[Mid] OT iHna hna Hatta insa’dak

iHna hna Hatta insa’dak

The above is Iraqi. We would say in English, “We are here to help you.”

Well, this week we got split into groups depending on our specialty. I am an Armor Officer so I went to “Advanced Counter-Insurgency Training.” There we learned how to be a military advisor for the Transition Teams that we are about to be a part of. Transition Teams are the most important part of the “fight” in Iraq. We are the ones that advise the new Iraqi Army and Security forces as they take up their patriotic duty for the fight to secure democracy for their country. After all, we took it for them. Now it’s up to them to hold on to the gift they have been given courtesy of the United States of America. As Thomas Jefferson once said, “We are not expected to be translated from despotism to liberty in a featherbed.”

There I learned how to advise my Iraqi counterparts so we could get missions done. The biggest issue is letting them make the decision. We simply don’t understand the “Third World” in America as we keep trying to hold them to our standards. The saying we learned is something to the effect of “It is better to let them do it tolerably then it is for us to do it perfectly.” In other words, get them to do it at 35 mph even though we may be able to do it at 70 mph.

I spent three days in advanced Counter-Insurgency classes. The biggest thing is working with local authorities to provide security and earn the trust of the people in their neighborhoods with out creating more insurgents in the process. This is largely an urban battle where people are the single biggest asset or “center of gravity” as we say in the Army. The military is only twenty (20%) percent of the solution. The remaining eighty (80%) is the people there and on the home front as well. This is literally a battle for the hearts and minds of the people via local, national, and international media. A lot of it is perception as it seems that “negative” news sells.

Some excellent examples of this are below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asymetrical_warfare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_generation_warfare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_operations_other_than_war

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil-Military_Co-operation

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects-Based_Operations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-intensity_operations

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare

Now the hardest part is maintaining the patience levels of all involved. The average patience level is about three (3) years in part to modern expectations that people have come to be socialized into in today’s society. Insurgents know this and do their best to not so much defeat a superior power (such as the USA) but to wear its people’s patience out. Once the superior power gives up, then the insurgents have effectively won. Now historically speaking in post-WWII history the shortest and most effective counter-insurgent campaign was by the British in Malaysia and that took twelve (12) years. Below is a short history of that affair:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malayan_Emergency

And the hardest part is finding the following:

A. Insurgent Financing. This consists of:
1. Drug Sales (Poppies and Cocaine – If you do illegal drugs then you are supporting the terrorists.)
2. Wahabist Charities (Islam encourages 2.5% of a Muslim income go to charity) Note: Christianity asks 10%. Requiring anything above that is pure greed no matter who it goes to.
3. Hostage Taking – FARC in Columbia is famous for this
4. Other black-market Activities – Illegal DVD Movies, etc.

B. Non-Government Agencies
1. Charities
2. Environment must be safe enough for THEIR risk levels
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ngo

Now one would think that the US would be especially good at counter-insurgency since the country was born from an insurgency and we have been fighting them since our first Indian War. Other examples are post-American Civil War, Philippine Insurrection, post WW II Germany, and, of course, Viet Nam. However, we are notorious about forgetting our lessons and having to relearn. And on top of that, it takes time to recognize whether we have an insurgency on our hands or not. In this case, it took us three years and now that we are rising to the task at hand we are once again winning. (After all, it took time for Lincoln to find US Grant to win the American Civil War. And then there was Reconstruction afterwards.) Now the question becomes one of time. Remember, the most successful counter-insurgency took twelve years to solve.

In this case, we have to win over the disenfranchised Sunni minority (approximately 20% of the population) and stop the Shia majority from retaliating for Sunni abuses. Al Qaeda is doing its best to fan these flames via acts such as blowing up the “Golden Mosque” in February of 2006.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Askari_Mosque

The Kurds are more than happy as long as both sides leave them alone.

We also got the privilege of a visit from LTC (Lieutenant Colonel) Robert Nagl. LTC Nagl is one of the premier doctrine writers on Counter-Insurgency. He wrote the book “Eating Soup with a Knife,” is a Rhodes Scholar, and got his PHD at Oxford. It was amazing watching him speak. If intelligence could be “rays of light,” then LTC Nagl would literally beaming with brilliance. All I could say was “WOW!” and I would consider myself doing well just to be able to keep up with an officer like that. It was amazing watching him answer questions. It was like he knew the answer before we even got it halfway out of our mouths or he would look even a little bored while answering. LTC Nagl also encouraged us all to interact with the media as much as possible so we could get the truth out about what was happening on our missions. Evidently, the Mainstream Media’s treatment of the war is a common complaint all way across the Armed Services are, as I thought, seeing a completely different view point on the ground then what is actually being reported. Below is a link to the FM 3-24 that I have been reading. I can honestly say that unlike most Army FM’s, it’s a pretty entertaining read which makes lots of good points.

