Article

2023-12-14 Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia

[American Thinker] With the conflict in Ukraine at a stalemate and the prospects of a Ukrainian "victory" dim, perhaps it would have been wise for our current administration to have followed the doctrine elaborated by Gen. Colin H. Powell before engaging in foreign conflicts. As an infantry officer in Vietnam, Powell saw firsthand the lackluster effects of the Johnson and later Nixon administrations attempting to fight a protracted proxy war against the Soviet Union through gradual escalation, as opposed to an all-out effort to defeat the enemy. Our military was burdened with extremely restrictive rules of engagement, and our force levels were only gradually increased to match those of our adversary.

Based on this experience, Gen. Powell formulated the "Powell Doctrine," which postulated that America should resort to significant foreign military intervention only if political and military leadership could positively answer the following crucial questions:

1. Is the goal clear and vital to national security? Is it achievable?
2. Do the American people support military intervention?
3. Is there a plausible and credible exit strategy to avoid perpetual war?

Under the doctrine, if the U.S. could answer yes to these questions, then decisive or even "overwhelming" force would be utilized against the enemy to end the war as quickly as possible and to minimize casualties.

As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Powell under President H.W. Bush had the opportunity to put his own doctrine into action during the first Gulf War, or Operation Desert Storm. Under Powell’s command, the nearly 1 million U.S. and coalition forces defeated a capable Soviet-trained enemy in less than seventy-two hours.

Contrast this today with the conflict in Ukraine, where it appears, after two years of incessant conflict and the expenditure of billions of dollars, that there will not be a clearly defined "winner." In addition, thousands of lives, both civilian and military, have been lost, and our current administration has yet defined for the American people a plausible strategy of end state other than "regime change" in the case of Vladimir Putin.

Posted by Besoeker 2023-12-14 07:38|| || Front Page|| [11128 views ] Top

#1 Stopped clock syndrome.

Posted by M. Murcek 2023-12-14 09:17|| 2023-12-14 09:17|| Front Page Top

#2 3. Is there a plausible and credible exit strategy to avoid perpetual war?

We had one plausible exit strategy in WW2. Win.

Perpetual war? From the start of the republic in 1792, a hundred year war on the frontier.

Posted by Procopius2k 2023-12-14 09:36|| 2023-12-14 09:36|| Front Page Top

#3 he nearly 1 million U.S. and coalition forces defeated a capable Soviet-trained enemy in less than seventy-two hours.

So, USA & allies WON in Iraq?

Posted by Grom the Reflective 2023-12-14 10:11|| 2023-12-14 10:11|| Front Page Top

#4 ...only to be defeated by the State Department and other organs of Deep State.

Posted by Procopius2k 2023-12-14 11:04|| 2023-12-14 11:04|| Front Page Top

Medal of Honor recipient MG Smedly, D. Butler, USMC. 1881-1940.

Posted by Besoeker 2023-12-14 11:29|| 2023-12-14 11:29|| Front Page Top

#6 i heard that when the Chinese entered the Korean conflict and Truman asked MacArthur what he should do the general said 'bomb Beijing'. we have the bomb and they don't. what would the aftermath have been? SEA?

Posted by irish rage boy 2023-12-14 11:42|| 2023-12-14 11:42|| Front Page Top

#7 /\ Chiang Kai-shek would have become president of China ?

Posted by Besoeker 2023-12-14 11:48|| 2023-12-14 11:48|| Front Page Top

#8 #6 the fear was the Soviets who had just gotten 'the bomb', care of American 'progressives', could do and would do the same in Europe. We'd pretty much cleared out of Europe after the war, demobilized industry, and were just in the process of redeploying sufficient forces to act as a deterrent in 1950 after the Berlin airlift. The military establishment in Washington was more worried about Europe than Korea. Like the Philippines in '41, Mac got caught by the enemy mismanaging the enterprise and was looking for a quick fix to his poor execution.

Posted by Procopius2k 2023-12-14 13:46|| 2023-12-14 13:46|| Front Page Top

#9 Ref 3 5 above
Smedley Butler Was one of Two Marines to be awarded TWO Medal's of Honor!

"Smedley Butler is one of TWO Marines who received TWO Medals of Honor for SEPARATE actions, Vera Cruz, Mexico and Haiti. With his award of the Marine Corps Brevet Medal in the Boxer Rebellion, an award considered on par with the Medal of Honor, he could technically be called the only TRIPLE recipient of the Medal of Honor. During World War I he was awarded both the Army and Navy Distinguished Service Medals. He retired as a Major General in 1939"

https://valor.militarytimes.com/hero/2879

Posted by NoMoreBS 2023-12-14 13:53|| 2023-12-14 13:53|| Front Page Top

#10 george and colin told swartzkoff no to baghdad.

Posted by irish rage boy 2023-12-14 17:16|| 2023-12-14 17:16|| Front Page Top

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