by Ed Timperlake
The complexities of US re-engaging in Iraq are captured in a very thoughtful article in the Washington Post,
with a quote from Lt. Gen. Dave Deptula USAF (ret) who correctly
summarizes the situation and asks exactly the right question.
The right can make a simple point; why should the US fight harder for something that those more directly affected are willing to fight for, especially considering all the money and US military sacrifice?
So it is a very fair question is, “To what end?”
But first, as the administration proceeds, “the how” becomes critical.
All components of Airpower, from gathering Intel to bombing are essential in this fight. There is a very important discussion of a nation’s use of airpower in 21st Century war in a 2010 British Ministry of Defense report, Future Character-of-Conflict:
The report has this gem,
The
reader will note that in the “fog of war,” if ISIS are in the open they
can be bombed, but if they are amongst the population, it is an Iraqi
Army intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) problem to
flush them out and kill them. US Special Forces are world class in
helping in that type of fight.
Consequently, with daily reporting of breaking events in Iraq describing the horror of fanatical Islamic killers on the march, the use of US military combat power goes beyond a theoretical issue. Time does not favor the US; the situation will not get better. A US military response is an immediate real world problem, and is a truly “wicked problem,” especially where innocent Iraqis are involved.
ISIS forces, crazier than Al-Qaeda, are current truly world-class bad guys, just as fanatical as the Khmer Rouge with their Killing Fields. They are using the horror of psychological terror as a weapon to their advantage in their 21st Century way of war. This is just like the Khmer Rouge and the WWII German Army.
US airpower cannot only just level the fight, but can tip the balance. However, there is a significant PR factor. The US and Allies have developed a real sensitivity toward killing innocents and avoiding collateral damage. This is a very sincere doctrine that probably cost some US and allied troops their lives in Iraq by withholding air attack because of a lack of intelligence meant there was no assurance innocents would not be killed.
America and the entire Middle East and Europe might be directly affected if the events in Iraq facilitate Iran achieving their quest for a nuclear bomb. If Iran is seen as a moderating force in Iraq while still working diligently to erase Israel from the map, it will eventually help put the entire world in danger of horrendous death and destruction. The question posed earlier -- “to what end?” – has a simple answer. We could be facing Armageddon triggered in the Middle East by the Islamic Republic Iran seeking to being about the arrival of the Twelfth Mahdi.
Failure to act early on ISIS was a strategic blunder of historic proportions, and the president and his team’s current dithering does not help. Failure to anticipate and address Iran’s long term moves by embracing the immediate, Iran “help,” while ignoring Iran’s quest for a Nuke, will be unforgiveable.
Always remember that delay leads to more Iranian involvement. Letting Iran appear “moderate” is beyond foolish. Everything else concerning any other political, and diplomatic solutions for Iraq and the region is second order. After all, the Sunnis and Shias have been killing each with whatever weapons were at their disposal since Mohammed died. Adding Islamic nuclear bombs to the mix can only multiply the horror. So much for Islam being a 21st Century religion of peace.
The British have an ultimate conclusion, which asserts the need for “high-caliber people educated and trained to a new benchmark.” The US has already failed completely with the foolish lightweights currently in charge.
Ed Timperlake traveled throughout Iraq in late 2003 on a DOD mission to identify contraband weapons smuggled into Iraq under the UN "Oil-For-Food" program
“Militarily,
we can do just about anything we want,” said David Deptula, a retired
Air Force lieutenant general who helped lead previous air campaigns over
Iraq and Afghanistan. “The question is, to what end?
There
are two factions in American politics that are trying to answer
immediately the general’s question. Some on the left will simply say,
“Enough!” and their end point is simple, do nothing; America should
stand down. History has proven that one should never underestimate the
left’s ability to walk away from strategic moral choices. Never forget
that their direct lineage from the anti-war left turning a blind eye on
Vietnamese boat people and the Cambodian Killing Fields after the fall
of South VietnamThe right can make a simple point; why should the US fight harder for something that those more directly affected are willing to fight for, especially considering all the money and US military sacrifice?
