a tiny minority. They feared that Taraki's plans for aggressive "modernization" would generate an awful backlash. They were right...

More at The Weekly Standard.

McChrystal Assessing Afghan Forces
by SWJ Editors | Sat, 08/22/2009 - 8:25am | 0 comments
Gen. McChrystal Assessing Afghan Forces - Jessica Weinstein, Washington Times.

As Afghan officials counted ballots from Thursday's key election, the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan was making his way through the Jalrez Valley on Friday, conducting an on-the-ground assessment of the troubled nation.

The journey has brought Gen. Stanley McChrystal to the site of the Afghan Public Protection Program (AP3) - a pilot effort begun under his predecessor Gen. David D. McKiernan - in which Green Berets have been recruiting and training local Afghans to police their own neighborhoods since March...

Gen. McChrystal made it clear that one of the main issues that he wants to address is increasing the Afghans' ability to secure themselves.

"We're working to grow the Afghan National Security Forces more quickly," he said, asking the AP3 commander, Sayad Ali Abbas, what he would need to help recruit more AP3 guards.

"We get one meal a day but we are a 24-hour on-call force. If we could improve our food [situation], that would help," answered Mr. Abbas.

"That's what I hear everywhere," nodded Gen. McChrystal.

The general, who was tapped by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gatesin May to take over command in Afghanistan, has been working on a set of recommendations on the strategy to stabilize Afghanistan...

More at The Washington Times.

Social Media and Critical Thinking
by SWJ Editors | Fri, 08/21/2009 - 11:15pm | 0 comments
GEN Dempsey,

Both the subject of your post, and that you posted it here, demonstrate the Army's commitment to the importance of leveraging collaboration, social media and Web 2.0 technologies.

A quick scan of the linked discussion thread at the Small Wars Journal clearly indicated anticipation and appreciation for the ability to observe, and perhaps even participate indirectly through providing questions, the Senior Leader Conference (SLC).

The remainder of my comments are not directly related to the SLC, rather this venue itself and my own personal observations.

I first saw your post a few hours after it was made, commenting to my colleagues that the TRADOC Commander posting on the CAC blogs was yet another indication of the Army's support for and embracement of collaboration. Returning to your post this afternoon, I was slightly surprised that no one else had taken the opportunity to respond and engage you. After all, how often does one get such an opportunity?

Notice I did not say "completely" surprised, but only "slightly" surprised. I attribute that lack of surprise to my experience observing Army Majors over the last eight years at CGSC (1 year as a student, followed by 7 years as an instructor). During that time, I personally noted a prevailing culture of "keep your head down & don't make waves." This is not only an anecdotal observation, but was supported by a custom designed critical thinking exercise I presented on more than a dozen occasions.

My decision to respond to your blog today prompted me to write up and document that exercise and the observed results. By no means is this the first time I shared the exercise, I frequently sent it to faculty members within my own department for their use if they chose to execute it. (Below my remarks I've provided links to the referenced presentation.)

I'm reminded of GEN Casey's remarks in June, via a video message, at the CGSC graduation. He explained how one of his former mentors taught him to carry an index card with one question:

-- When was the last time you allowed a subordinate to change your mind?

Upon hearing him say that, my ears perked up and I wrote it down. For what he said supported my own beliefs and the exercise I've been conducting for years. However, with all due respect to the CSA, I'd postulate that card needs to have a second question on it. And, perhaps, that second question may even be more pertinent and significant than the one he mentioned:

-- When was the last time a subordinate TRIED to change your mind?

I pose that question not as an indictment of any person's leadership style - certainly not that of the person holding the card or answering the question. Rather, I suggest that if the answer to my question is "rarely, if ever", there may be a prevailing cultural barrier preventing them from doing so.

V/R

Bob King

An Exercise in Critical Thinking - Thought Spray

Critical Thinking Exercise - Slideshare

Disclaimer: As I am no longer an Army CGSC instructor, I desire to make it clear that the above words are my own personal opinion, made on my own time and do not represent my current employer or sponsor.

Foust and Cohen on Afghanistan
by SWJ Editors | Fri, 08/21/2009 - 4:07am | 0 comments

Joshua Foust of Registan.net and Michael Cohen of The New America Foundation debate and discuss Afghanistan to include optimism vs. pessimism on Afghanistan, vague goals, uncertain metrics, failing to capitalize on success, mission-creeping into a drug war, which lessons should we take from Iraq; if the Taliban returns to power, will America be cool with that; and can the US still fight wars effectively?

COIN Center Brownbag - 26 August
by SWJ Editors | Thu, 08/20/2009 - 3:01pm | 0 comments
The US Army/USMC Counterinsurgency Center is pleased to host SGM Robert Haemmerle at the COIN Center Virtual-Brownbag from 1000 to 1100 CST (1100 - 1200 EST) on Wednesday, 26 August 2009. SGM Haemmerle spent 16 months as the USFOR-A Biometrics Master Gunner, and will present a brief on the tactical application of biometrics, the cultural and IO issues surrounding biometrics, and what effects biometrics can produce for commander's in a COIN environment.

