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2006-07-05 Iraq

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Posted by DanNY 2006-07-05 08:30|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 The army has a long history of success fighting guerillas.

Apaches, Philippines, various banana republics, etc. However, notice that the Headquaters boys in Washington only have wanted to fight the last big war, generally giving COIN short shift at their officer schools.

The army has a long history of success fighting guerillas. Even Vietnam, which conventional wisdom counts as a defeat, wasn't. The conventional wisdom, as is often the case, is wrong. By the time the last U.S. combat units pulled out of South Vietnam in 1972, the local guerilla movement, the Viet Cong, was destroyed. Even Vietnam, which conventional wisdom counts as a defeat, wasn't. The conventional wisdom, as is often the case, is wrong. By the time the last U.S. combat units pulled out of South Vietnam in 1972, the local guerilla movement, the Viet Cong, was destroyed

Heck, the Battle of Tet resulted in the destruction of the VC in the South. From that time on, the war had to be carried by the NVA. However, Walter and his collegues in the media decided that even though we'd suffered less casualties than the Battle of the Bulge and stopped every goal of the enemy which he treated as an historic American victory, they'd portray Tet as a failure. MSM lied and millions died.

Posted by Slosing Glemble1381 2006-07-05 09:47|| 2006-07-05 09:47|| Front Page Top

#2 This American Heritage Dictionary entry has the very interesting entymology of schrift.

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2006-07-05 10:08|| 2006-07-05 10:08|| Front Page Top

#3 The critical component of COIN is perception - information management, image, propaganda, whatever you want to call it. That's what makes assymmetric warfare work, when it does work, and fail when it fails. And that's where the West in general and the US in particular are weakest. Worse - it is not even clear that we realize that weakness, nor care.

Posted by glenmore">glenmore 2006-07-05 10:35|| 2006-07-05 10:35|| Front Page Top

#4 It was covered as LIC, (Low Intensity Conflict), when I was a pup.

Posted by whitecollar redneck 2006-07-05 13:05|| 2006-07-05 13:05|| Front Page Top

#5 my $0.02...

IMO the main reason the echalons above reality do not like COIN/LIC/MOOTOW/etc., is that above the platoon level there is actualy very little for field-grade officer types to do.

Just make sure that each day the beans, bullets and band-aids get to the shooters, and PPT slides get to the political overseers, and you are one day closer to retirement. The BN and BDE CO's are reduced to politician style meet and greet with the local great and good. Its boring.

(as an aside-- my RGT CO put on 40 lbs. while in the sand box, just from having to sit and eat and talk with the local sheiks. By the time we demobed, he couldn't properly fasten his IBA vest. I wonder if he could have applied for VA disability.)

Down on the ground, with notable exceptions like Falluja or Hue, anything larger than a company just trips over itself. The Enemy seldom bunches larger than plt-company sized elements for fear of being JDAMmed to death.

Posted by N guard 2006-07-05 18:37|| 2006-07-05 18:37|| Front Page Top

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