The Long War Archives

I am on board with that...

By Bull Nav

President Bush today to the Israel's Knesset:

"Some seem to believe that we should negotiate with the terrorists and radicals, as if some ingenious argument will persuade them they have been wrong all along.

"We have heard this foolish delusion before. As Nazi tanks crossed into Poland in 1939, an American senator declared: 'Lord, if I could only have talked to Hitler, all this might have been avoided.' We have an obligation to call this what it is - the false comfort of appeasement, which has been repeatedly discredited by history."

Outstanding.

Somebody, however, is a little upset with this...

Outside The Wire: Punk-Slapping the Left

By Lt Col P

A day late but not a dollar short... heard a good interview on the Dennis Miller show yesterday with documentarian JD Johannes on his Outside The Wire series. I've had this on my list for some time but haven't gotten it yet (shamefully). Now I have an even better reason-- JD is trying to beat the execrable Redacted's box office receipts. He told DM he was about fifty percent there. Let's see if we can help a little.

Old Corps Meets New Corps

By Lt Col P

We have a detachment mobilized, training now at Quantico to go overseas later this year. Today they got a day off, and it began with a det photo at the Iwo Jima memorial.

Among the crowd there was a large party in attendance at a Marine lieutenant's commissioning, and bus after bus of tourists. And one old timer, moving slowly but surely under his own power. His ball cap read, "IWO JIMA SURVIVOR."

This WWII vet spent a long time relaying stories about his battle, to a rapt audience. All the while, the other visitors moved around a small knot of young men arrayed around one old one passing the torch, absolutely oblivious. The Old Corps lives on!

"It's Beautiful Out Here"

By Charlie

When you love your job, you'll never work a day in your life. The Khost province has been getting a lot of media coverage recently, and it seems like our forces are just getting better. If there is any war fatigue, its not showing on this frontier.

24 MEU On the Attack

By Bull Nav

FINALLY.

U.S. Marines in helicopters and Humvees flooded into a Taliban-held town in southern Afghanistan's most violent province early Tuesday in the first major American operation in the region in years.

Several hundred Marines, many of them veterans of the conflict in Iraq, pushed into the town of Garmser in predawn light in an operation to drive out militants, stretching NATO's presence into an area littered with poppy fields and classified as Taliban territory.

After sitting around for weeks in Afghanistan, waiting for NATO to come to a "consensus" on how the Marines were to be employed, they have finally been let loose. I expect they will be successful and clear the Taliban out of the area. My concern is that the bad guys will simply retreat back into the safe haven of Pakistan where they are untouchable.

But you know they are ready to go:

One Marine in Charlie Company, Corp. Matt Gregorio, a 26-year-old from Boston, alluded to the fact the Marines have been in Afghanistan for six weeks without carrying out any missions. He said the mood was "anxious, excited."

"We've been waiting a while to get this going," he said.

Understatement.

SECDEF's Comments

By Charlie

Lots of good stuff from the SECDEF’s recent speeches. I’ve already heard from some of my buddies referencing his remarks on the Air Force, so I posted the video:

This from the NYT:

Mr. Gates said that he had “been struggling for the last four months or five months” to bring more surveillance aircraft to the war zones, saying that more drones and other resources would mean that “lives are going to be saved.” In an interview, Mr. Gates also described in unusually blunt terms his frustration with what he called a tepid response to his pleas.

“I said I am really not, frankly, interested in what you can bring to the table two years from now,” Mr. Gates said in recounting what he said had been his message to the armed services. “We are in the war — now. This is a critical time in the war. We need more, and we need it now.”

In his speech at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, Mr. Gates did not single out the Air Force for criticism. He said the responsibility should be shared across the military and the vast bureaucracy that researches, develops, builds, buys and fields intelligence assets.

But the Air Force owns most of these airborne surveillance systems, and the message Mr. Gates delivered at the Air War College was clear — and especially painful to a service whose reliance on expensive, new jets can seem at odds with 21st-century counterinsurgencies fought in the alleyways of the Middle East.

The Air Force is singled out here, but I think that the rest of the services deserve some of the blame as well. The Army still has the same personnel system it had before the war started, which has a peacetime emphasis on garrison military-type career progression, and takes 0% of the counterinsurgency lessons learned over the last 7 years to heart. You want specifics:

-The Army still has its current promotion system, despite numerous lower-grade officers and NCOs performing the real-world jobs of higher billets. If an officer is a captain in a major’s billet, in theater, at war, promote him to a major. Or at least give him a brevet rank of major, and work out the details when his tour ends.

-Arabic language training has not intensified at all. We’ve been in Iraq since 2003, and I have not seen an Army-wide program to get language skills down to the soldier-level. With the new counterinsurgency doctrine, engaging the local populace is now just as important as knowing how to shoot a rifle. The language barrier must be overcome, but 5 years on we have not seriously emphasized this.

-Being embedded as an advisor to a Host Nation unit is one of the most dangerous and important jobs we can ask soldiers and Marines to do. This needs to be at or above “company command” in an officer’s career progression. Building the host nation forces is the stated mission in OIF and OEF, but examples 1 and 2 are making this vital piece of the counterinsurgency puzzle more difficult to solve.

So, yeah, the SECDEF gave the AF some lumps on not getting drones into theater. Each service has its problems, and at the root of most of them is the culture of a peacetime military that has been at war for far to long for any excuses to be meaningful. We ask the most of our squad members and team leaders who are on patrol every day in harm’s way. Why should we not demand the same from our military bureaucracy?

Death In The VMI Family: 1stSgt Luke Mercardante, USMC

By Lt Col P

This week I received a forwarded email from VMI:

The Superintendent regrets to inform the VMI community of the death ofMarine First Sergeant Luke J. Mercardante, who was killed in action April 15 by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. He was serving as acting sergeant major of Combat Logistics Battalion 24, 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit at the time of his death. First Sergeant Mercardante served as an Assistant Marine Officer Instructor in VMI's Naval ROTC from March 2003 to July 2005. He was an Honorary Brother Rat of the Class of 2007. Information concerning arrangements will be provided when it becomes available.

To become an honorary BR demonstrates just how much influence one man can have on a class, with its varied service options, backgrounds and career intentions. By all accounts he was the consummate Marine. He will be missed, but his legacy lives in his cadets and others who served with him, who are now taking the field across the globe.

