Uninspiring, Part II
By Lt Col P
An update for "Uninspiring," posted last night. I'm not the only one who, in the words of USMC Steve, was underwhelmed.
NRO: "Some Thoughts on the Speech." "
WaPo: "What was Obama's Oval Office address about, exactly?"
The President cannot lead our armed forces in battle, even though he's the CINC. (In the case of this POTUS, that's a good thing.) He has to lead with words and with direction, and with inspiration. His speech-- only the second from the Oval Office-- fell flat when it needed to ring true. Neither here nor there, it was an opportunity lost. The nation is the worse for it, and for him.
Room to Cut
By Lt Col P
Here, surely, is room to cut the budget.
Sailors and Marines can all agree that NMCI has been a disaster, and an expensive one at that. It appears to be a system that is set up to fail, and could scarcely be more destructive of military efficiency if it was run by the paid agents of a hostile foreign power.
GET RID OF IT, NOW.
(Thanks to MDL for the link.)
UPDATE... The link has been fixed.
Uninspiring
By Lt Col P
Against my own better judgment, I watched POTUS's speech on Iraq tonight.
I did not come away inspired.
""Ending this war is not only in Iraq's interest, it is in our own," Obama said... NO! THE WAR IS NOT OVER. The combat phase of this campaign might have been declared over, but The War goes on-- it predates 9/11, Afghanistan and Iraq. What is our plan to wage it and win it?
""The United States has paid a huge price to put the future of Iraq in the hands of its people."" That is true, but nowhere that I could tell did he talk about v-i-c-t-o-r-y, the ultimate triumph of civilization and liberty over submission and tyranny, however long it might take, however hard it might be. I don't think he believes in it.
How nice for us, so good to hear. So very reassuring.
Tell me what you think.
Dry Run: Nothin' to See Here, Move Along...
By Lt Col P
If you felt something whizz past your head a few hours ago, it was another bullet we dodged...
"Pair held after odd items turn up in luggage," runs the WaPo headline, but the wording belies a more sinister reality:
"Dutch police have detained two men who flew from Chicago to Amsterdam on Sunday night after U.S. screeners found suspicious-looking items in their checked luggage before they departed, U.S law enforcement officials said.
"Security screeners found a cellphone taped to a Pepto-Bismol bottle, three cellphones taped together and a number of watches taped together..."
Odd indeed.
Let me guess-- fine young Irish lads out protesting Protestant rule in Ulster! No? Huh. Maybe Basque separatists? No again. Orthodox Jews gone wild?? Nope. Who then?
"Bill Millin: Piping in D-Day"
By Lt Col P
The ever-vigilant Tony-Sahib sent this in:
"Bill Millin, piper at the D-Day landings, died on August 17th, aged 88"
Aug 26th 2010
"ANY reasonable observer might have thought Bill Millin was unarmed as he jumped off the landing ramp at Sword Beach, in Normandy, on June 6th 1944. Unlike his colleagues, the pale 21-year-old held no rifle in his hands. Of course, in full Highland rig as he was, he had his trusty skean dhu, his little dirk, tucked in his right sock. But that was soon under three feet of water as he waded ashore, a weary soldier still smelling his own vomit from a night in a close boat on a choppy sea, and whose kilt in the freezing water was floating prettily round him like a ballerina’s skirt.
"But Mr Millin was not unarmed; far from it. He held his pipes, high over his head at first to keep them from the wet (for while whisky was said to be good for the bag, salt water wasn’t), then cradled in his arms to play. And bagpipes, by long tradition, counted as instruments of war. An English judge had said so after the Scots’ great defeat at Culloden in 1746; a piper was a fighter like the rest, and his music was his weapon. The whining skirl of the pipes had struck dread into the Germans on the Somme, who had called the kilted pipers “Ladies from Hell”. And it raised the hearts and minds of the home side, so much so that when Mr Millin played on June 5th, as the troops left for France past the Isle of Wight and he was standing on the bowsprit just about keeping his balance above the waves getting rougher, the wild cheers of the crowd drowned out the sound of his pipes even to himself."
A fighting man, there.
Many thanks to T-S for the tip, and tomorrow I'll pick up a bottle of scotch-- like I need an excuse-- and raise one to Mr Millin and all those like him. I cordially invite all of you to do the same.
Apparently You Can't Rant
By Lt Col P
Lightning-6 sent this in:
I know *exactly* how he feels.
And Speaking of the Future of Afghanistan...
By Lt Col P
GREAT WHITE FATHER SPEAK-UM TRUTH!!
