Who Dares Wins
Hello, o well-missed blogosphere. Between the demands of working my day job and the compulsion of family on the turkey holiday, I’ve been neither here nor there for much longer than I’m truly happy with. Hopefully I’m back, though. Hopefully.
In my “copious spare time,” I’ve been reading To Dare to Conquer by Derek Leebaert, which is a fascinating book on special operations warfare from ancient Western history to modern Western history. I highly recommend it–Leebaert is a very compelling academic writer, and even if the subject didn’t interest me to the nth degree, I would enjoy the book. Also, I find it relevant to current topics, as General McChrystal was commander of JSOC, and it doesn’t take a genius to see how that affects his command.
It’s providing some compelling food for thought. From page 24:
Emphasis on technical ingenuity is one of the several differences between special operations and guerilla warfare…The guerilla just about always expects the enemy to come to him and bitterly defends his own turf, where his greatest advantage is an intimate command of his land and people, often preferring to pounce only after he has been able to muster a numerical advantage. He opportunistically hits the enemy where it is weak–killing couriers, obliterating an unwary patrol, perhaps setting bombs off in the street. He avoids decisive confrontation and works with a different sense of time as he compels the enemy to spindle out its resources and patience.
And that pretty much sums up Southeast Asia. There’s some fascinating dissembling of Special Operations efforts in Afghanistan in here, and for a history nerd like me it’s shading some different light on the classics.
Hey, is it Tuesday yet?
I didn’t realize you got religion with the price of the visa
Guys, I’m so behind on everything that it’s not even funny anymore, but I couldn’t let this go by without posting.
Gaddafi spends two hours with 200 Italian ladies:
Muammar Gaddafi disappointed some 200 Italian women after he invited them using an agency advertizing a “party” where the Libyan leader proceeded to lecture them on Islam, Italian media reported on Monday.
The ad, by the Hostessweb agency, was very specific in the kind of woman that should attend and read: “Seeking 500 attractive girls between 18 and 35 years old, at least 1.70 meters (5 foot, 7 inches) tall, well-dressed but not in mini-skirts or low cut dresses.”
Some 200 women showed up at a Rome villa, having been told they would receive €60 ($90) and “some Libyan gifts.” Among them was an undercover reporter for Italian news agency ANSA, who took photos and described the evening’s proceedings.
The reporter described how the ladies answered the ad expecting to attend a lavish party but were instead told to wait in a large hall until the arrival of Gaddafi, who gave them a lesson on Libya and the role of women in Islam.
Seriously. You can’t make this shit up.
One more tick in the to-do list
The day job is kicking my ass right now, meaning I’m pulled away from what I’d rather be doing; namely, analyzing reports of Obama’s combat troop level decision in light of Amb. Eikenberry’s reservations. But since I don’t have the time nor the brainspace to do that, I’ll follow up on the Valour-IT project.
We’ve collectively raised over $100,000, which is just fantastic. Navy came in with a respectable third, bringing in $18,000. I’m so proud of our team! Thanks to everyone for participating, donating, and making this such a worthwhile event.
On the Western Front
The day shouldn’t pass without my saying Happy Veterans Day! For me, this is personal thanks especially to my family: my father, who served in the USMC; my uncles, who served in the Air Force and the Navy; my grandfathers, who also served in the Navy; and to my friends, my contemporaries, who have served in all different services, in our current conflicts. My love and thanks to you all.
All Hands, Lionesses, Valour-IT
As Valour-IT nears its close, I thought I’d share this, which combines two topics I’m particularly interested in: women, and women in the military. This story of Cpl. Jennifer Marie Parcell, Lioness, is well worth your time to watch. (I uploaded it to DailyMotion because I couldn’t get it to embed from the main website.)
And…go Navy! Even if the Marines are whupping our collective asses.
Video behind the cut. (more…)
“She Flies With Her Own Wings”
Okay, a little more information: I live in the beautiful state of Oregon. And I was surprised to learn today that my governor, Ted Kulongoski, is visiting OR servicemembers in Iraq this week.
Gov. Ted Kulongoski arrived in Baghdad Monday on his third visit to Iraq to check on Oregon troops stationed there.
Kulongoski said in a conference call with reporters that morale was high among the Oregon National Guard soldiers he has met so far. But he said several expressed concern about what would be facing them economically when they return home in the spring. Nearly 3,000 members of the 41st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered in Tigard, are now deployed in Iraq.
Kulongoski is touring the country with three other governors, Sonny Perdue of Georgia, Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Dave Freudenthal of Wyoming. Kulongoski previously visited Iraq in 2004 and in 2006.
Kulongoski is a pretty good governor, though he’s a lame duck for 2010; I’ve rather admired him before, but this does make me like him more.
Clamoring atop the wall
More on the subject of women–specifically American women serving in the US military–some recent pieces I’ve cobbled together.
First, Boston University has an interview posted with Marine Gunnery Sergeant Patricia Chapman, BU’s new ROTC instructor.