Semper Fidelis, First Sergeant, and Godspeed.

Update John - There's a Facebook memorial site dedicated to Sergeant Mercardante, and already several hundred members of the VMI family have signed on to show their support. His daughter Cailin also logged on to write this note, which just broke my heart.

wow.. i cant believe this. this whole thing wasent supposed to happen to us. he was my daddy, my best friend, and my role model. just because hes not really in life here.. dosent mean that hes not HERE. I love this man so much. we shared so many memories together. i was his date to Ring Figure.. it was such an honor to be his date and to be the one lucky enough to put his class of 2007 ring on his finger. i remember this event like it was yesterday. and we were laughing and having a good time.. and now.. just this morning i was at an airport to meet his body there. it was heart breaking. and i remember when i first heard the news.. i was FLABBERGASTED! this man ment and still means so much to me and all of my family. i love you daddy.. and i know that your going to be watching out for me.

♥ Cailin Christine Mercardante ♥

Like Col P said, to be elected an honorary Brother Rat by a VMI class is a tremendous achievement. Each year VMI's second class (juniors) bring two members of the VMI faculty or staff in their ranks. Two people who have had a lasting and powerful impact on the development of each class' cadets. It means that that person is forever a member of the VMI family, bonds which --as Sgt. Mercardante has proven-- can not be shattered even in death.

Sgt. Mercardante loved VMI and VMI loved Sgt. Mercardante. As long as the Virginia Military Institute stands, his name will be etched in the halls of our heroes. Godspeed.

"WILLFUL BLINDNESS"

By Lt Col P

Great interview in NRO with Andrew McCarthy, regarding his new book, Willful Blindness: Memoir of the Jihad.

He gets right to the point:

Kathryn Jean Lopez: Do I have the sides right? They say “Allahu Akbar!” we say “Imagine the liability!”

Andrew C. McCarthy: Unfortunately, that’s exactly right, and you’ve hit on the key difference. They are a religious ideology reveling in a mission for which, far from making any apologies for their brutality, they exude a zeal found only in people convinced they are both right and justified. You won’t ever hear from them the slightest misgiving — no careful references to Infidelo-fascists so as not to offend all the wonderful moderate infidels out there.

We, on the contrary, are an odd combination of diffidence, self-loathing, and arrogance: doubtful we are worth the trouble to defend; apt to figure that if people hate us, we must deserve it; and sure that it is within our power to satisfy their grievances — even though we didn’t cause them — by dialogue, political processes, sensitivity-training, and, of course, buying them off — which simply confirms them in their suspicion that we don’t have the stomach for the fight.

They continue in that vein for three pages. Here's more, and this is my favorite, concerning the pitfalls of using the legal system as the primary defense against terrorists:

... But a national security threat is not, essentially, a legal case. When the protection or even the preservation of the country is at stake, our position has to be that government must prevail — not that we’d prefer to see government lose. Government does not create our rights and our freedom, but it is necessary to their protection. If the system is not preserved, we are no longer free and our rights are worthless.

Sounds right to me.

An Unfortunate Contrast

By Slab

From The Torch comes this unfortunate look at how Great Britain has been handling her fallen, compared to the Canadian government.

British hearses carrying two Royal Marines from 40 Cdo are stuck in traffic

Flag-waving Canadians line the street to pay their respects

The Daily Mail article sheds a little light on why there is such a contrast, specifically the Thames Valley Police Force does not provide escorts for the procession. However, Canada is definitely going the extra mile for her soldiers, which I am very glad to see.

Can anyone shed light on the procedures for our casualties when they return to Dover? Specifically, how they compare to the British and Canadian examples? I know the Patriot Guard Riders frequently escort casualties to their hometown, which is a fantastic service, but it is provided by private citizens, not the government.

H/T to The Torch, and another to the Canadians for getting it right.

MRAP Review

By Slab

In January, my team traded out our well-worn M1114 Up-armored HMMWV for a 4X4 JERRV, one of the models of Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles purchased by the Marine Corps. We were pretty excited to have the new vehicle, especially after our first look inside. I mean, the thing looks like the Cadillac Escalade of tactical vehicles. The IED threat in our little slice of Al Anbar had long since dropped to non-existent, but it felt good to have something that was specifically engineered to combat the threat, you know? It didn't take long for the novelty to wear off, however, and by the end of the deployment we had taken to operating mainly from a Humvee again. The MRAP is a superb EOD and convoy security vehicle (the acronym JERRV stands for Joint EOD Rapid Response Vehicle), but it is merely a passable utility and/or fighting vehicle. The thing was obviously designed with the EOD mission in mind, and if any operator input was incorporated into the design, it clearly did not come from the infantry community.

On the good side, it is obviously better equipped to resist blast-type mines and IEDs than any other vehicle in the inventory. On top of the increased protection, the MRAP has a fantastic communications system installed, much better than what we had in our Humvee. Most ANGLICO Humvees look like Monster Garage rejects - additional antennas installed in weird places, additional radios installed in all sorts of unauthorized fashion, all trying to maximize the communications capability of our vehicles. Here we had a vehicle that came with brand new multiband radios, all tied in to an intercommunications system. Although many of the comm capabilities are completely unnecessary for most units, it almost seemed like this thing was made for ANGLICO. In addition, the designers were definitely looking to improve crew comfort in these things - the seats are much more comfortable than the ones in a Humvee, the Vehicle Commander's (VC) seat was MUCH roomier than in a Humvee (even my 155 lb ass ends up wedged between the door and the Blue Force Tracker mount in a Humvee), the air conditioning system was top-notch, etc.

For a motorized infantry mission, however, the MRAP's shortcomings are many. It handles atrociously offroad. The suspension is incredibly stiff, with the end result being that you must be tightly strapped in to survive the jostling in the back of the vehicle. Well, my radio operator sits in the back, and those wonderful radios I mentioned before are placed in such a way that the only person who can readily access them is the gunner. Someone that I would prefer keep his attention oriented, you know, outside the vehicle. My radio guy can certainly reach around the gunner's legs and work on the radios, but not if he's tightly strapped in trying to survive the ride.

