I'd be remiss if I didn't mention...

...that today is the 20th anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall. (H/T GreatSatan'sGirlfriend)

Col. TX Hammes does campaign design in Afghanistan

Col. TX Hammes was one of the first to question the overall strategy in Afghanistan, noting in the fall of 2008 that, with al Qaeda's relocation into Pakistan, the war in Afghanistan seemed to be somewhat irrelevant.

Within the past week, Col. Hammes has released a new article in the US Naval Institute's Proceedings magazine, in which he challenges many of the assumptions about Afghanistan, offering new suggestions and direction.

This is what we need--we need a campaign design that works from the strategic level down, instead of starting with COIN and working our way back up to the strategic level. (COIN may play a role, for certain, but not the only role in Afghanistan)

Fort Hood

I apologize for my absence the last few days. I haven't had the opportunity to follow the story from Fort Hood as closely as I would have liked to over the weekend. Fortunately, a number of great milbloggers have been able to fill me in.

First, I would like to thank Jason Sigger (and I believe Greyhawk as well) for linking to a charity known as TAPS--the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors--which is extending their counseling services to support the families of the victims affected during last week's tragedy.

That being said, a number of people have been tackling the story from several different angles. I should be the first to note that I shouldn't pass judgement too quickly until we have all the facts from the investigation. Nevertheless, some disturbing news to come out of the shootings.

While there were likely many factors which caused Major Hasan's rampage, I think it's safe to say that religion and ideology were two of the largest factors. From Maj. Hasan's vehement disagreement with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (calling them a "War on Islam") to his shouting of "Allahu Akbar" while unloading dozens of rounds into unsuspecting Soldiers, it's undeniable that there was a definite religious influence that should not be trivialized.

A number of bloggers far greater than I have tackled this issue in greater detail than I have, and from a lot of interesting angles.

• (H/T Andrew Exum) The New York Times ran an article comparing the stress and adjustment difficulties many veterans face upon returning home to the wanderings of Odysseus. Quotes the NYT:

But it is “The Odyssey” that most directly probes the theme of the war veteran’s return. Threaded through this fairytale saga, amid its historic touchstones, are remarkable scenes addressing aspects of the war veteran’s experience that are disconcertingly familiar to our own age. Odysseus returns home to a place he does not recognize, and then finds his homestead overrun with young men who have no experience of war. Throughout his long voyage back, he has reacted to each stranger with elaborate caginess, concocting stories about who he is and what he has seen and done — the real war he keeps to himself.

I've always found the classics from ancient Greece and Rome fascinating, but I'm particularly amazed at how many stories of returning Greek warriors relate to the experience of modern-day Soldiers. For more on this, check out a post from this past summer regarding the Philoctetes Project, which links classical Greek drama with modern-day post-traumatic stress and re-deployment readjustment.

• Karaka Pend has the roundup on one of the heroes of the day--Kimberly Mundley, the female police officer who, despite being wounded, was able to shoot Major Hasan.
• Spencer Ackerman also quotes extensively from a blogger named MikeD, who has the inside scoop on Amber Bahr, a female Soldier who tended to the wounds of fellow Soldiers. (MikeD is also somewhat puzzled regarding the use of the term "blouse" to describe the top garment in the Army Combat Uniform)
• Tom Ricks--Five Questions on the Army and the Fort Hood Shooter. (Great discussion)
• The New Media is only as good as those making use of it, judging by the sensationalism and (in many cases) pure fiction coming from microblogger Tearah Moore, a Fort Hood Soldier.
  
• Boss Mongo is back in the US and is back to blogging--tackling the topic of Muslim backlashes in the US military--or, rather, the lack thereof.
• Sic Semper Tyrannis looks into Maj. Hasan's background and records, and notes that many things don't seem to add up. (Interesting read--some good questions asked).

All right, I have had it...

