05 Civil War – Page 99 – Public Intelligence Blog

2009/09/252009/09/25

Journal: Intelligence Is A Critical Need

05 Civil War, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, 11 Society, Cultural Intelligence, Government, Law Enforcement, Military, Non-Governmental, Peace Intelligence

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Intelligence Is A Critical Need

To do the job right and win

By Rep. Peter Hoekstra and Rep. John Shadegg

September 25, 2009 Pg. 21

Phi Beta Iota: Despite the fact that Representative Hoekstra is now Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), neither of these two individuals (or their staffs) appear to know what it would take to do proper intelligence in Afghanistan; why their commentary is fifteen years too late; and/or why it is also moot in the absence of a coherent reality-based strategy and the rescinding of the existing rules of engagement that are incapcitating our troops. Both good men trapped in a bad system, they have no access to ground truth from iconoclasts and are a perfect reprise to the “best and the brightest” on Viet-Nam–brilliantly uninformed.

2009/09/252009/09/25

Journal: Ralph Peters on The Rules Murdering Our Troops

05 Civil War, 10 Security, Military, Policy, Reform, Strategy

Over 200 Marines died in the barracks by the beach in Beirut, in their sleep, because the White House failed to understand that the strategic situation had changed; because chicken hawk staff approved the launching of battleship salvos (think really pissed-off Volkswagons in flight) that certified the US was “taking sides” rather than seeking to preserve the peace; and because the “rules of engagement” imposed on Colonel of Marines Tim Gerrity required that his Marines not have rounds in the chambers and not fire as approaching vehicles that failed to stop–at the same time, intelligence sucked then as it sucks now.

The photos are our own, from Beirut in August 2007. We grieve for our Marines, who sought to serve their country while being used as an expendible tool by the White House. Today the same thing is happening in Afghanistan and Ralph Peters has unleashed his own volley against the insanity of asking our troops to allow themselves to be killed whenever a civilian is in the area. Click on the collage for today's deja vu.

2009/09/252009/10/12

Journal: Afghanistan Bay of Pigs Reprise

05 Civil War, 10 Security, Military

What Next In Afghanistan? The Five People Obama Is Asking

Click on photo for full story. Grades and comments are those of Phi Beta Iota.

Vice President Joe Biden. C+. Scale back, Drones and Special Forces on high-value targets.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. F. Delusional on Taliban as lovers of Al Qaeda, listening to slick Australian on spending our way into hearts and minds.

National Security Adviser James Jones. D. Good man that does not know what he does not know, drops from a C to a D because his job is outreach and ensuring the President hears from a diversity of views, that is not happening.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen. C+. A strategic savant trapped between a rock and a hard-place, his integrity fights his loyalty every day. A for the rest of the world, D for not calling AF for what it is: a blunder of epic proportions.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates. B-. Found his integrity in pushing the troop demand into the public eye after first being a loyalist. Learned from Viet-Nam that Ho was a nationalist after all, Taliban is more of the same. A lame duck while Obama decides between Chuck Hagel and John Hamre.

Administration Over-All: D. Empire as Usual, Bureaucracy as Usual, Sacrificing our Troops to Buy Time, Not Listening to Serious Experts, Not Able to Think a Strategic Thought, Not Able to Plan, Program, and Execute a Whole of Government Anything.

2009/09/24

Journal: Fighting against ourselves in Afghanistan

05 Civil War, 09 Justice, 10 Security, Ethics, Military

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The U.S. trains forces in Afghanistan that then go to work for the Taliban

Ann Jones

Key Points:

1. Washington and U.S. military out of touch with ground truth and historical-cultural reality in Afghanistan.

2. We are training individuals in US techniques who desert and join the Taliban–we are literally training the Taliban to beat us.

3. Many individuals are re-enrolling under multiple names in order to get the training and the good food, while many others take the training and the food and never come back after their first period of leave (vacation after training).

4. Pashtuns are not joining police and so the Americans are sending non-Pashtuns back into Pashtun territory to act as police–this is so stupid as to be insanely criminal and irresponsible.

Phi Beta Iota: This article was linked to in an earlier post on connecting the dots, but it reads better in Salon and we recommend a careful review–this is journalism at its very best, informing the public about FACTS that the Administration desires to ignore.

2009/09/152009/09/15

Journal: Chuck Spinney on Al Qaeda Message, Two Comments on CIA and Al Qaeda

05 Civil War, 09 Terrorism, 10 Security, Ethics, Government, Peace Intelligence, Reform, Strategy

First, a link to the translated Al Qaeda message. Then Chuck Spinney's commentary on the rmessage (there is no assurance it is actually from Bin Laden, who may be long dead). Finally, a Phi Beta Iota comment that will outrage the lame of mind and resonate with every average American.

Bin Ladin Says US Should Stop Supporting Israel or Face ‘War of Attrition'

2009/09/102009/09/11

Journal: Chuck Spinney Flags a Brave Journalist & Troops in a No-Win Afghan Dogfight

05 Civil War, 08 Wild Cards, 10 Security, Military

Full Story Online — Original Full Story and Photograph Online

Up Close and Personal: Portrait of an Afghan Firefight

Chuck Spinney in CounterPunch

Landay documents only a single firefight, but his description of it suggests some troubling questions that put the entire efficacy of our military's new counter-guerrilla strategy into sharper relief.

Continue reading “Journal: Chuck Spinney Flags a Brave Journalist & Troops in a No-Win Afghan Dogfight”

2009/08/242009/08/24

Journal: Col Danny R. McKnight, USA (Ret) on Leadership

05 Civil War, 10 Security, Ethics, Leadership, Military

With a tip of the hat to Marcus Aurelius, who flagged this, we have loaded an original document summarizing the lessons learned on leadership from the “Black Hawk Down” engagement (19 hours of intense combat) and list the highlights below. Click below for the full document (5 pages).

STRATEGIC LESSONS:

White House gutted the mission before it started by limiting the force to 450 instead of the normal 600, meaning they went in with 25% less ORGANIC strength and skills than they trained with.

White House gutten the mission before it started by forbidding AC-130 Gun Ships, the absolute core air fire support element of all Ranger missions.

Continue reading “Journal: Col Danny R. McKnight, USA (Ret) on Leadership”