Well, a parable, actually. I got this a few years back and dusted it off, cuz it still works.Times haven't changed a-tall.A Japanese auto manufacturer and an American one decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peaks of  performance before the race.On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat. A senior management team was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. The senior management team reviewed the video of the race... [Read More]

I was watching a very interesting piece by PBS called "War Briefing".  In part 3, Counter-Insurgency, there are interesting discussions about the difference between Iraq and Afghanistan and then there is the usual discussion about the need for more troops.  That discussion leads to the problems with the "economy of force" in Afghanistan and the use of air power that is more substantial than our use of air power during the counter-insurgency in Iraq.  Or, so it implies.  In fact, the entire short conversation centers around increasing boots on the ground in Afghanistan will decrease the use of air power.I found... [Read More]

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

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At the Weekly Standard - Jules Crittenden on President-elect Obama's debt to President Bush.

Over at SondraK's - you can never have too much bacon. Especially this time of year. H/t, Wendy.

And while it's not in vogue with the minimalist view of warfighting - when you're a participant, vice a pontificating bureaucrat...



-the Armorer

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The War On Big Tobacco... BT is having a rough deployment, coping with several assaults on his dignity - such as being a Fobbit-by-his-own-admission, as well as the normal travails of a normal married male in a hot-charged environment.  He's also a helluva a writer, much as I think it's going to cost him his chance at being President, the honesty of his writing can be uncomfortably brutal. He'll make more from the book he's going to get out of this deployment than he would as President anyway. This is one such post.  There's some Joseph Heller and Jerzy Kozsinski in there, with a frisson of Vonnegut.  If you don't want to wander that deeply into BT's emotional crannies, consider this lighter post - Queen for a Year.  -the Armorer

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French blogger Jean-Marc Liotier shares American troops in Afghanistan through the eyes of a French OMLT infantryman, a translation from a French soldier's post A Nos Freres D'Armes Americains. The view of our soldiers through the eyes of one French soldier is a must read. H/T to Roger. - the Adjutant

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Thus does the Adjutant bust herself. Not only did she *not* take the quiz, she neglected to read the entry right above the quiz...  

8^ D 

I shilled that French soldier link out to numerous Big Blogs, without a link bleg attached - I thought it best to go direct. C'est la guerre! -the Armorer

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Snerk!  MSNBC goes Vegan!  Tim Blair neatly skewers David Shuster et. cie.  As have dozens of others.  News for you, David - in the end, everything, including you, is food for something.  It is the way of all flesh.  Perhaps out on the farm, we're just a little closer to it, and so more comfortable with it.  But unless you're going vegan, this was much more about Palin-bashing than where Thanksgiving Dinner comes from.  Be thankful you live someplace where you don't have a more passing familiarity with life as it is for the bulk of the planet.  the Armorer

Update: Mark Steyn sticks in the knife and twists...
 

And that's Sarah Palin's real stroke of genius in these difficult times for the global economy. For, in an age when the government picks which banks to nationalize and which banks to fail, and guarantees mortgages that should never have been issued, and prepares to demand that those taxpayers with responsible and affordable pension plans prop up the lavish and unsustainable pension programs of Detroit, Governor Palin has given us a great teaching moment and a perfect snapshot of what my Brit reader would recognize as pre-Thatcher "industrial policy":

When the government decides it can "pick winners" and spare them from the realities of the market, everyone else gets bled to death.

Thank you, Sarah. It's the first election ad of Campaign '12.
 

Indeed.  -the Armorer

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The right fine blog Zombietime urges us to declare that today is Victory in Iraq Day.  I can empathize, because it's clear that President Bush isn't going to declare a victory. There's been discussion aplenty around here on the merits of the idea, with yours truly the curmudgeonly hold-out asserting that in this kind of war, it's too early to call it a win. Mind you, I hope you're all correct.  But I hold a contrarian (and apparently minority) position.Heh.  If it all does go well and we leave cleanly in 2011, with a functional nation of Iraq standing tall, I can't wait to... [Read More]

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

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Castle Adjutant Barb sent me this link: Afghanistan's Korengal Valley - The Big Picture - Boston.com
There are some simply amazing bits of Gunner Zen and Grunt Zen on this page.