Because we frequently live and fight from our vehicle, we have to carry an assortment of odds and ends for our radios, weapons, and ourselves. Things like water, MREs, ammunition, spare barrels for the machinegun, and spare items for the radios. The jostling that I just mentioned makes it nearly impossible to store any of these items in the interior of the vehicle without significant modification. We tried removing one of the seats and putting in a wooden box with space for some of these items, but many items were tossed completely out of the box and ended up strewn about the floor of the vehicle. There is a complete lack of weapons stowage for passengers in the rear of the vehicle, and the weapons racks for the driver and VC are designed for M16s, not M4s. One aspect that seems to elude many tactical vehicle designers is that motorized infantry typically store their sustainment load (i.e. rucksacks) externally (see below). This allows the vehicle's internal space to be utilized for items that I mentioned at the beginning of this paragraph, which must be readily accessible throughout the day. Sustainment items can typically wait until a long halt of some sort before they are needed. Yet, the MRAP has no provision for strapping a rucksack to the outside of the vehicle.

7-tons and HMMWVs with rucksacks stored externally just before the invasion of Iraq in 2003

The MRAP is a vehicle that is well-suited for a particular niche, but due to pressure from people such as our lawmakers in Congress, it has been pressed into service in roles that it is not suited for. For a unit that never leaves a paved surface, and rarely spends more than 24 hours outside of some sort of operating base at a time, the MRAP's protection and communications capabilities make it a superb asset. For units that must remain expeditionary, be able to operate in a wide variety of terrain and pursue the enemy wherever he is found, the MRAP is ultimately a poor choice, and I in retrospect I am very glad that Gen Conway is reducing the number of these vehicles on order. Personally, if given the choice, I would take an M1114 or M1152 HMMWV over the JERRV 4X4, and would seek other means to reduce the IED threat through such things as tribal leader engagement and refining mounted patrol TTPs.

For more reading on the subject, try Defense Tech. As you can see, Christian has been leveling similar criticism since last year. Christian's article is one of the more down-to-earth articles I've seen on the subject. He and I had a good discussion about personal body armor at the Milbloggies last year, it looks like we are of generally the same opinion on the MRAP issue as well.

Update: I should point out that the Defense Tech article I referenced above is over a year old. DT's Ground Vehicles category has more articles on MRAPs.

Bad Voodoo's War

By Lt Col P

JP from milblogging.com wrote in to remind us that Bad Voodoo's War will air on Frontline tomorrow night, 1 Apr 08.

BAD VOODOO`S WAR

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

9 P.M. (check local listings)

In June 2007, as the American military surge reached its peak, a band of National Guard infantrymen who call themselves "The Bad Voodoo Platoon" was deployed to Iraq. To capture a vivid, first-person account of the new realities of war in Iraq for FRONTLINE and ITVS, director Deborah Scranton (The War Tapes) created a "virtual embed" with the platoon, supplying camer as to the soldiers so they could record and tell the story of their war. The film intimately tracks the veteran soldiers of "Bad Voodoo" through the daily grind of their perilous mission, dodging deadly IEDs, grappling with the political complexities of dealing with Iraqi security forces, and battling their fatigue and their fears.

I'm no big fan of Frontline or any PBS show that doesn't sound like "This Old House" or "New Yankee Workshop" but this looks promising.

Brief update... Then again, after viewing the trailer, it could be the same-old same-old. I'm hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

Battling The Sadrists In Iraq

By Lt Col P

Bonhomme Richard makes some good points in the post immediately below, about the week's fighting in Iraq. There is yet more to be said.

If the ISF are standing fast in Baghdad and Basra-- whether they need help or not-- that is an enormous step forward for them. As imperfect as it may be, the duly elected government of Iraq has to stand firm and be seen to stand firm for the rule of law and its own primacy. It cannot tolerate a competitor state-within-a-state. And that is what the Sadrists represent: the ugly alternative to the slow, slogging but real progress that country has made in the last five years.

An Iraq where Sadr dominates, or at the least is free to do whatever his fat ass pleases, is not in our vital interests. The Sunnis won't tolerate it, and the Kurds won't like it either. Iran stands to profit most from a Sadr victory of any magnitude.

Up til now, Sadr has lost every major contest of arms. If there is no political will simply to do away with him-- boy, don't we wish we'd done it back in 2003-- the next best thing is to slap him down every time he gets uppity. Let's hope the government of Iraq doesn't go wobbly on us, and doesn't let him get away with anything.

Good links by way of MMM.

The Easy Way and The Hard Way

By Lt Col P

Via B5 and MMM, this disappointing cave-in:

A national tour featuring decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan won't be stopping at Forest Lake Area High School today as planned, after school leaders abruptly canceled the visit.

It looks to me like the principal just doesn't want to deal with any controversy at all, or make an even remotely tough decision. How nice. What good life lessons he's imparting to his young charges. And to make it worse, all he's facing is pissy backlash from OTHER AMERICANS.

On the other hand, want to meet a guy who isn't afraid of confronting his (and our) adversaries? He has more on the line than limp-dicked protests and mild controversy. He lives in a place with life and death consequences for dissent. Apparently he's not fazed by it, and if he is, he rucks up and does it anyway.

Now there's a lesson for you.

Penetrating Al Qaeda

By Lt Col P

Interesting article in this week's WaPo, "After a Decade at War With West, Al-Qaeda Still Impervious to Spies." The main theme is that Western intelligence agencies have had precious little success in penetrating any upper level of AQ's structure, and that this has not helped the war effort. There is much truth to this, and the article exposes some of the issues at work.

Granted, this is a tough nut to crack. AQ's footsoldiery is notoriously fanatic and doesn't seem to have a long shelf life, and the leadership is tight and clannish in the extreme. It presents a different problem than the Warsaw Pact did, which although loathsome at least had a roughly symmetric structure. Not so the jihad network.

What we are looking for is a modern-day Kim-- or perhaps a Strickland Sahib-- who can assume not only the guise but the persona of the enemy, and has the wits and nerve to come out on top. Such a fellow is proving hard to come by. "Few operatives," the article points out, "have the language skills, personal backgrounds and knowledge of radical Islam that would enable them to talk their way into the camps." True, but one would hope that we've been laying the ground work in the last eight years. One would hope.