Are female soldiers finding themselves increasingly on the front lines?
In Iraq and Afghanistan, there is really no front line. Even on base, we weren’t safe, because we’d get incoming mortar rounds. Our motor pool took a couple of rounds when we were prepping for a convoy. The front lines are as soon as you step out the gate.
Women are still limited in what we can do as far as infantry roles. On my second tour, I spent time with an infantry unit that was posted at the entrance to a city known for an al-Qaeda cell and other terror groups. They would use females as smugglers. In Iraqi and Arab culture, no man’s allowed to touch a woman other than her husband, so we searched the women as they went through the checkpoints. Large amounts of cash were one of the biggest things we were looking for. We’d find thousands of dollars, and you knew it was probably going toward IED materials.
And, not unrelatedly, this piece from Reuters, Women Marines want a chance outside the Afghan wire:
But those are trivial considerations when it comes to their sincere desire to join the grunts on the frontline if the Pentagon suddenly changed its rules.
“If somebody came and said, ‘do you want to be a grunt today?’, hell yes, I’d jump at the chance to go,” Birker said.
Jones quickly agreed. “I’ll get my M-203, let’s go,” she said, referring to a grenade launcher which can be attached to a rifle.
From Attrition, Girls With Guns Get It Done:
Still, the casualty rate for women in Iraq is over ten times what it was in World War II, Vietnam and the 1991 Gulf War. A lot of the combat operations experienced by women in Iraq involves base security, or guard duty. Female troops have performed well in that. This is a job that requires alertness, attention to detail and ability to quickly use your weapons when needed. In convoy operations, women have also done well, especially when it comes to spotting, and dealing with, IEDs (roadside bombs and ambushes). Going into the 21st century, warfare is becoming more automated, and less dependent on muscle and testosterone. That gives women an edge, and they exploit it, just as they have done in so many other fields.
I think the most important thread in all these pieces is the notion that women are already experiencing combat, in wars where there are no front lines.
I quite liked this article from All Business, A Woman’s Place Is at the Pentagon:
But there is, too, the less discussed reality that the Pentagon is at heart an institution that is in the business of war, and women are not permitted to be on the front lines of combat. That raises the question of whether women can truly rise to the top echelons of the Department of Defense. “I think in some numbers, the answer is yes. As a class, it will not be until we recognize that women are able to do, by and large, all that their compatriots can do, as long as they are held to the same standard, that you will see a true shift,” Hicks says. “I think the appetite is there.”
Of note, Kate Hoit’s documentary, Women of the Military. Kate Hoit, a female soldier, comes home from Iraq, discovers that America has a distorted view of women in the military, and makes a documentary to tell the truth of what it’s really like to be a woman in today’s military.
Trailer:
I wish I could watch this movie. Second to last, a couple quick notes on female veterans:
- Women veterans asked to register at memorial Web site: At the Women in Military Service for America Memorial, these words come to life in the stories and memories of the nearly two million women who have served in defense of our nation
- ‘Their stories go with them’–Vets share experiences during Salute to Veterans: A true Devil Dog, she calls it “a funny story.” Noel is the first female Marine gunnery sergeant to be awarded a Purple Heart. She told her story to a crowd of young attentive Marines, passing shoppers and other veterans during Saturday’s “Salute Veterans” at Jacksonville Mall.
- BPWF, Dear Jane Campaign: Business and Professional Women’s Foundation is looking for WOMEN VETERANS to write letters to deployed women, offering practical advice on how to best transition from the military to the civilian workplace.
- Female Veterans Honored With Monument. [See video.]
And finally, I keep coming back to these images over and over again from Life magazine on women during WWII. Incredible.
A WAVE Takes Target Practice
Today you killed me, but remember.
Right now, I’m reading Richard Engel’s A Fist in the Hornet’s Nest, which is his account of being an American journalist in Baghdad before, during, and after the initial US invasion of Iraq. It’s something of a mediocre book, where the events are more compelling than his ability to write about them, but he certainly does have an understanding of the Middle East/Central Asia borne of a decade of being there.
However, this passage stood out to me today.
I tried to back away, but found myself surrounded by people cheering, “Allahu Akhbar!” Arabic for God is greatest. The phrase is the heart of the prayers pious Muslims perform five times a day. It embodies everything Muslims believe, which is fundamentally that God–Allah–is greater than human existence and that a Muslim–a word that literally mean in Arabic a person who “surrenders”–must submit to God’s greater power.
Calling out Allahu Akhbar was a way for the crowd to try to overcome the tragedy–which they were powerless to prevent–by drawing strength from their faith. To call out Allahu Akhbar meant–perhaps subconsciously–that they would not be defeated because God’s power is greater than what had just happened, greater than death or American bombs. I’d seen Palestinians react similarly to death many, many times. Allahu Akhbar! Today you killed me, but remember, God is greatest.
Page 118.
Lots of goldfish, one tiny fishbowl.
