How Do You Spell That?

Congratulations! That's wonderful news. (And congratulate your mom, too, after you scrape her off the floor from her dead faint...)

Draft of my next military.com article… any more blogs?

Here is a link to my last military.com articles (both with references to SoA):
http://www.military.com/NewContent/0,13190,Wasito_050304,00.html

Back on Plan?

On May 4, 2004, many papers are reporting on a “new plan� by the Marines to put Fallujah under the control of an Iraqi Brigade which might be commanded a Major General Jassim Mohammed Saleh, a former commander of the Republican Guard. Lieutenant General Conway, USMC, said, “They may not be squeaky clean, but they’re pretty clean.� This change in plan would allow the Marines to focus on the Stabilization and Support Operations (SASO) and Information Operations (IO) plan that they trained for in their pre-deployment training.

Just as the main bodies of the Marine units were arriving in Iraq in late March, 4 American contractors from Blackwater USA were killed, mutilated, burned, and hung from bridges in Fallujah. Ironically, on that particular day, I was out at the Marine Base at 29 Palms, watching Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marines (C/1/7) conduct a full scale, live fire attack using every weapon in the Marine ground arsenal, except for M1-A1 Tanks and TOW Missiles. The Sergeant Major noted that the Marines were beginning with training for high intensity conflict, and would move onto training for low intensity conflict/ SASO/ Small Wars. Clearly, if the Marines in Fallujah were ordered to, they could clear the city – but at what cost?

My interpretation of events is that the Islamic insurgents were seeking to greet the newly arrived Marines in the Sunni Triangle with hyper-violence to draw a predictable response. This gives the insurgents the initiative. If we respond as they want, then the Americans lose the initiative in the Small War in the Sunni Triangle.

The intent of our invasion in Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 was to clear Iraq of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) that can be used to support terrorists; to get rid of Saddam; and to create an endstate where Iraq has no WMD capability, no ability to support terrorists. Also, America probably wants to be prepared to use Iraq as a base against other potential state sponsors of terrorism. We’ve basically succeeded in all of this. In so doing, we have raised the deterrence quotient, as illustrated by the decision of Mohamar Kaddafi to relinquish his WMD. We should keep these goals in mind, as we evaluate the success of the 3 – 5 regional Small Wars we are fighting in Iraq.

The compromise which Lieutenant General Conway, USMC, has brokered allow the Americans to regain the initiative – at least in terms of public opinion – in the Sunni Triangle, and to avoid comparisons to the rationale of “destroying a city in order to save it.� After the lightening success of Operation Iraqi Freedom 1 in taking Bagdahd in March and April 2003, I think the situation really turned into 3 to 5 Small Wars. The British- and Polish-lead multinational forces in Southern Iraq have largely succeeded in stabilizing their zones, An Najaf notwithstanding. The 1st Armored Division and 1st Cavalry Divisions in and around Bagdahd, and the 1st Infantry Division and Task Force Olympia in Northern Iraq, too, have had notable success. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force in the Al Anbar Province has had to deal with a Sunni minority that will no longer be able to rule Iraq.

Our intent in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2 is basically to leave an Iraq that understands that the development of WMD will not be tolerated; that a return to a ruler like Saddam will not be tolerated; and that the United States retain a base for operations against countries like Syria or Iran if they develop WMD and support terrorists.

The history of Small Wars suggests that it is inherently hard to define goals. Our military is still organized to defeat organizations that fight and train like we do. Books like Max Boot, The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power; Keith Bickel, Mars Learning: The Marine Corps’ Development of Small Wars Doctrine, 1915-1940; Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau, Afghan Guerilla Warfare: In the Words of the Mujahideen Fighters; and Bing West, The Pepperdogs all underscore the ambiguity inherent in Small Wars. In Iraq, we have won the big war in early 2003, and we’ve won the 3-5 regional Small Wars that have developed in 2003 and 2004. We are on our way to achieving our intent. Most of the negative press coverage in the last 30 days has focused on Fallujah and An Najaf. Those are only two cities in a country of more than 25 million.

Blog Follow Up:

In my last military.com column, I made reference to a few weblogs, “blogs,� that helped Spirit of America to raise an incredible $1.5 million dollars for humanitarian aid to Iraqi citizens to be delivered through American servicemembers in about 10 days following an article in the Wall Street Journal. My intent was not to try to provide a comprehensive list, but to point to one or two examples. I have since received notes from a number of bloggers who also participated in this ongoing, and important, effort. Here is a more complete list – and if I have missed you, please just go ahead and email me, and we will keep an updated list. This kind of grass roots effort is delivering real, and needed, humanitarian supplies which will help our military to accomplish its mission in Iraq and Afghanistan!