Those interested in attending may view the meeting on-line at https://adobe.harmonieweb.org/coinvtc/ and participate via Adobe Connect as a guest. Remote attendees will be able to ask questions and view the slides through the software.

It's a virtual world (?)
by Marc Tyrrell | Thu, 08/20/2009 - 11:12am | 6 comments
We just had a very interesting briefing on a "new" teaching method which might best be described as a case study method via virtual reality. As with many case study methods, this presented the "facts" of a real world situation.
The Incoherence of COIN Advocates: Stephen Biddle Edition
by SWJ Editors | Thu, 08/20/2009 - 8:58am | 8 comments
The Incoherence of COIN Advocates: Stephen Biddle Edition - Bernard Finel, ASP Flashpoint.

Stephen Biddle is the single best defense analyst working today. His arguments are usually carefully considered and well supported empirically. For a generation of younger defense intellectuals, he is very much the gold standard, the model to emulate.

His recent essay in the American Interest (Is It Worth It? The Difficult Case for War in Afghanistan) has been widely cited as the best defense for expanding the American commitment there. The problem is that while Biddle claims that the decision is a close call, it is only close by virtue of what can only be described as sloppy reasoning.

There are three key problems with Biddle's essay. First, his definition of American interests in Afghanistan is incoherent. Second, he bolsters his case by arguing against a strawman. Third, he makes the bizarre assumption that being better at counter-insurgency (COIN) is the same as being good enough at it to win. I will deal with all three in turn...

Much more at ASP Flashpoint.

Walk a Mile in Their Shoes
by Dave Dilegge | Wed, 08/19/2009 - 10:58pm | 0 comments
I knew this coming into this conference and will count on it going into the next we might be invited to - a lot of the meat -- the "reality show" - of what needs to be done and almost all of the passion many of TRADOC's leaders possess as agents of change is lost via PowerPoint; cold, just the facts ma'am press releases; and our short synopsis of the issues discussed at the conference and presented here at SWJ and SWC.

The issues on the magnitude TRADOC Leadership is grappling with right now can seem daunting. Many of which were conveyed via PowerPoint (and to General Dempsey's credit he tactfully utilized his authority and leadership qualities to generate discussion vs. the slide reading ritual). We've discussed this many times here at SWJ and SWC - justice to the "message" and to the "real intent" is often lost - completely and brutally via such venues.

I'll keep this short and it is addressed to the naysayers -- walk one mile in their shoes with an open-minded perspective. We have conveyed many SLC discussion points today - the military power of our nation will be measured by our ability to adapt -- and -- the right soldier, at the right place, at the right time - are but two examples. They come across as "sound bites" -- bumper sticker slogans - until you look the conveyer of such messages directly in the eye and gauge if they actually mean it or it is just another dog and pony show.

I'm coming away from this week with a sense that there is meat behind the PowerPoint bones.

I don't have a dog in this fight -- excepting that we get this right -- this time -- right now. As Editor in Chief of Small Wars Journal, as a retired Marine who keeps track of how the Corps' is handling many of the same issues, and most importantly as a chronic cynic, I'm encouraged by what I've heard so far.

My gut-feeling concerning this conference -- I looked them in the eye -- literally -- is that they are very serious and very concerned about what the Army has to do. For my Army brothers in arms -- if you happenchance upon General Dempsey and his "Lee's Lieutenants" -- engage. You may walk away with a few feathers ruffled -- but you will gain from that engagement - as a better leader, student and practitioner of what our nation requires during these "interesting times".

--Dave Dilegge

SWJ / SWC TRADOC SLC Reading List
by Dave Dilegge | Wed, 08/19/2009 - 7:42pm | 0 comments
As you peruse the posts in this SWC forum on the issues being discussed at the TRADOC Senior Leaders Conference we would appreciate any and all reading recommendations. We will consolidate the list and publish it on Small Wars Journal - please provide the title (book, article, study), author, and a short blurb on why that particular item is relevant to the discourse on this thread.

If your recommendation is an article, essay, or study and is available online a link would be most appreciated. If you'd like your recommendation, when published, to be tied to your real name you can either provide it on the SWC thread or send it along via SWC PM or e-mail to me - SWJED - Dave Dilegge. Otherwise we will go with your Council ID.

We've already had one suggestion today, by Council member Anlaochfhile, The American Culture of War: The History of U.S. Military Force from World War II to Operation Iraqi Freedom, by Dr. Adrian Lewis, as a resource that addresses the role that American culture plays in how our forces organize, equip, and fight.

Thanks much.

--Dave Dilegge

Subscribe to Blog Posts