Another problem, certainly a self-inflicted one, is that law enforcement and domestic intelligence operations don't always integrate well with overseas operations. An excessively legalistic view of intelligence matters can lead to a complete breakdown in interagency cooperation, with awful consequences. In the 1990s the US treated AQ more like an organized crime syndicate than a hostile foreign power at war with us. We are still living with the results today.

And yet, although the title of the article says "impervious," it is not. Highly resistant yes, impregnable no. The author points out one French agent of Moroccan descent who did work his way into the organization, but was turned off by his superiors. "'I was a gift that walked in the door, but they always underestimated me," Nasiri said in a recent interview. "I told them, 'You know, guys, I'm not doing even 10 percent of what I can do.' And it made them mad when I said that. But they knew I was right.'" And of course, one of AQ's senior figures today began as a walk-on hippy idiot from California, as was John Walker Lindh. It can be done, but we have to re-learn the art and science of doing it. I wonder if the Kim we're looking for isn't some quick-witted entrepreneurial kid in Dearborn or LA, treading just on the right side of the law.

Probably the sort who couldn't pass a background check for a security clearance, ironically. Mores the pity, because we really need him.

24 MEU SOC In AFGHANISTAN

By Lt Col P

Marines from 24 MEU SOC are setting up for ops in Afghanistan.

Marines with MWSS 271, attached to the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, NATO International Security Assistance Force, lay down AM2 matting while in Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. This AM2 matting will be essential in the support of aircraft while conducting operations in support of NATO.

Building an airfield by hand isn't as sexy as kicking down doors and putting warheads on foreheads, but without the hard airstrip you can't run extended helo ops, and definitely can't run Harriers.

“Obviously it is really hot during the day, slamming 155- pound slabs of matting. It takes a lot of those to build an airfield,” explained Warrant Officer Joseph Whitebear, expeditionary airfield and emergency services officer, MWSS 271. “They push through it like Marines do, it’s not an easy job, but they are probably the best at it.”

And here, we get a look at the C-130 Det. What's significant about this is that normally a MEU SOC's two C-130s are on-call in CONUS rather than forward deployed, since they don't fit too well on amphibs. In this case, they were needed right up front (no pun intended.) The planes and crews are getting a workout:

“I think we would all like to do everything our platform is capable of. In Iraq we have become more segregated into certain teams and what we do. Here we have the chance to take a KC-130 and do everything it was built to do, so I hope we get that chance while we are here,” he said.

For him that means, helicopter and fixed wing refueling, resupply drops, and landing on less-than perfect landing strips (short, dirty or at high elevation.)

Flying Leathernecks!

Fox Fallon Out as CENTCOM

By Bull Nav

As I am sure most everyone has heard by now, ADM Fallon has submitted his resignation (and retirement request) which has been accepted by SECDEF. The official release is here at Defenselink.

Most folks point to this Esquire article as the straw that broke the camel's back.

I remember when he took over last year and thinking that he was overstepping his bounds as a Combatant Commander. You might be a 4-star, but the CINC is the one who makes the policy.

At home from work tonight, I got a call from a guy I know at work. Nice enough fellow, younger, tends towards the Dem side of things. He has not been in a leadership position and does not understand what that means. He wanted to know if this was normal, if anyone else in this type of situation would have resigned.

I explained to him command and accountability. I explained to him the Oath of Office and what it entails. I explained that when you can't follow the bosses policies, then it's time to go.

Not sure if he got it...

I hope ADM (soon to be retired) Fallon enjoys retirement. Wonder where he will pop up next?

Prince Harry the JTAC

By Slab

This was forwarded to me by the guy who let me crash at his place on Emerald Isle for two years, now a fellow ANGLICAN and JTAC, and mutual acquaintance of LtCol P.

Looks like I'm in good company in this job.

Prince Harry provided air support for UK troops

I wish it were all as easy as they make it sound in the article. Then again, if you're a Prince, maybe it is. Hey, I'll bet he didn't get "drop-blocked" by an RCT air officer just before he cleared an aircraft hot. I mean, who's going to say no to royalty?

For the record, the air officer made a good call. Although dropping a 500 pounder into the building would have been legit, it wasn't really the best solution to that particular situation. So I'm just funnin'.

Britain's Prince Harry in Afghanistan

By Charlie

Good on him. I saw the interview on FOX news, and Prince Harry seems pretty motivated to be with his men on the front lines.

LONDON (AP) — The secret is out: Prince Harry has been serving on the front line with his British army unit in one of Afghanistan's most lawless and barren provinces. Harry is the first royal to serve in a combat zone since his uncle Prince Andrew flew helicopters during Britain's war with Argentina over the Falkland Islands in 1982.

British officials had hoped to keep the 23-year-old's deployment secret until he had safely returned, but they released video of Harry serving in Helmand Province after a leak appeared on the U.S. Web site the Drudge Report.

This War, 15 Years On

By Lt Col P

MMM reminds us it was 15 years ago that jihad hit America's shores.

The first World Trade Center attack killed a handful compared to 9/11, and should have woken up a nation. It did not. We have lived to regret our failure to heed the warning.

Remember that day, and think hard about where it has lead us. The lessons have yet to be learned fully, I fear.

Afghanistan Suicide bombings become more effective

By Charlie

Bad news for NATO, as the enemy upgrades its capabilities and tactics:

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber targeting a Canadian military convoy killed 35 civilians at a busy market in southern Afghanistan , a police official said.

At least 28 people were wounded in the attack in Spin Boldak, a town in Kandahar province near the border with Pakistan , said Abdul Razeq, the Spin Boldak border police chief. Three Canadian soldiers were lightly wounded, he said.

The attack comes one day after Afghanistan 's deadliest bombing since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. More than 100 people were killed by a suicide bomber outside Kandahar city on Sunday.

The back-to-back bombings could indicate a change in tactics by militants. Though attacks occasionally have killed dozens, insurgents in Afghanistan have generally sought to avoid targeting civilians

This should only serve to reinforce the need to up the combat troops in southern Afghanistan , and defeat these networks of AQ and Taliban that are deploying these devices.

Riverine Patrol

By Slab

Hey folks, I know it's been a little while since my last update. In lieu of a long-winded post about nonsense, here are some photos from a recent operation with Riverine Squadron Two (RIVRON 2) on Lake Qadisiyah.