"A senior US general has warned President Barack Obama's deadline to begin pulling troops out of Afghanistan is encouraging the Taliban.
"US General James Conway, head of the US Marine Corps, said the deadline was "giving our enemy sustenance".
"Gen Conway warned that US forces in southern Afghanistan will likely have to stay in place for several years.
"His comments are likely to fuel debate over US strategy in Afghanistan and Mr Obama's July 2011 withdrawal date."
Yep.
Petraeus: "Reconciliation"
By Lt Col P
"Reconciliation with the Taliban will ultimately be a goal for Afghanistan once U.S. and Afghan forces create conditions to allow it, Gen. David Petraeus said Wednesday.
"Speaking in Afghanistan to Fox News' Jennifer Griffin -- in her first overseas assignment since recovering from breast cancer -- Petraeus said that orders approved by provincial governors and local leaders Wednesday enable implementation of measures ordered by Afghan President Hamid Karzai to reintegrate the "$10-a-day Taliban" into society."
You heard me, he's right. The essence of a civil war or an insurgency is that something is fundamentally wrong with the body politic. Reconciliation (and progress afterwards) is the goal of the conflict, because you want to build something better and remove the essential cause of the conflict. We Americans know this-- "With malice toward none, with charity toward all..." Abraham Lincoln was advocating reconciliation with the insurgent side, a bold position to take after four years of brutal Civil War.
Note, however, that this has to come from a position of strength, as true in 2010 as it was in 1865--"once U.S. and Afghan forces create conditions to allow it." The reconciliation will be on our terms, not theirs. In a permutation of General Mattis's immortal phrase, they can have the open hand or the fist.
This is absolutely the proper course to take. Let the good General-- and the unlovely but necessary President Karzai-- go forth and do it, with all the support the nation can muster. And let POTUS have the good sense to let them carry on with it.
We Are Alive and Well
By Lt Col P
Apologies for the (relatively) long silence-- Tango Seven-Six has been under the weather and I have been swamped with work and family matters.
There shall be more, soon. Fear nought.
"Plan B"
By Lt Col P
A most interesting and striking article at NRO, on what comes next:
"Whether it was wise for Pres. George W. Bush to invade Iraq in the first place is a separate question. Also a separate question: whether it was wise for Pres. Barack Obama to declare Afghanistan the “good war,” the war that must be won.
"Actually, I’d argue they are the same war — just different theaters, much as Europe, Asia, and North Africa were different theaters of World War II. But I guess that, too, is a separate question. The pertinent fact is Obama did commit to Afghanistan, and he doubled down on that commitment by ordering a surge of his own and assigning, once again, General Petraeus to command the mission."
He could be an Op-For contributor! :-) No, seriously, he could. He's that good.
Please read the whole thing. May brings up the topic that few have been discussing, namely, what's next?? As we have stated before, the war predates Afghanistan and Iraq, even 9/11, and it will outlast Iraq and Afghanistan. Where will it be fought? How? Read on...
Last Combat Brigade Leaves Iraq
By Lt Col P
Fox News is reporting that the last US Army combat brigade has left Iraq:
"When 18-year-old Spc. Luke Dill first rolled into Iraq as part of the U.S. invasion, his Humvee was so vulnerable to bombs that the troops lined its floor with flak jackets.
"Now 25 and a staff sergeant after two tours of duty, he rode out of Iraq this week in a Stryker, an eight-wheeled behemoth encrusted with armor and add-ons to ward off grenades and other projectiles.
""It's something I'm going to be proud of for the rest of my life -- the fact that I came in on the initial push and now I'm leaving with the last of the combat units," he said."
Well done, boys. Now, get on home and enjoy some leave!
It ain't all over yet there, but this is a real milestone.
"Economic powerhouse China focuses on its military might"
By Lt Col P
And then, on the gloomier side, we have THIS:
"China is quickly modernizing its military and has set its sights on extending its influence deep into the Pacific and Indian oceans now that the military balance with its longtime nemesis, Taiwan, is tilting in its favor, the Defense Department reported Monday.
"In its annual report to Congress on China's military, the Defense Department said that the People's Liberation Army is advancing across the board commensurate with China's burgeoning economic power. Coincidentally, the report was issued a day after China's economy was recognized as the world's second biggest, eclipsing Japan's in size during the second quarter of this year."
We are in dire need of statesmen, true American patriots with vision and backbone. We are in dire need of them, now. We don't need bowing and scraping Chamberlains; we need Churchills.
"The Road to Charikar"
By Lt Col P
Hello all, been busy.