After seeing yet another porn spam comment in my blog, I have turned into this:

I'm officially fed up of seeing nothing but porn spam in the comments section. I really dislike those "captcha" tests, but it looks as if I will have to activate them on Blogger in order to keep the spam bots out. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This trumps any other post I would have tonight

Any snarky commentary I might have on foreign policy and military affairs needs to take a back seat to today's tragedy at Fort Hood, Texas. For those that haven't been tuning in to the TV news, Army Major Malik Hassan, along with two other Soldiers, has been arrested in conjunction with the killing of over 12 Soldiers and the wounding of nearly 30 more in a shooting incident at Fort Hood, Texas.

Words cannot describe this tragedy.

A story of two Irans

Once again, we are reminded of the deep resentment towards the ruling parties in Iran, particularly among the youth. I'd have analysis, but I have a day job to go to.

Courtesy of the Washington Post (H/T SWJ morning update)

Thousands of Iranians took to the streets Wednesday to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran, but the annual state-sponsored anti-American rally turned into another sign of the deep divisions persisting in this country. As pro-government demonstrators ritually chanted "Death to America!" outside the former US Embassy, opposition protesters used the occasion to vent their anger over a disputed presidential election in June and the harsh crackdown on subsequent protests. Converging on a square about half a mile from the former embassy, the opposition marchers denounced President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with shouts of "Death to the dictator!" The rival demonstrations - and ensuing street clashes between protesters and security forces - illustrated the split that has come to define Iran three decades after Islamic revolutionaries overthrew the US-backed shah and branded America "the Great Satan." While Iran's ruling ayatollahs and government leaders maintain their entrenched distrust of and enmity toward the United States, the young people who form the bulk of Iran's population have no memory of those revolutionary days, and many opposition supporters favor a more open society and greater international engagement. The government has struggled to quell protests for five months, deploying security forces on the streets of Tehran and officially banning opposition demonstrations. Yet, on Wednesday, anti-government demonstrators openly defied the ban, even as police fired tear gas and warning shots. In video clips captured by cellphone cameras, helmeted police officers could be seen beating protesters, including women, with batons.

More at SWJ's morning update.

Who's with me?

I've noticed that the reflector belt has been worn by members of the armed forces of the various NATO countries (plus Australia) on bases all over the Middle East. I also heard a testimonial from a soldier from Switzerland, who expanded upon the reflector belt dilemma:

I am familiar with this problem:

I had to paint my face, silence all possible noise sources in my luggage, tape all bright/metallic spots, wear a dark scarf and gloves… And then put on a reflector-thing…

So this reflector belt thing has spread throughout the US, NATO, Australia, the Sons of Iraq, and now to the neutral countries as well. You know, I think the only people not wearing reflector belts are...

...al Qaeda and the Taliban.

Solution: We have the Taliban's training manual, as well as one from al Qaeda. We need to infiltrate their message discussion boards where the discuss doctrine--I don't know, their Jihad Wars Journal site or whatnot--and start suggesting that they all wear reflector belts for absolutely no reason. Once they put this into their training manual, they will be much more visible and easier to kill. Granted, in population-centric counterinsurgency, killing insurgents isn't the main goal. However, we intend to make killing them so easy that it will be a really simple goal.

Who's with me?

I got beat to the punch...

The worst part about having a day job which prohibits blogging is that bloggers frequently beat you to the punch on some of the best articles.

Take this article from the New York Times, which appeared in SWJ's daily roundup--it's chock-full of unintentional funny (which has already been recognized by Andrew Exum and by the people at Ink Spots).

According to the article, an American company has sold the Iraqi Army 1500 bomb-detecting devices which cost tens of thousands of dollars apiece (ranging from $16,000 to $60,000). The only catch is that American bomb experts say that the devices are completely useless, and "work on the same principle as a Ouiji board". Yes, apparently, a company known as ATSC Ltd. is selling bomb-detecting equipment which is based on absolutely no known scientific principle whatsoever. This is about as laughably dishonest as a door-to-door mammogram salesman.