Update: You can't read it, but the Riverine Patrol Boat (RPB) in the second picture has the name "BM1 James E. Williams" stenciled on the side. I had no idea who that was, so I decided to look it up. And that is how I came to find out about the most decorated enlisted Sailor in the history of the United States Navy. One hell of a warrior.

More after the jump.

Read More »

Pakistani militants 'call truce'

By Charlie

Yeah, it probably sounded like “Stop Shooting! We’re Reloading!”

A leading Pakistani militant group is reported to have declared a truce in the South Waziristan region and be willing to enter peace talks.

Few details have emerged about the terms of the truce, announced on Wednesday by Tehrik-e-Taleban Pakistan, a militant umbrella group.

The group's leader, Baitullah Mehsud, is accused by the government of being behind the murder of Benazir Bhutto.

The government has not confirmed the truce, but Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz said the national leadership was ready for a dialogue with the militants.

Isn’t that tremendous, a “a dialogue with the militants.” The sad fact here is that the Pakistani army is having a tough time rooting out the Taliban from their Northwest Frontier province and their Federally Administrated Tribal Area. Negotiating with them in order to gain a better position on the battlefield may be the only option that the Pakistani forces have left, granting them some time and space to re-arm and reinforce. Which raises an interesting question –who can do it faster, the army, or the Taliban?

Silver Stars Awarded To Two Soldiers

By Charlie

A little un-reported news today from the Seattle Times:

In a Wednesday afternoon ceremony at Fort Lewis , two soldiers with the Army's 3rd (Stryker) Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division were awarded Silver Stars for gallantry in their combat actions in Iraq .

Sgt. 1st Class Ismael Iban was recognized for his actions on Feb. 19, when a joint security station with Iraqi forces came under attack from a suicide bomber who blew up a vehicle at Tarmiyah. Under Iban's leadership, Army officials say, a platoon then responded to enemy small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades, cleared debris and secured a helicopter landing zone. These actions allowed 21 wounded soldiers to be evacuated, according to Army officials.

Staff Sgt. Jon Hilliard was recognized for his actions in March in Baqouba, when his Stryker vehicle was struck by a bomb. Hilliard was thrown onto the roof of the Stryker and suffered injuries to his left leg. While exposed to enemy fire, he freed a machine gun and ammunition from the burning wreckage. He identified enemy positions and provided suppressive fire while wounded soldiers were evacuated. He also retrieved a grenade launcher and took out an enemy position.

Taliban Growing in Pakistan

By Charlie

These guys have found a great way to fight the US military: Fight the Pakistani military. This is a big deal, because as this movement grows, it entrenches a support network in northern Pakistan that allows Taliban elements actively engaged in combat against NATO forces north of the border safe haven when they get shot up. Additionally, the specter of a civil war in Pakistan coupled with the “loose nuke” scenario scares to death the US , India , and everyone who is paying attention.

I thought this wasn’t a big deal, but check out these numbers:

A disparate group of tribal armed militant groups, some of them linked to al-Qaida, announced the formation of an alliance last month called the Taliban Movement of Pakistan. The 40-man leadership is from seven tribal agencies and eight bordering districts, underscoring the movement's reach. The group is thought to have 5,000 to 10,000 fighters and is growing.

U.S. officials are deeply concerned that the insurgency is becoming bolder and expanding faster than had been anticipated, a State Department official said.

"The feeling is that we are not dealing with a terrorist group here, but an insurrectionist movement," said the official. "That's an elevation without question from what we've been dealing with."

He noted the broad scale of fighting across the tribal agencies, which together form the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, and in settled parts to the east.

"These are not groups of Pashtun brigands popping potshots at army patrols," he said. "This looks like there is clearly coordination going on."

Some U.S. officials say al-Qaida is providing the coordination, but others say it's too early to reach that conclusion, he said.

Canucks Out of Afghanistan ?

By Charlie

...If NATO doesn't pony up troops to share the combat burden. They tiptoe around whether "NATO" means "America", or other European countries in the article, but I think it may be the latter. This is bad news if it is true, I’ve heard good reviews of the Canadian troops from my buddies who have served in Afghanistan . They’ll be missed if they pull up stakes.

TORONTO - Canada will extend its military mission in Afghanistan only if another NATO country puts more soldiers in the dangerous south, the prime minister said Monday, echoing the recommendation of an independent panel to withdraw without additional forces.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government is under pressure to withdraw its 2,500 troops from Kandahar province, the former Taliban stronghold, after the deaths of 78 soldiers and a diplomat. The mission is set to expire in 2009 without an extension by Canadian lawmakers.

European allies' refusal to deploy to Afghanistan 's dangerous south and east has opened a rift with Britain , Canada , the Netherlands and others which, along with the United States , have borne the brunt of Taliban violence.

Previously on Op-For:
NATO Intransigence is Official
Petraeus Eyed for NATO Command?
Where for Art Thou, NATO?

Top Canadian General Speaks on Afghanistan

By Lt Col P

Our Canadian doppelganger blog, The Torch, is one of my daily reads. Today they have a good post on an interview with their top man in uniform, General R. J. Hillier.

From everything I've read about him, he sounds like a fighting man, and one with a realistic view on world events. This interview seems to bear it out.

"Some Canadians don't understand the fact you can't just go and talk to people in Southern Afghanistan and say 'OK, now put your guns down and let's all come to an agreement..."

And

"The peacekeeping concept works superbly in many cases -- not all. It worked when it was state-versus-state that had come to some politically-negotiated agreement. They now needed assistance in helping separate military forces to implement that agreement.

"The world has changed. Now we very seldom have that. What we have are stateless threats based on terrorist groups who can operate either across several countries, regions or worldwide."

Sounds like our kind of guy, the sort we'd want to have on our flanks, be they tactical or strategic. As the debate goes on in Canada about their role in Afghanistan, I wish there were a dozen more of him. And some down here, for that matter.

One team, one fight.

US Troops to Pakistan ?

By Charlie

Caught this on EarlyBird this morning:

The Pentagon is "ready, willing and able" to send U.S. troops to conduct joint combat operations with Pakistan's military against al-Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan's tribal areas, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday.