List of Blogs credited with helping fundraise on the SoA website:

www.dagoddess.com
http://physicsgeek.mu.nu
www.mindofmog.net
http://daybydaycartoon.com/
http://www.lileks.com/bleats/index.html
www.anysoldier.us
www.cellphonesforsoldiers.com
http://sisu.typepad.com/
http://www.lt-smash.us/
http://schmaltz.typepad.com/blog/2004/04/a_good_cause.html
A Small Victory
A Soldiers Blog
A Special Kind of Stupid
Aaron's Rantblog
Babalu Blog
Back of the Envelope
Baldilocks
Ben's World
Blackfive - The Paratrooper of Love!
Bloodletting
Brain Shavings
Cam Edwards
Chief Wiggles
Citizen Smash!
Colorado Psycho
Cut On The Bias
Da Goddess
Darthvob
Dean's World
Democrats Give Conservatives Indigestion
Dizzy Girl
Dodgeblogium
e-Claire
Feste, A Foolsblog!
Geeklog
Gilly's World
Grim's Hall
Hugh Hewitt
INDC Journal
Inkgrrl
Intergalactic Capitalist
Knowledge is Power
Little Miss Atilla
Marcland
Marine Corps Moms!
Merde in France
Mollbot
Mr. E. Poet
Pamibe
Practical Penumbra
Right Wingin-it!
Road Warrior Rules for Survival
Say Anything
She Who Will Be Obeyed
Shvedova
Single Southern Guy
Snooze Button Dreams
Solomonia
SportsBlog
Spur of the Moment
Straight White Guy
TacJammer
Technicalities
The American Mind
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
The Argus
The Command Post
The Common Virtue
The Cool Blue Blog
The Ghost of a Flea
The Imperial Armorer
The Laughing Wolf
The Mudville Gazette
The Politburo Diktat
TigerHawk
Triticale
True Nature of Reality
Unedited Unspellchecked Unright
Uruloki's Lair
Wasted Electrons
white pebble
Winds of Change
Wizbang
Woogieworld

First off, I’d like to say that this is not defined as an absence of war. It is the presence of liberty, stability, and prosperity. In the face of the enemy. Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us too much," "That part of the men and women serving here in Iraq the enemy wherever you are.

You are a mighty force for good, because truth is on your side. Together we will ultimately fail. That is why I am asking for your support. Become a voice of truth in your community. Wherever you are fight the lies of the men and women serving here in Iraq the enemy wherever you are.

You are the soldiers at home fighting the war of perception with the media and American people. Our enemy has learned that the people in the highest regard. We love to criticize ourselves almost to an endless degree, because we care what others think.

Our enemies see this as a weakness and are trying to exploit it. When we ask ourselves questions like, "Why do the Japanese hate us so much?" or "How can we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?"

Here in Iraq would be a goldmine. When our so-called "trusted" American media takes a quote from an Iraqi doctor as the gospel truth over that of the horrendous tyranny of the world will let us!

If the American Revolution was all about. Have we forgotten? Freedom is not peace. The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are making the whole world safer.

Your efforts at home and abroad. We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the world will let us! If the American people believe we are playing into our enemies' hands. Our natural tendency to question ourselves is being used against us to undermine our effort to do good in the world. How far would we have to remember is that peace is not peace.

The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military. And we are doing a tremendous amount of good. Spread the word. No one is poised to make such an amazing contribution to the detriment of our brave heroes fighting for liberty and peace.

What we have to remember is that peace is not free and "peace" without principle is not peace. The peace that so-called "peace advocates" support can only be brought to Iraq through the military.

And we are failing, even if we are making the whole world safer. Your efforts at home and abroad.

We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the enemy is trying very hard to portray our efforts over here, you can refute them by knowing that we are failing, even if we are making the whole world safer.

Your efforts at home are directly tied to our success. You are the soldiers at home and abroad.

We are a people that cherish the democratic system of government and therefore hold the will of the people back home will lose the will of the enemy.

Don't buy into the pessimism and apathy that says, "It's hopeless," "They hate us so much?" or

"How can we change ourselves so that they won't do that again?"

Semper Fi - Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere!

1st Lt. Mark V. Shaney USMC
Baghdad, Iraq