The Iraqis, on the other hand, claim that these work exceedingly well (despite a number of high-profile bombing attacks this week), although they really can't explain how they work. In what is perhaps the ultimate expression of the inshallah (Arabic for "God willing") attitude, an Iraqi general noted, "Whether it’s magic or scientific, what I care about is it detects bombs". I'll summon the spirit of Han Solo and note that hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good bomb-sniffing dog at one's side. Speaking of which, the New York Times article continues:

The Baghdad Operations Command announced Tuesday that it had purchased an additional 100 detection devices, but General Rowe said five to eight bomb-sniffing dogs could be purchased for $60,000, with provable results.

Checking cars with dogs, however, is a slow process, whereas the wands take only a few seconds per vehicle. “Can you imagine dogs at all 400 checkpoints in Baghdad?” General Jabiri said. “The city would be a zoo.”

Baghdad may have suicide bombers which have killed hundreds in the past month, but dogs are where we draw the line.

And finally, folks, your moment of Zen:

The Justice Department has warned against buying a variety of products that claim to detect explosives at a distance with a portable device. Normal remote explosives detection machinery, often employed in airports, weighs tons and costs hundreds of thousands of dollars. The ADE 651’s clients are mostly in developing countries; no major country’s military or police force is a customer, according to the manufacturer.

“I don’t care about Sandia or the Department of Justice or any of them,” General Jabiri said. “I know more about this issue than the Americans do. In fact, I know more about bombs than anyone in the world.”

Yes, the Iraqi Army may be plagued by sectarian differences, and conduct mass porno raids, but by God, do they know bombs!

I'm not looking forward to 2010...

Facebook has revolutionized...everything

Social networking sites have revolutionized the way we communicate with and relate to one another. With Web 2.0 technologies, we see people reporting on major events in real-time, troops discussing counterinsurgency theory, and long-lost friends reconnecting after not seeing one another for decades.

However, after spending a few years as the moderator on my college's message board, I know that this technology also allows us to stalk women from afar, insult one another, photoshop one another into goat porn, and glean intel on STD-infected women in unprecedented ways. Just observe:

Your Counterinsurgency of the Day

The recent, drastic increase in casualties in Afghanistan--over 1,000 killed or wounded in the last three months--is, unfortunately, par for the course when conducting full-blown counterinsurgency. To steal T.E. Lawrence's old quote, it is slow, and it is incredibly messy, especially when done properly.

It also serves as a great source of partisan in-fighting. Take House Minority Leader John Boehner, who said:

"We've had the highest casualty troops in years over the last month or two. Why? Because of all the uncertainty around what the president is going to decide."

Nice try, but it's nowhere near close. The increase in casualties might be more due to a.) a series of aircraft crashes last week, b.) the battle at COP Keating, c.) a massive offensive in Helmand province by British troops and US Marines this summer, and d.) an increase in the number of NATO troops and their tendency to conduct a large number of dismounted patrols. (These sorts of patrols, while risky, pay off immensely, and are far more successful than the Super-FOB strategy or the "commute to war" approach)

Indeed, I don't mind President Obama taking his time reviewing the potential Afghan strategy. As Sun-Tzu was quick to point out, war is the most serious affair of the state, and should only be conducted after great deliberation. Even those who love to talk about their quick "OODA Loops" must realize that if we don't get the "orient" phase right, your OODA Loop will look more like an OODA scribble. Okay, that analogy was really, really bad, but you get the point.

Kris Alexander had the quote of the day on this issue, posting in Small Wars Journal.

Maybe after eight years of Bush everyone has forgotten what a deliberative planning process looks like. I am refreshed by an actual decision making process versus cooking the books to support a "gut" decision.

CH-47F comes to Upstate NY

When I was in flight school, the Army was still testing out the CH-47F Chinook, an upgraded version of the venerable tandem-rotor cargo helicopter which has been used since the Vietnam War. As I was hovering (or, as my instructor pilot, Earl, is keen to point out, attempted to hover), we caught a glimpse of a prototype CH-47F landing on one of the adjacent runways at Cairns Army Airfield.