The U.S. military is also beginning to construct as many as eight coordination centers along the Afghan-Pakistani border that will be staffed by officers from the three countries to more closely share intelligence and conduct combat operations, according to Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, the top U.S. commander for eastern Afghanistan.

Gates said al-Qaeda has allied with other extremists in the border area, possibly including Baitullah Mehsud, a tribal leader linked to the Taliban. "They clearly are much more active and working with other people," he said.

Rodriguez said Pakistani military leaders are increasingly willing to cooperate in operations on either side of the border. There is "a growing realization amongst all of them, that everybody needs to do more together," he said at a Pentagon briefing this week.

This is being framed correctly by both sides, rather than initiate hostile military action, partner with Pakistan and help them remove a threat to Afghanistan , Pakistan , and America . The Taliban elements and AQ-terrorists that are lurking in the hinterland between Afghanistan and Pakistan are becoming an increasingly destabilizing force inside Pakistan, which is giving Musharraf –or who ever is in charge next –a strong incentive to resolve the issue.

So does this mean the road is paved for a US training mission? Nope, there is still a high amount of anti-American sentiment in Pakistan , and a large percentage of the population may favor a jirga –or tribal elder sit-down –with the Taliban in order to solve the crisis. In American-speak, a jirga amounts to negotiating with the enemy and declaring peace with the Taliban, which is unacceptable unless it is on our own terms. Remember, Pakistan already did this in 2006, where a jirga resulted in a peace deal in northern Waziristan . Remember:

Details of the deal signed by the two sides were given in a brief speech by local MP Haji Nek Zaman, a member of the council of elders which was authorised to negotiate on behalf of the Pakistani government.

Under the accord, the Pakistani military promises to end major operations in the area.

It will pull most of its soldiers back to military camps, but will still operate border check-points.

That whole thing didn’t work out too well, and it allowed Taliban-linked groups to re-fit, re-arm, and re-group. They even got a new leader with Baitullah Mehsud, who has been blamed for the Bhutto assassination.

It would be great if we could have SF imbedded with the Pakistani Army, working jointly with the Afghan nation army along the border region, calling in air strikes on the Taliban and wiping them out in an enormous pincer operation. That is the gold standard of what we want, but sometimes reality intrudes on the plan, so we’ll have to wait and see how this works out.

Pakistan's Problems Persist

By Charlie

Retired generals tell Musharraf to go

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - An influential group of retired officers from Pakistan's powerful military has urged President Pervez Musharraf to immediately step down, saying his resignation would promote democracy and help combat religious militancy.

Musharraf's popularity seems to be dropping faster than ever, and creeping instability in Pakistan can be seen in its tribal areas where Taliban have been launching new attacks and confronting the Pakistani Army and Frontier Corps directly. This is not likely to stop any time soon, but it is reasonable to look at some COAs for a post-Musharraf Pakistan. The elections will be held next month, assuming they will not be postponed again, which could leave Pakistan with the following:

1. A weak (but legitimate) pro-US government: The danger here is that this government could be susceptible to pressure from the Taliban and other extremist forces, and may not enjoy the entire support of the military. The good news is that the US would retain its current flyover rights to keep OEF supported.

2. A strong (and legitimate) anti-US government: Think Uzbekistan. There is a strong anti-US undercurrent in Pakistan, and a large chunk of people think that the pro-US policies of Musharraf have led to their current problems. If a legitimate anti-US government comes to power, it could very well deny the US flyover rights, which could severely impact ops in Afghanistan. Expect less cooperation on border security and fighting the Taliban as well. Not a rosy scenario.

3. A pro-Pakistan (and illegitimate) military state-of-emergency government headed by a general not named Musharraf. While bad for Pakistan, this may be the best case scenario for America. The continuation of the status quo in Pakistan may not be sustainable, a military junta could keep up the pressure on the Taliban and curb some of the Islamic radicalization (the Pakistani army has to fight the Taliban on their side of the border, so there is no love lost between the two). This is not the best deal for Pakistan, but it may avert civil war and keep the country together long enough to re-establish law and order and eventually transfer into some manner of democratic governance.

Also, there is this:

On Tuesday, Adm. William Fallon — the head of the U.S. Central Command and top commander of American forces in the Middle East — held talks in Rawalpindi with Kayani. The Pakistani army said the two men discussed the "security situation" in the region, but gave no more details.

Spooky. Stay tuned.

Is Pakistan Softening on US Training Mission ?

By Charlie

Pakistan is getting it handed to them by Taliban and AQ-linked fighters in its Western territories.

Up to 20 Pakistani troops were missing and feared dead after 200 Islamic militants armed with rockets overran a remote military outpost in south Waziristan, close to the Afghan border.

A spokesman for the Pakistan military said the attack happened at midnight and lasted for about two hours. He said up to 40 of the attackers were killed.

About 40 members of the paramilitary Frontier Corps occupied the fort.

…Which may explain this story:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Pakistan is taking a more welcoming view of U.S. suggestions for using American troops to train and advise its own forces in the fight against anti-government extremists, the commander of U.S. forces in that region said Wednesday.

We are technically fighting the same bad guys, just on different sides of the mountains. AQ and Taliban are just as threatening to Pakistan as they are to Afghanistan , it just took Pakistan a while to figure that out, as they have always seen India as the #1 threat. In the past, the Pakistani government viewed the Islamic radicals camped out in the western frontier as a strategic reserve against India ’s larger and better trained army. Now, that strategic reserve has become a massive internal security problem that just assassinated a major public figure, and would love to target Musharaf next.

Partnering with Pakistan and helping them do the heavy lifting of COIN in the Western areas is no easy task. There is very high anti-US sentiment in Pakistan , a significant support base for terrorists, and a shaky internal situation. On top of that, the “AO” of Western Pakistan ’s Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA) is crawling with foreign Al Qaeda fighters, Taliban, warring tribes, and other shady characters that further complicate the situation.

The bottom line is that Pakistan has to solve this problem. If we can help them, it helps us.

"If terrorists fall in Iraq and nobody hears them, do they still make a sound?"

By Charlie

Only if you read new media who have the backbone to see the truth and report it.

Check out this article on progress in Iraq.