This is the intro:

Yesterday was Veteran's Day (or Armistice or Remembrance Day, depending on where you live), a day set aside to honor those who have served in the military. Today, on the day after, it seems appropriate to share some photographs of U.S. soldiers currently in the thick of war in Afghanistan. Getty Images photographer John Moore spent some time recently in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley, near the Pakistani border, with Viper Company of the 1-26 Infantry, and brought back these images, documenting what he saw. The final two photographs do not involve Korengal, but are striking examples of these difficult and complex times, and the sacrifice of one American family.

Mr. Moore has done an outstanding job.  Click that link and you'll see what I mean.  -the Armorer

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Interesting lead in an email from Jules Crittenden this morning:

M1 Brain, Fake, Ready To Think: GI Dave, do you mind if I ask you a personal question?
GI Dave: No, not at all.
M1 BFRTT: Well, forgive me for being so inquisitive but during the past few weeks, I’ve wondered whether you might be having some second thoughts about the mission.
GI Dave: How do you mean? I love splattering Taliban, you know that.

Go read the rest, at Faux Coconut.  Clever take, Jules.  -the Armorer

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CJ has a tear-jerker over at A Soldier's Perspective.  -the Armorer

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Bill's Kaydets aren't the only Iraqi military personnel who have an appreciation for the sacrifces made on their behalf by Americans.  Some Iraqi troops expressed their appreciation by sending aid to California fire victims. 

‘We want to send a message to the American president and the American people,’ said Abbas. ‘We feel that we are a family – one body. When one part of the body suffers, the other parts suffer too.’ -the Armorer

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Heh.  Always have your cell phone handy.  And *always* know where your bullets are going to go.  If you don't know, don't pull the trigger.  H/t, Kevin.  -the Armorer

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Regarding Kat's post on the subject below, Dr. Sean Maloney, a canadian military historian who has been involved in chronicling and analyzing the Canadian Forces efforts in Afghanistan sent along an article he wrote in 2005 that discusses the origins of the PRTs.He also had this to say:PS:I sat in on some of the first meetings when these things were conceptualized. Nobody anticipated they would be anything more than a 'bridge' until the Afghans could re-establish some form of governance. If somebody told that crew then that they'd still be running seven years later, they'd freak.-SMMFrom the intro to the... [Read More]

A missive from Guns America:
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Kat in her post below, rants about the paper written by Michael Hallett; New Potentials for Provincial Reconstruction Teams. 

The core of her piece (and you should read it all if you haven't) is this:

Lack of Unity of Effort

Many people point to the Iraq surge of troops as the turning point in Iraq. Others discuss the development of the COIN strategy. But, none of it mattered without one really important development:

Unity of Effort

Not just militarily, but across the State Department, UN, US and foreign aid agencies. It took a dynamic concept and people with a single purpose. It took people like Petraeus and Crocker to stop the infighting and push these organizations to work together. Crocker worked, not only with the Iraqi government, but with the foreign aid organizations and the UN to move them towards a single plan. Petraeus also exercised influence over the national government and Iraqi military, but most importantly had his teams focus on local governance and security. They acted as the first line to identify the needs in their areas after securing their AOs. PRT efforts concured with security efforts.

Afghanistan lacks that in spades. Both in the American effort and the general Coalition.

They can create any number of organizations with initials as long as the alphabet. They can read the COIN manual and try to implement it. Build wells, roads and schools. Nothing matters unless we have one goal and one direction.

One other aspect of the strategy involved how it was employed. Right now, Afghanistan resembles a quotation. To paraphrase: he who seeks to do everything at once, will accomplish nothing.
 

Perhaps Kat missed this post by John Nagl, that went up on November 19.  In it, Nagl says:

Things I find particularly interesting in this plan include the upfront acknowledgement that this is a counterinsurgency (vice peacekeeping) campaign (obvious to us, but hugely important in the NATO context); the addition of "Shaping Operations" to the classic "Clear, Hold, Build" COIN methodology; an acknowledgment that in this still critically under-resourced theater, ISAF cannot be strong everywhere and must therefore prioritize areas to clear and hold (a point Dave Kilcullen made well on Sunday with Fareed Zakaria); and the overt emphasis on buildling Afghan governance capability and capacity as the objective of all of our operations.

Like all good plans (whether this one is good depends on success in execution) it's pretty simply stated.  The devil is in the details of the various orders that will drive execution:

MISSION
ISAF conducts operations in partnership with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (GIRoA) and in coordination with Operation Enduring Freedom, the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and the international community in order to assist GIRoA to defeat the insurgency, establish a secure environment, extend viable governance, and promote development throughout Afghanistan.