http://www.fas.org/irp/doddir/army/fm3-24.pdf

One of the more interesting points, it makes about Counter-Insurgency is that sometimes the best (and hardest) thing to was to do nothing. That is because usually the Insurgents/Terrorist are trying to draw authorities into an event which will cause more damage then their actions (the terrorists) initially did. The best way I can think for the common person to relate to it is when somebody sends something via e-mail to you that is provocative (IE the Arch-Typical Flame War) and for you (the reader) to simply not react to it. After all, why react to it when it is obvious that person is only trying to pull you down in the mud they are already wallowing in. (IE Don’t sink to their already low level, just delete and send it to the trash bucket where it belongs.) Instead take five (5) seconds to delete the message and you will get a “kill ratio” (measured in time) of at least “12 to 1” as it probably took at least a minute of their time to write and send while it only takes literally a keystroke for you to delete said message.

Being on a Military Transition Team is actually a pretty cool job. We are being taught the basics of the Iraqi Language and traditions. We are going to get to try their food and work hand in hand with Iraqi patriots as they secure their country in a pattern which we call “Clear-Hold-Build.” Food will be a real challenge for me as I am pretty much a “Steak and Potato’s” kind of guy and definitely not into PC food either. So we will be able to literally live and fight with the Iraqis as part of their transition to a true nation-state led by a democratic government.

We also spent time on Convoy Operations as we would be driving via Armored Hum-Vees everywhere. Convoy Operations for me is pretty simple as I find it just a matter of “Reaction Drills” and maintaining vigilance. But then again, I am a “Combat Arms” officer so I get this stuff all the time.

We learned how to use the new Army Global Positioning System (GPS) known as DAGR. (Defense Advanced GPS Reciever). DAGR is pretty user friendly. It reminded me of and functioned a lot like my “Garmin 12” civilian GPS I bought back in 2001. We even went out for a three (3) kilometer walk using it as we found different points the instructors had set up for us to find.

Now we also had a class on how to “React to Media” as well. I found this class to be pretty good. The Army is encouraging every Soldier to be a “media contact” to get the story out. The hard part is finding a media that won’t do a “chop job” and make the story look like something it isn’t. It makes me wish Ernie Pyle or Edward Murrow were still reporter’s now a days. Murrow was quoted at Buchenwald as saying, “I pray you to believe what I have said about Buchenwald. I have reported what I saw and heard, but only part of it. For most of it I have no words...If I've offended you by this rather mild account of Buchenwald, I'm not in the least sorry.”

The closest I can think of in today’s terms is Michael Yon at:

http://www.michaelyon-online.com/

After all, how many of you know of events in the last week such as these thanks to our media here:

1. Marine earns Silver Star for Courage under Fire - Special Report from G.I. America

2. Troops kill Terrorist, detain 31 others – American Forces Press Release

3. Coalition Forces Capture 17 in Operations across Iraq – American Forces Press Release

4. “Phantom Phoenix” Makes Security, Civil Progress in First Week – American Forces Press Release

5. Soldiers conduct Tailgate Clinic for Iraqi Workers – American Forces Press Release

6. Coalition Kills 13, detains 3 during Operations – American Forces Press Release

7. Face of Defense: Guard medic focuses on Miss America Title – American Forces Press Release

And here is the “Hammer Slogger” which is the Forward Operating Base (FOB) Hammer news in their area of Iraq.

http://hammerslogger.gulfeast.com/

The last thing we did this week was draw more weapons, night vision, and vehicles. The staff at the motor pool and armory were highly professional and helpful here which made the process go pretty smoothly.

Now we have a four (4) day weekend in honor Dr. Martin Luther King so we are getting a well deserved break after the 12-15 hour days we all have been putting in. I am using my time to make the most of the limited time I have left with my beautiful wife.

That is one thing about the Army I appreciate it is that it knows how to take a holiday when it can and on top of that how many employers do you know that actually give you four days in a row for Dr. King’s birthday as well.

Stay in touch,

Jim

or

James Leach
CPT, Armor

My front is pushed back. My right gives way. Situation excellent! I am attacking!
    - Ferdinand Foch, c.1916

From: "Leach, James J CPT RES USAR FORSCOM" <james.leach1@us.army.mil>
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Received on Sun Jan 20 22:23:04 2008