Hotel Tango to Ryan

"Mini-Surge" Term Surfaces

By Charlie

John documents its use by Ralph Peters.

Blech, Indeed.

This post is rated ARRRRRR

By Charlie

Pirate attacks up across the board in 2007:

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Pirate attacks rose by 10 percent globally in 2007, the first increase in three years, as pirates stepped up attacks off the coasts of Nigeria and Somalia, an international maritime monitoring organization said Wednesday.

Last year, there were 269 attacks on ships, up from 239 in 2006 and reversing a downward trend that began in 2003, the International Maritime Bureau said in its annual report released by its piracy reporting center in Malaysia.

“The significant increase in the numbers can be directly attributed to the increase in the incidents in Nigeria and Somalia,” said Pottengal Mukundan, the bureau’s director, in a statement.

Attacks off the coast of Nigeria increased to 42, up from 12 cases in 2006, he said. Somalia reported 31 cases, up from 10 in 2006.

This gets back to a fundamental problem that is developing in third world areas- a complete breakdown in society, and a return to a "state of nature." These attacks draw a sharp line between our orderly, prosperous, and on-line world and the violent, poor, darkened areas on the map. In our modern world, there is simply no place for piracy, yet it seems to be on the increase across the globe.

What we are seeing is a bizarre mix of old and new, as the third world urbanizes, and still struggles under age-old corrupt governments and economies, the people have cell phones, satellite TV, and RPGs. Pirates today seek the same as they did in their 1400-1700 heyday -loot, but they go about it using modern technology, and good old fashioned violence.

The logical next step is for the pirates to begin demanding tribute from merchant nations, in exchange for not attacking ships bearing their flag. Good thing we still have our Navy...

Joke below the fold:

Read More »

NATO Intransigence is Official

By Bull Nav

So once again, the US will suck up the majority of a force request in Afghanistan (from Fox News).

THE PENTAGON — A request has been made by top commanders in Afghanistan to send 3,000 Marines to the country, FOX News has learned.
The goal would be to have the Marines in the region by April, the time of year when offensive actions by the Taliban usually pick up after the Spring thaw.
Senior Defense Department officials say International Security Assistance Forces Cmdr. Gen. Dan McNeil made the request, which has to be approved by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Gates will receive the proposal on Friday, but not like make a decision on that day.
The plan calls for sending one ground and one air Marine contingent plus one battalion for a "one-time, seven-month deployment," Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morell said Wednesday.
Defense officials are not calling this a surge, rather a specific increase for more troops. Currently roughly 26,000 American troops are in Afghanistan, under NATO auspices. NATO commanders have asked for 7,500 more troops, but Gates has called on allies to contribute the additional forces.

How many countries are in NATO? How many actually want to do something?

How many want to sit back while we do all the heavy lifting?

I still think it was a mistake to let NATO take the lead for the Afghanistan conflict. We should run it lock, stock and barrel with our own forces. No excuses, no silly ROE, no fighting only during daylight hours.

***Charlie says: Dammit, beat me to this. Here's my take:

I've always wondered why we allowed the Taliban to conduct yearly "spring offensives," instead of just dropping a division of troops in the southern mountain regions of Afghanistan to stop it before it starts. Now the Marines have their shot to do just that. Recall a few weeks back, the Marines requested to take over the OEF mission entirely. That got shot down, but perhaps this is the opportunity for the Marines to do what they do best, now that the Anbar province has quieted down.

Also, if they start calling this a "mini surge," I'll go crazy.

Where's the Peace?

By Charlie

International peacekeeping seems to be taking a beating this week, following attacks on UNFIL in Lebanon and AU troops in the Darfur region.

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Armed men opened fire on a U.N./African Union supply convoy in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, the first attack on the newly formed joint peacekeeping mission, officials said on Tuesday.

A diplomatic source working in the region told Reuters Sudanese Army soldiers had fired at the convoy from the UN/AU Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) late on Monday, apparently confusing the peacekeepers for rebels.

Two Irish soldiers working as part of a United Nations force were injured today when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in south Lebanon.

The blast smashed the windows of their white UN four-wheel-drive vehicle near the village of Ramiliya, about 35km south of Beirut shortly before 1pm today.

My post yesterday on Darfur noted Bin Laden's Jihad declaration against a peacekeeping effort in Darfur, and it looks like the first shots of that jihad were fired today. This probably will not be the last attack on the mission, and because of the training and equipment of the UN/AU troops, two things are possible here:

1. The next time a convoy rolls outside the wire, the soliders will be scared, and vulnerable to more attacks. Plus, if they get itchy trigger fingers and kill any civilians, it will further alienate the populace toward their mission.

2. The UN/AU troops simply won't leave the wire, and the mission will languish on for months and even years, with zero progress as the opposition to their presence grows stronger unopposed.

The UN is pretty good at opption number 2, but I wouldn't rule out option number one. Meanwhile, in Lebanon, Hezbollah seems set on continuing its attacks on the UN force:

[Irish] Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea also conveyed his wishes and those of the Government, for a speedy recovery of the soldiers. "The incident is a stark reminder to us all of the dangerous yet vital work our brave troops do in the cause of peace," he said.

Today's bomb was the third attack on the 13,500-strong Unifil force since it was expanded after a 34-day war between Israel and Lebanese Hizbullah guerrillas ended in August 2006.

FYI, the UN resolution that authorized UNFIL also called for the disarming of Hezbollah, which hasn't happened yet (and won't) and no one seems to mind. As much as the US defense establishment is bashed for lagging in Assymetric warfare tactics, it seems that the rest of the world isn't really good at it either, and that forces that are opposed to international peackeeping efforts have been taking note of insurgent tactics in Iraq and Afghanistan, and are moving closer to Open Source Warfare.

The bottom line is that we may be at the end of an era where traditional peacekeeping efforts work. Tactially, this may mean scrapping the whole concept of stability/support operations in favor of counterinsurgency. Strategically, this may mean a new embrace of Unconventional Warfare, or a militarization of foriegn aid. Stay tuned.

Darfur Crisis: Too Few Peacekeepers

By Charlie

Quote of the Day:

"We have now 9,000 re-hatted soldiers in Darfur. That's not sufficient. That is why we are very concerned about the ongoing deteriorating situation in Darfur."