LINES OF OPERATION
         􀂾 Security
         􀂾Governance
         􀂾Reconstruction and Development

COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED APPROACH
        􀂾Comprehensive: Working concurrently across all three lines of operation.
        􀂾Integrated: Operating in a coordinated manner with GIRoA and the international community.

KEY PLANNING FACTORS
        􀂾Counterinsurgency campaign.
        􀂾Shape, in order to clear in order to hold and build.
        􀂾Prioritize the areas to clear and hold.
        􀂾Establish and maintain freedom of movement.
        􀂾Apply greater effort on the narcotics-insurgency nexus.
        􀂾Identify and engage key Afghan community leaders.
        􀂾Interdict and disrupt insurgent movement to and from sanctuaries in the border region.
        􀂾Build Afghan capability, capacity, and credibility.
 

One of the challenges with Afghanistan is the NATO aspect, meaning General McKiernan has many people interested in what he's doing, from  SACEUR's General Craddock to CENTCOM's General Petraeus, along with having SOCOM operating in his area on their own, worldwide writ... and then we add in the NATO governments and their national caveats. On top of that we have the Afghanistan government(s), and the various other interested parties from NGOs to the UN.  McKiernan needs unity of command before he can begin to get unity of effort. [Read More]

...I'm moving -- again.Stately Tuttle Hootch is a tin roof barracks-type deal located a twenty-five minute walk from the flight line, a five-minute walk from the Hall of Chow, a five-minute walk from the PX/BX and a ten-minute walk from the laundry (no, I don't step into the shower fully-clothed and wash the quotidian raiment. Not since February, any way). The new digs are just like my Conex container in Boz, except it has a sink with (sometimes) running water. The engineers are "working on it." *No* roommates blistering the paint off the walls! Electric light until 0400! Space for... [Read More]

You want to know how we die in Afghanistan?  Right here.  This paper relegates the PRTs to paper pushing and chauffering dignitaries.  I have never read such bureaucratic BS.  The situation with the PRTs and the multitude of various other alphabet groups really shows one major malfunction in Afghanistan:

Lack of Unity of Effort

Many people point to the Iraq surge of troops as the turning point in Iraq. Others discuss the development of the COIN strategy.  But, none of it mattered without one really important development:

Unity of Effort

Not just militarily, but across the State Department, UN, US and foreign aid agencies.  It took a dynamic concept and people with a single purpose.  It took people like Petraeus and Crocker to stop the infighting and push these organizations to work together.  Crocker worked, not only with the Iraqi government, but with the foreign aid organizations and the UN to move them towards a single plan.  Petraeus also exercised influence over the national government and Iraqi military, but most importantly had his teams focus on local governance and security.  They acted as the first line to identify the needs in their areas after securing their AOs.  PRT efforts concured with security efforts. 

Afghanistan lacks that in spades.  Both in the American effort and the general Coalition. 

They can create any number of organizations with initials as long as the alphabet.  They can read the COIN manual and try to implement it.  Build wells, roads and schools.  Nothing matters unless we have one goal and one direction. 

One other aspect of the strategy involved how it was employed.  Right now, Afghanistan resembles a quotation.  To paraphrase: he who seeks to do everything at once, will accomplish nothing.  

[Read More]

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.

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From a Canadian blogger of our acquaintance comes this Epic Fail.  -the Armorer

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The Australian Navy goes on Christmas vacation.

NAVY chiefs battling a staffing crisis have taken the unprecedented step of ordering a two-month shutdown over Christmas, and have told personnel with child-care problems that they can work from home.

The navy has also ordered all ships not deployed on operations home for Christmas to try to combat a 2020 shortfall in trained personnel.

In addition, the number of sailors forced to stay on board ships docked in their home port on "duty watch" as sentries will be reduced from previous levels of 15 to 20 people to a skeleton staff.

Instead sensors and alarms will be used to guard the ships, with the ultimate aim being to do away with the need for any people at all.

Some serious problems there, and it's nice to know, I'm sure, that you can take a knee behind the shield of the US Navy, regardless.   And not all of those ideas - such as skeleton staffing to no staffing, are ideas not worthy of meritable consideration - no matter how jarring they seem at first glance.  -the Armorer

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Anybody notice that, given the depth of his political experience, that President-elect Obama is giving us pretty much the same people we would have gotten with a President-elect Clinton?  Hope and change is starting to look like 90's nostalgia.  Good enough, as long as it's with post 9/11 eyes.