Earl, a former Chinook pilot from the Vietnam War, looked at the machine and marveled at it, nostalgically. He always spoke highly of the Chinook, despite the complaints may pilots brought up about its age. As we saw the Chinook taxi by, I knew that he wanted to take the F-model Chinook up for a spin just once.

Fast-forward a few years later, and the CH-47F is now being fielded to units across the Army. I have to get a look inside this thing, as I hear that the new glass cockpits are pretty sweet. I also hear it has a new helicopter smell, too. This might actually be a hyperbole, as I'm told they're not really new helicopters, but rather, upgraded D-model aircraft (which, in many cases, are upgraded C, B, and A-model aircraft).

And, as an added note, this leaves us in the UH-60 Black Hawk community as the only ones who don't have a glass cockpit yet.

Valour IT Project--US Army Milblogger Team

The US Army is in second place, shortly behind the US Marine Corps, in Soldier's Angels 2009 Valour IT Project. This campaign is a friendly competition among milbloggers representing the four branches of the Armed Forces, and benefits wounded service members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan by providing them with voice-controlled laptops and other tech gear during their recovery.

In order to raise more money for the US Army Milblogger team, I considered resorting to drastic measures. I considered auctioning myself off to the highest bidder in order to raise money for this cause. (As an added bonus, I put out on the first date. Hey ladies.)

Now, before I resort to, well, manwhoring myself out, I have to realize that sex does sell. And I know exactly what kind of guy is reading my milblog. That's right, geeks.

Now, I met this girl on the Halloween. Note that she is dressed as an elf from Lord of the Rings, has a lightsaber (provided by me), and plays World of Warcraft. Seriously, that's like a trifecta

of geekness right there. (Hopefully she doesn't sue over this picture). So all you geeks who are coming to this site with Google search strings which say "chick", "lightsaber", "elf", and "World of Warcraft"...please click on the following link.

Great new milblog

Thanks to Kings of War for introducing me to a great new milblog called "al-Sahwa" ("The Awakening" in Arabic). I'll be sure to add these guys to the blogroll.

Halloween

Those of you who have read this blog in its various permutations over the years know that I get drunk, talk to women, generally skirt most normal social conventions, wear obnoxious t-shirts, and generally have all sorts of bizarre misadventures on the weekend. (Many times, tying it in to advanced theories of warfare) Last night was no different. Indeed, Halloween is quite possibly my favorite holiday of the year because I actually have an excuse for behaving obnoxiously.

An officer, yes, but a gentleman no.

Anyway, this is one of those magical years where Halloween occurs on the same day that we set our clocks back, meaning that the bars stay open an extra hour to accommodate us. I decided to microblog my misadventures on Twitter, and I must say, it was an amusing Halloween.

What amused me most of all was the creativity in the costumes. (For the record, I went out dressed as Obi-Wan Kenobi, complete with my FX lightsaber that glowed and made sounds. Truly, it was quite the highlight to have women ask if they could hold my "lightsaber". I also used the Jedi mind trick when the bartender asked for ID. I amuse myself.) One guy was dressed as a surgeon and had a "free mammograms" sign. One girl--hot, no less--was dressed as an Tolkien-style elf and actually...I am not making this up...played World of Warcraft. (If WoW girls are all like this chick, I think I need to go as Leeroy Jenkins next year). One group went as a Star Trek crew, with Kirk, Spock and a redshirt girl.

But the winner was a woman who was wearing a miniature leopard-patterned dress with a leopard-ear headband. When I complimented her on her leopard outfit, she corrected me:

"No, no. I'm a cougar"

"A real cougar?"

"Yeah, I'm 40"

We have a winner.

Fall is finished...

...but not without some great pictures of what used to be the US military's outpost on Lake Ontario--Sackets Harbor, NY.