I admit, I find it surprising how much Iraq recedes in our view as 2010’s drawdown grows nearer; I suppose there’s only so much ink for a (electronic) page, and Afghanistan is in everyone’s minds. But Iraq remains a fragile state, and the US presence there is significant still. So, a few pieces from here and there that I thought I’d bring to your attention.
First, it did not go unnoticed that the Iraq parliament succeeded in passing election reform [WSJ]:
Lawmakers agreed Sunday on the key sticking point — how the vote will be held in the oil-rich area of Kirkuk in northern Iraq, which is claimed by Sunni Arabs, Turkmen and Kurds.
“We didn’t get everything we wanted, but at least it’s done now,” said Fryad Rawandoozi, spokesman for the Kurdish bloc.
Despite the eleventh-hour agreement, Iraq’s election commission said Sunday that it still didn’t have enough time to prepare for the January 2010 vote. The commission can’t delay the poll unilaterally, however, and Parliament’s agreement appears to have put the election back on track.
In the agreement hammered out over Kirkuk, eligible voters will be determined by 2009 voter-registration records, a condition supported by the Kurds. But a technical committee will be set up to review the votes. If there are a certain number of irregularities, the elections will be repeated in a year, a condition pushed by the Arabs and Turkmen.
I think the key word in the phrase “appears to have put the election back on track” is “appears,” though wrestling with the Kurd bloc is certainly a step in the right direction. Kurdistan has always fascinated me, an island unto itself, almost. However, if things truly proceed only a fortnight or so behind schedule, it shouldn’t compromise the US military withdrawal; though I still remain concerned that security in Iraq is of the smokescreen variety.
From Army News we learn of a key-giving ceremony, granting more MNF-controlled land back to, well, the Iraqis:
The Wisconsin Army National Guard’s 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, part of Joint Area Support Group-Central, helped contribute to that progress, Oct. 25, when they handed the keys to two large properties inside Baghdad’s International Zone back over to the Iraqi government — a symbolic gesture that transferred the property to the Iraqis.
“In terms of square footage of habitable structures, Essayons and Freedom Compound are the largest we’ve turned over so far,” said the 32nd Brigade’s Maj. Gregory Schlub, who is the officer in charge of real properties for Joint Area Support Group-Central, in Baghdad.
The two properties, formerly used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, include about 25 acres of land and buildings with about 380,000 square feet of floor space.
I really hope I’m not the only person rather uncomfortable granting a “key to the city” to the people who in fact possess it; methinks a press pool officer might’ve thought a bit harder about that one.
Stratfor, sharing my wariness about January 2010, writes of Iraq: A Rebounding Jihad:
The Sunni sheikhs are using the [Islamic State of Iraq] to send a message to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the Sunnis must be accommodated if there is to be real peace and stability in Iraq. One sticking point for the Sunni elders is that a large percentage of the Awakening Council members have not been integrated into the security forces as promised. Of course, the Shia and Kurds then use these attacks as an excuse for why the Sunnis cannot be trusted — and it all becomes a vicious circle.
The political situation that is driving the security problems in Iraq is complex and cannot be easily resolved. There are many internal and external players who are all trying to influence the final outcome in Iraq for their own benefit. In addition to the internal squabbles over power and oil wealth, Iraq is also a proxy battleground where the United States and Iran are attempting to maintain and assert influence. Regional players like the Saudis, Syrians and Turks also will take a keen interest in the elections and will certainly attempt to influence them to whatever degree they can. The end result of all this meddling is that peace and stability will be hard to obtain.
This means that terrorist attacks likely will continue for the foreseeable future, including attacks by the ISI. If the attacks in August and October are any indication, the remainder of the run-up to the January elections could prove quite bloody.
Granted, had IED defenses not been put into place, the attack on Oct. 25 in Baghdad could have done significantly more damage, but in a sense this is the crucible in which ISF will indeed prove itself. Can ISF keep its citizens secure as the Americans leave? Can it prevent politically motivated terrorist conflict? Can it do so and remain a strong independent force not subject to corruption?
I hope so. But the first quarter of ‘10 will be an important time to watch Iraq, I think.
Finally, Alissa Rubin’s column in the New York Times, From Iraq, Lessons for the Next War:
And victory in Iraq almost always begets revenge.
In my five years in Iraq, all that I wanted to believe in was gunned down. Sunnis and Shiites each committed horrific crimes, and the Kurds, whose modern-looking cities and Western ways seemed at first so familiar, turned out to be capable of their own brutality. The Americans, too, did their share of violence, and among the worst they did was wishful thinking, the misreading of the winds and allowing what Yeats called “the blood-dimmed tide” to swell. Could they have stopped it? Probably not. Could it have been stemmed so that it did less damage, saved some ofthe fathers and brothers, mothers and sons? Yes, almost certainly, yes.
Ricks tipped me off to this article, and while I find it to be one of the least compelling styles of journalism–personal experience masked as opinion masked as news–I do find it interesting to read in the context of the leavetaking that is being prepared. Lessons learned, people? Bring ‘em here.
leave a comment