On another topic - Kat, in her post below, talks about using the SOFA agreement as a vehicle for declaring victory - there are others already flogging the horses on that bandwagon - over at Zombietime they're pushing the idea of the People spontaneously (well, the Blogs) declaring 22 November Victory In Iraq Day.  Me, given the unconventional nature of this war, I'm minded to hold the victory celebrations until, oh, 2013 or so, when we see how well things hung together after we leave in 2011.  This war isn't like WWI and II, where the winners and losers sat across from each other at a table and signed documents clearly acknowledging the cessation in hostilities.  In this instance, the enemy is still keeping his vote in play. I am *such* a wet blanket, I know. -the Armorer

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This takes "cow tipping" to a new technological high.  Or, low.  Something like that.  -the Armorer

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From a french blog, Serendipitous Altruism, a post about how a French soldier views his American counterparts in Afghanistan.  Merci, ami!   -the Armorer

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Civics Quiz.  I got 32 of 33.  The one I missed, I missed because I misread the plain english of the question.  Fie.  -the Armorer

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Heh.  Let's not forget Project Valour-IT.  Last year, the Air Force was led by the ElTee from Op-For.  I used this little known snap of Noonan to generate support for squashing those flying insects.


This year, the Team Air Force performance is so dismal, I'm putting up *their* donation button, and recommending you go toss $15 dollars in their bucket.  But you'll have to go below the fold to do so.
C'mon - we're only talking a couple of sixpacks to help a wounded Joe use a computer like you just did.  You can spare that, can't ya?
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Battle of Tarawa remembered on 65th anniversary
In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 20, 2008, Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett spreads his father's ashes on Red Beach in Tarawa, Kiribati where his father fought his way ashore 65 years ago on the first day of the Battle of Tarawa. The fight for the tiny atoll halfway between Hawaii and Australia was one of World War II's most brutal.
(AP Photo/Audrey McAvoy)
You should read the whole article for Master Sgt. James M. Fawcett's comments about his father and ADM Keating's remarks as well.......Maggie


The Armorer adds:  We've mentioned Tarawa in this space many times, usually in passing - whether in terms of participants, such as Carl William Martin, or in the form of a thank you from the world down under, by Murray. [Read More]

The Weblog Awards are running through the 'nets again.  I don't play in that arena any more - and not just because the field has so expanded with quality blogs that we, justifiably, don't make the cut anymore in the milblog category.  This is an auld-phart blog that blogs about things military and other, we really dont fit the milblog niche that well anymore, and there are some really really outstanding military blogs out there that are much more focused than the quirky old Castle.  Looking at the nominees for the Best Milblog category - you see the usual suspects of Blackfive,... [Read More]

eHarmony settles with New Jersey Attorney General:

Coming soon to EHarmony — Adam and Steve.

The Pasadena-based dating website, heavily promoted by Christian evangelical leaders when it was founded, has agreed in a civil rights settlement to give up its heterosexuals-only policy and offer same-sex matches.

EHarmony was started by psychologist Neil Clark Warren, who is known for his mild-mannered television and radio advertisements. It must not only implement the new policy by March 31 but also give the first 10,000 same-sex registrants a free six-month subscription.

“That was one of the things I asked for,” said Eric McKinley, 46, who complained to New Jersey’s Division on Civil Rights after being turned down for a subscription in 2005.

The company said that Warren was not giving interviews on the settlement. But attorney Theodore Olson, who issued a statement on the company’s behalf, made clear that it did not agree to offer gay matches willingly. “Even though we believed that the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business,” Olson said, “we ultimately decided it was best to settle this case with the attorney general since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable.”

The settlement, which did not find that EHarmony broke any laws, calls for the company to either offer the gay matches on its current venue or create a new site for them. EHarmony has opted to create a site called Compatiblepartners.net.

Warren had said in past interviews that he didn’t want to feature same-sex services on EHarmony — which matches people based on long questionnaires concerning personality traits, relationship history and interests — because he felt he didn’t know enough about gay relationships.

Okay.  I understand this is an issue of equal public accomodation in it's thrust.  What I fail to understand is why is the solution to force eHarmony to build a business entity it's owners aren't comfortable with?  eHarmony settled rather than go through litigation, though they've been sued before by a lesbian and by a guy who was married (admittedly, getting divorced) and wanted to start spouse-shopping again.
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