However, I found this at NRO, and it certainly worth a look:
"‘The Soviets wouldn’t come up here with less than a battalion,” says Tim Lynch, a retired Marine Corps officer driving us down the two-lane blacktop that crosses the Shomali Plain, one of the largest and most fertile agricultural regions in Afghanistan. Alexander the Great founded the ancient city of Bagram on this plain, which opens up just north of Kabul, widens through Parwan Province, and finally dead-ends at the Salang and Panjshir rivers. Centuries later, Afghanistan’s Communist government would choose the same locale for a major air base, which today hosts the U.S.-led Coalition’s logistics-and-transshipment hub, Bagram Airfield. The Macedonians, the Soviets, and now the Americans: All have found their way to the Shomali Plain. ...
"There are attacks on U.S. forces on the Shomali Plain and in the surrounding valleys, but they pale in contrast to the Soviet experience. ..."
Read it all, and remember that we don't always get the whole story from the drive-by media.
Gun-Day Sunday: FPF Training's Concealed Carry for Self-Defense
By Lt Col P
"Ready... Ready... FIGHT!"
I spent this weekend at FPF Training's Concealed Carry for Self-Defense course. This was my third (formal) training course with John Murphy, having previously done the old Handgun 101 and the Minuteman Rifle. As per SOP, it was outstanding.
Class size: 10, about half civ from the intel community, a few military, a pair of NRA lobbyists (!) and one truly deadly and capable shot, "Nate the Forester," who takes this course once every few months to stay current.
Gear: My SA 1911A1 .45ACP, which has taken a turn for the worst, in a Comp-Tac holster and using Chip McCormick Power Mags.
Round count: about 600, all Remington and Federal FMJ.
Ranges: 3 yds to 15 yds, with both lateral and fore/aft movement, and some moving targetry.
The first half of Day One was all classroom, going over the mechanics of violent encounters; avoidance, deterrence, disengagement, and decisive action; the low-down on handguns and handgun ammo, and other self-defense gear; and finally, the all-important but often overlooked aftermath of a shooting-- how to deal with the agents of the law.
On the second half of Day Two we moved to the range and began some basic drills. This is where I noticed two things-- 1) my skill level had taken a step or two back, and 2) my gun was not extracting and cycling properly. The first was expected, the second was a surprise. However, I persevered and did my best to work through the problems. The day's experience did leave my with lingering doubts about my gear, which I have to say got inside my loop. (The gun has been 100% up to now.)
Day Two began with more drills and progressed rapidly through shooting from the draw stroke, shooting multiple shots from the draw stroke, then shooting from concealment, then shooting and moving, then verbal commands to a would-be adversary followed by shooting and movement, followed by post-shooting interaction with the law. Things went very fast, and the pace became increasingly dynamic. In every drill we were expected to execute reloads and immediate actions with no hesitation. We were being to taught to find the intersection of speed and accuracy that worked best for us. (Yes, we also dealt with the evil "Negative Targetry," or shooting through holes in the target and trying not to leave new ones. MUCH HARDER THAN IT LOOKS, and a good trigger control exercise.)
Day Two ended with a moving shooter/moving target drill using John's ingenious target carriage. Believe me, there is no better illustration of how quickly an adversary can close the distance to you than this. It was also a test of verbal commands, with the target reacting according to how well or poorly we deterred and disengaged.
The two newest things for me were shooting from concealment (harder than it looks, and a real skill), and engaging the moving target. Both were entirely realistic and challenging. I think those were the real strengths of the course. I also had to deal with an unreliable gun, which is entirely new. I borrowed one of John's 1911s, and so was able to carry on with minimal interruption.
Overall I rate this course OUTSTANDING. John Murphy managed to kick me the hell out of my box and force me to face some facts about my abilities. (That's a good thing, by the way.) This course made me a better shooter and a MUCH more effective and confident concealed handgun carrier.
I've said it before and I'll say it again-- FPF Training is Gunsite-quality instruction at cut-rate prices. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
And The Answer Is...
By Lt Col P
The Campaign Against Al Qaeda And Transnational Terrorist Organizations.
Just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?
Even though we're saddled with that idiocy, at least we have a steady hand at the helm, a stalwart captain to guide the ship of state through perilous waters, who--
Who am I kidding? We're screwed. We can't even call a war a war. We reduce it to a clumsy acronym better suited for an obscure IT system. Someone in a position of authority had to have signed off on that terminology. Where are the leaders and statesmen when we need them? We'd better find them, and find them fast.