-U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

The article, Too few troops deployed in Darfur, continues:

Last week a joint U.N.-African Union (AU) mission took over peacekeeping in Darfur from a purely AU force, seeking to end almost five years of fighting. But the swapping of green AU berets for U.N. blue ones is unlikely to bring rapid change.

That is why we are very concerned about the ongoing deteriorating situation in Darfur."

The so-called hybrid force of AU and U.N. troops replaces a struggling AU mission. The plan is for it ultimately to comprise 20,000 soldiers and 6,000 police, but only a little over a third of those are so far in place.

"I as the secretary-general and the United Nations as a whole ... must ensure the rapid deployment of hybrid operations as agreed to the level of 26,000 (peacekeepers) as soon as possible," Ban told reporters at his first news conference of 2008.

Herein lies the problem with peacekeeping: there are no divisions of troops sitting on the tarmacs of a multitude of networked, of-one-mind-group of nations that are ready to deploy at a moment’s notice to the hotspot of the week. Individual countries have individual self interests, and the diplomatic prodding and wrangling necessary to accomplish this has been demonstrated to us over the past few years. Peacekeeping nowadays is tough duty, because forces have to be flexible, and in uncertain areas, must be prepared to shoot people. That requires a disciplined, experienced, and professional force to be committed to near-combat ops, for a very long time at high expense. There just aren’t that many countries that that have it in their national interest to commit to these missions, morality aside. Commit untrained troops, and you get sex-crimes, and rampant corruption, and your country’s military ineptitude is on display for the world to see. Commit no troops and you have stood up to “imperialism,” or whatever the international cop-out is for the week. There are trained troops that could do this job, but they are going to be from the US, Britain, Australia, and some key European allies that have not completely disassembled their defense establishment –that’s it.

Also, don’t think for a moment that Osama Bin Laden’s call for a jihad against any peacekeeping effort isn’t influencing nations to stay out of the fray. Most AU countries can sit in the “nonaligned movement” of the war on terror, and they want to keep it that way.

Recall:

CAIRO, Egypt: Al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden called for a holy war against a proposed peacekeeping force in Sudan's war torn region of Darfur in a message that appeared on jihadi Web sites Tuesday.

… Bin Laden called on those living in the areas surrounding Darfur, particularly the Arabian peninsula, to drive out any foreign forces in the region.

"It is the duty of the people of Islam in the Sudan and its environs, especially the Arabian Peninsula, to perform jihad against the Crusader invaders and wage armed rebellion to remove those who let them in,"

So there you go. It doesn’t matter what color the peacekeeper’s hats are in Darfur, because unless they are ACU, it isn’t going to change anything, and that isn’t likely to happen any time soon.

Quick roundup of Stuff that Happened while I was Honeymooning:

By Charlie

Kenya caught on fire

Washington -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and British Foreign Secretary David Miliband jointly cited the need for “a sustained call from Kenya's political leaders for the cessation of violence by their followers” and called for the country’s leaders to engage “in a spirit of compromise that puts the democratic interests of Kenya first.”

Their joint statement, issued January 2, comes after days of violence across the country have left as many as 300 people dead and caused tens of thousands to flee their homes to escape looters and armed mobs.

In one instance, dozens of people who had sought shelter in a church in the western city of Eldoret were killed January 1 when the building was set on fire by a mob.

I never got the whole “we’re politically frustrated so we’re going to burn down religious buildings” argument. We saw this in Kosovo, in Iraq with the Golden Mosque, and now in Africa, and it always seems to backfire on the burners. Kenya was one of the few relatively “stable” and “not crazy” African governments –its quick loss of law and order underscores the fact that many African governments are tenuously hanging on to power. If it could happen in Kenya, it could easily happen in Nigeria or Zimbabwe. Plus, events like the church burning in Kenya are called “spark events” because of their ability to ignite a larger outbreak of violence throughout a region. AFRICOM is going to have a big job to do.

Bhutto was Assassinated in Pakistan

Ms. Bhutto was assassinated in the city of Rawalpindi a week ago while campaigning for parliament. Her death sparked riots across this nation, leading to more than 50 deaths and millions of dollars in property damage.

The former prime minister had complained repeatedly about a lack of security. She narrowly escaped a suicide attack the day she arrived back in the country last October, after eight years in self-imposed exile.

Before her death, she said elements within the government were trying to kill her. The government denies that charge, but there is no disputing that controversy surrounds the assassination.

If you are Al Qaeda, what is better than buying a nuke from the mob off of the Russian black market? Taking over a country that already has 100. Much ink has been expended on this topic elsewhere, so I will just point out that securing Pakistani nukes is soon going to become a major national-security issue for many nations, not just America. Plus, the Pakistanis and the Indians still hate each other, and India cannot be happy about their next-door nuclear enemy about to tumble into civil war. On a larger scale, this situation is rooted in the development of Pakistan’s neighbors: India and Afghanistan. India is making remarkable economic progress, and is fast becoming a 21st century power player, while Pakistan is still mired in corruption and extremism. The Pakistani people see this, and they want a piece of the Indian success, the sad thing is that many think the way to get to that prosperous level is to trust Al Qaeda. Meanwhile, Pakistanis Fleeing To Afghanistan As Violence Escalates. When did you think you’d read that headline?

Taps For 2007

By Lt Col P

2000 EST in NoVa: fire in the insert, Son & Heir in the rack, cats deployed tactically throughout the house, beer in the old VBC mug, beloved spouse on the couch, the .45 and the M&P 15T all nice and clean after a good day at the range. Waiting for midnight. Truth be told I'm not much of a New Year's Eve guy. If I can stay up for the changeover, I will. But if I don't make it, well, no big deal.

2007 was a landmark year. 2008 promises to be an exciting ride, if nothing else.

For my money, 2007's Man of the Year is the average soldier, sailor, airman and Marine, with an emphasis on the soldiers and Marines. They have borne the brunt of the fighting, refused to back down when times were tough, endured the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune and the IEDs and RPGs of fanatic enemies. They ought to get the credit for the victories, with a good dose of shame going to the naysayers and spineless wonders who said it couldn't be done, and some who said it shouldn't be done.

F them all, and cheers to our men (and 'men) in uniform!

See you next year.

Quick update below the fold...

Read More »