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November 19, 2010
Winning Hearts And Minds While Kicking AssOne of the critiques from a lot on the right of General Stanley McChrystal's time as commander in Afghanistan was he was too focused on the soft side of COIN and not enough on more kinetic actions like bombing and shooting. Well, Mr. COIN himself David Petraeus doesn't mind blowing shit up and killing the bad guys by the bushel. The deployment of a company of M1 Abrams tanks, which will be fielded by the Marines in the country's southwest, will allow ground forces to target insurgents from a greater distance - and with more of a lethal punch - than is possible from any other U.S. military vehicle. The 68-ton tanks are propelled by a jet engine and equipped with a 120mm main gun that can destroy a house more than a mile away. Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently complained that the US was too aggressive and there is a need to dial things back. I'm guessing the company of Abrams is his answer. When Petraeus took over from McChrystal some said it was a bad move because it showed a lack of faith in other flag officers. It made Petraeus the indispensable man. Well you know what? He kind of is. Only Nixon could go to China and only General COIN himself could bring battle tanks to Afghanistan. Right now there are two living American soldiers who are generally credited with winning a war....Norman Schwarzkopf and David Petraeus. Nothing gives a general credibility like victory. No matter what Petraeus does it's impossible to say "that's not how COIN works!" because Petraeus is the modern inventor of it in the US Army. If it's not in the book, he can simply pencil it in since he wrote the thing originally. Wars are won by tough men doing impossible things with and for the guy next to them on the line but they need the right leadership and strategy from the guy making the calls. It's possible, just possible, that Petraeus can pull off something resembling a victory there. If so, David Petraeus will enter some very select company in the annals of American history. Oh remember the upcoming strategy review and July 2011 deadline/withdrawal/transition date? That's apparently no longer operative. Just be patient, Joe Biden says. America's longest war will totally be over ... in four years. Looks like the dreaded neo-cons got to Obama! The 2011 talk was always political and now the 2014 date will set liberal heads exploding. Notice how it was left to Joe Biden to drop this little nugget while Obama is in Portugal? But credit where it's due...I really thought Obama was going to cut and run come Hell or high water next year. He does seem committed to the fight if not in word, certainly in deed. I remain skeptical about what can be accomplished in A-Stan long term, given it's location, lack of infrastructure, culture and a whole host of other problems that really aren't solvable by military force. That's especially true while Pakistan is still Pakistan. But if you're going to send men and women over there to fight...by God, let them fight. | Recent Comments
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