So it is a very fair question is, “To what end?”
But first, as the administration proceeds, “the how” becomes critical.
All components of Airpower, from gathering Intel to bombing are essential in this fight. There is a very important discussion of a nation’s use of airpower in 21st Century war in a 2010 British Ministry of Defense report, Future Character-of-Conflict:
The report has this gem,
“If
the enemy chooses or has no practical alternative other than wage
warfare in a regular conventional way; US air power will defeat it long
before US ground power comes into conflict.”
Unfortunately,
Obama Administration dithering missed a battlefield opportunity to
thwack the ISIS forces when they were out in the open and on the move.
That could have really slowed down their advance. Now, to use another
insightful phase in the MOD report, future combat operations in Iraq
have metastasized into a “wicked problem.” Because as the British point
out airpower can in certain situations come with significant limitations.
The
future character of conflict requires a shift of emphasis from
platforms and C2 nodes towards better human understanding especially
where target signatures are small or ambiguous. Western conventional
dominance is based on the ability to find, fix and strike the enemy
force. Future threat actors will seek to operate in congested and
cluttered environments in order to avoid Western superiority, which will
require us to exploit newer environments such as space, cyberspace, and
non-lethal weapons. Situational understanding will also require an
in-depth knowledge of the adversaries’ military capabilities and also
their culture and decision-making. Our people will need not only to
understand the imperatives for campaign success, but also how to work
within a highly nuanced context.
Consequently, with daily reporting of breaking events in Iraq describing the horror of fanatical Islamic killers on the march, the use of US military combat power goes beyond a theoretical issue. Time does not favor the US; the situation will not get better. A US military response is an immediate real world problem, and is a truly “wicked problem,” especially where innocent Iraqis are involved.
ISIS forces, crazier than Al-Qaeda, are current truly world-class bad guys, just as fanatical as the Khmer Rouge with their Killing Fields. They are using the horror of psychological terror as a weapon to their advantage in their 21st Century way of war. This is just like the Khmer Rouge and the WWII German Army.
US airpower cannot only just level the fight, but can tip the balance. However, there is a significant PR factor. The US and Allies have developed a real sensitivity toward killing innocents and avoiding collateral damage. This is a very sincere doctrine that probably cost some US and allied troops their lives in Iraq by withholding air attack because of a lack of intelligence meant there was no assurance innocents would not be killed.
America and the entire Middle East and Europe might be directly affected if the events in Iraq facilitate Iran achieving their quest for a nuclear bomb. If Iran is seen as a moderating force in Iraq while still working diligently to erase Israel from the map, it will eventually help put the entire world in danger of horrendous death and destruction. The question posed earlier -- “to what end?” – has a simple answer. We could be facing Armageddon triggered in the Middle East by the Islamic Republic Iran seeking to being about the arrival of the Twelfth Mahdi.
Failure to act early on ISIS was a strategic blunder of historic proportions, and the president and his team’s current dithering does not help. Failure to anticipate and address Iran’s long term moves by embracing the immediate, Iran “help,” while ignoring Iran’s quest for a Nuke, will be unforgiveable.
Always remember that delay leads to more Iranian involvement. Letting Iran appear “moderate” is beyond foolish. Everything else concerning any other political, and diplomatic solutions for Iraq and the region is second order. After all, the Sunnis and Shias have been killing each with whatever weapons were at their disposal since Mohammed died. Adding Islamic nuclear bombs to the mix can only multiply the horror. So much for Islam being a 21st Century religion of peace.
The British have an ultimate conclusion, which asserts the need for “high-caliber people educated and trained to a new benchmark.” The US has already failed completely with the foolish lightweights currently in charge.
Ed Timperlake traveled throughout Iraq in late 2003 on a DOD mission to identify contraband weapons smuggled into Iraq under the UN "Oil-For-Food" program
Source: http://www.americanthinker.com/2014/06/the_next_chapter_in_iraq_airpower_and_boots_on_the_ground.html
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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