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| Iraq |
| Officers With PhDs Advising War Effort |
| 2007-02-05 |
| I generally don't like this guy's opinion, but this is an interesting article. WaPo Gen. David H. Petraeus, the new U.S. commander in Iraq, is assembling a small band of warrior-intellectuals -- including a quirky Australian anthropologist, a Princeton economist who is the son of a former U.S. attorney general and a military expert on the Vietnam War sharply critical of its top commanders -- in an eleventh-hour effort to reverse the downward trend in the Iraq war. Army officers tend to refer to the group as "Petraeus guys." They are smart colonels who have been noticed by Petraeus, and who make up one of the most selective clubs in the world: military officers with doctorates from top-flight universities and combat experience in Iraq. Essentially, the Army is turning the war over to its dissidents, who have criticized the way the service has operated there the past three years, and is letting them try to wage the war their way. "Their role is crucial if we are to reverse the effects of four years of conventional mind-set fighting an unconventional war," said a Special Forces colonel who knows some of the officers. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #14 is assembling a small band of warrior-intellectuals, "Petraeus guys". sigh. Nothing worse than a small group of eg How about some good ol' common sense tried and true warriors willing to get their hands dirty to win the war rather than those who just want to sip brandy and talk a good game about what could happen if this were a board game. Let's hope this group will be the exception instead of the rule. |
| Posted by: Shineling Thronter4132 2007-02-05 23:34 |
| #13 NS, yes we are known for it, but it is a great confirmation to see it being done in such a high profile fashion. I do hope that the many Iranian agents/other connections are dealt with in a very strong manner. |
| Posted by: Remoteman 2007-02-05 21:53 |
| #12 Having a brain trust like that on hand would seem to be a tad overkill for Baghdad. However, it can have all sorts of uses. They would be just perfect for a "field evaluation" of Iranian conflict plans. If that is the case, then it would be eerily reminiscent of the old German general staff. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2007-02-05 20:56 |
| #11 I wonder if Petraeus tapped Gen Mattis for any of his insight - man, talk about a bushido master. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2007-02-05 20:53 |
| #10 I am positively surprised at such nimble thinking. But we're known for it. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2007-02-05 19:53 |
| #9 Petraeus wrote the Army's new counter-insurgency manual. Significantly, his co-author was a Marine general. The Army-Marine joint ops from Fallujah seem to be drawing some of the best from both services. IIRC Petraeus' dissertation was on mistakes the leadership made in Vietnam. He's given some thought to this whole business, but let's see what he can do given the mess over there and at home. |
| Posted by: occasional observer 2007-02-05 19:27 |
| #8 Mac's eggheads were corporate, not military. My guess is if you make a really smart warrior scared, he'll kill all of you twice before he rests. |
| Posted by: wxjames 2007-02-05 19:10 |
| #7 Don't care how good his is, his principle enemy is in Congress and I don't think he can beat those guys. They will keep ankle biting thill he fails. |
| Posted by: kelly 2007-02-05 19:08 |
| #6 Didn't McNamera bring in a bunch of eggheads? ;-) |
| Posted by: Brett 2007-02-05 19:01 |
| #5 Petraeus for Prez in 2012! |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2007-02-05 18:51 |
| #4 That's good, maybe the MSM and liberals won't dare criticize the Army Intelligentsia! |
| Posted by: SwissTex 2007-02-05 18:50 |
| #3 So Kerry was right, if these PhD's had gotten a decent education they wouldn't ... OK, so Kerry is an idiot. |
| Posted by: DMFD 2007-02-05 18:26 |
| #2 If he can successfully redefine how to fight an insurgent war with a small force, I would expect his name to eventually be as well known as Colin Powell. Maybe even end up at the Joint Chiefs eventually as well. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2007-02-05 18:15 |
| #1 This just amazes me. This is "thinking out of the box" writ large. I am positively surprised at such nimble thinking. Perhaps it has taken too long to get to this point, but still, actions such as these reflect an open mind. |
| Posted by: remoteman 2007-02-05 18:02 |