By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

General David Petraeus
Photo By Michael Ruhl

According to General David Petraeus, an educated American soldier that can bridge the cultural divide with the Muslim world can more effectively fight the War on Terror. This soldier would understand the social context they are operating within, and would understand the broad implications and consequences of military action.

General Petraeus, Commander of U.S. Central Command, discussed U.S. military strategy in the Middle East and South Asia while testifying today before Congress.

“While additional military forces clearly are necessary (in Afghanistan), they will not by themselves be sufficient to achieve our objective,” said the General. America’s objective, he said, is to make sure extremists do not have a haven from which to plan and execute another attack on the level of the 9-11 attacks.

A smarter military can better understand the necessary social infrastructure to facilitate lasting peace within a region. This combined with intelligent military action, international cooperation, the building of infrastructure and a swath of other initiatives will help America secure the region, according to Petraeus. “You cannot kill or capture your way out of an industrial strength insurgency,” the General said.

“We also need to expand just the basic knowledge of Afghanistan among our forces,” Petraeus said. He continued that greater knowledge will lead to a “nuanced and granular understanding” that will enable the Army to undertake the kind of sophisticated reconciliation processes in Afghanistan that were important in Iraq.

Congressman Norm Dicks (D-Wash.) agreed that soldiers should be educated, and brought attention to the U.S. Army’s Homestead Program. Dicks said this program involves an Officer taking a year off from active service to live in a country, learn the language, and understand the culture. Retired Army General John Abizaid did a program similar to this. Abizaid was former Commander of U.S. Central Command.

The U.S. Army could not be reached for comment on the current funding of the program, but Dicks expressed concern on the small number of individuals enrolled in it.

The necessary approach to success involves placing security in the hands of the Afghans, Petraeus said, which means helping them collectively realize that the biggest security threat in the region comes from dissident extremist elements within the country, most notably Al-Qaeda. He emphasized that America’s presence in Afghanistan is not permanent, and that Afghanistan’s government and economy must be encouraged by its citizens.

“We are working hard to work ourselves out of a job,” Army Col. Mark Dewhurst, commander of the 4th Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, said during a live brief from Iraq. The combined efforts with the Iraqi security forces are the cornerstone against insurgents, Dewhurst said, and he’s seen a lot of developments in the area in the year since he’s been there. Listed among the most surprising, “the amount of traffic jams,” was among them. This, actually, is evidence of how well the Iraqi Security Forces are functioning, Dewhurst said, because it means that people are coming out to the market places. Of particular note is a landmark in Baghdad that Dewhurst called the “Book Market.” Practically obliterated in March of 2007, the Book Market is due to open most likely by next week, and it was rebuilt on the initiative and work of the Iraq government itself, he said.

Also in Baghdad is the Embedded Provincial Reconstruction Team, with Team Leader Conrad Tribble helping the Iraqis find “Iraqi solutions” to their own problems. There are five main areas that the PRT is working on, Tribble said. Assistance with governance, political development, business and economic growth, non-governmental organizations, and reconciliations among communities, are the goals the PRT strives toward. Governance, specifically, was elaborated on, with Tribble saying they “Coach, Teach, Mentor’ the Iraqi people, specifically with municipal city works, planning, budgeting, resource management, and how to track service requests. “A lot of it is very mundane,” Tribble said, but they are being taught how to conduct day to day level things. It’s “very nuts and bolts,” he said, and “not very glamorous.”

Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling, commander of Multinational Division-North and the 1st Armored Division in Iraq, refused three times to answer what he thought of the draw down of the troops during a live remote briefing held in the Pentagon. “You’re asking me to speculate on that, and I won’t,” he said. Hertling also said he did not like the use of the term “draw down,” and pointed out that a year ago, there were over 1800 attacks per month in the region that he is in charge of, and compared that to the mere 108 attacks that occurred only a month ago.

A year ago, Hertling said, the unemployment in the area was staggering, and the Iraqis seemed to be taking one step forward for each two steps back. Calling the area “fragile,” he said that now they seem to be taking more of a “three or four steps forward,” for each step back. Elaborating on the word “fragile,” Hertling said there is an “evil and committed enemy” in the area, and that when they got there “nothing works right.” There are no democratic process, he continued, no rule of law procedures, no capabilities to hold people accountable for contracts, and that there are agricultural concerns, and budget execution issues, adding that the enemy affects all of it. He mentioned that the accounting offices, although functional, are actually using paper ledgers to account for millions of dinars.

Agreeing readily that there have indeed been three incidents originating in the north, [two of the three individuals are subsequently on trial for murder (the third having been killed while in the act of murdering other soldiers)], Hertling brought up a story about a soldier that drowned trying to save another man. Iraqi soldiers that didn’t even know the victim searched the freezing waters for over four hours trying to find the body, Hertling said. Those three incidents, he said, are not representative of the sixty thousand Iraqi troops that serve with American troops, every single day.

This is the first administration transition during wartime in forty years, and traditionally, a crisis will occur during that period, said Admiral Michael Mullen, Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, during a press briefing at the Pentagon.

Mullen said he believes it’s critical to pursue all the issues in the CJCS Guidance memorandum, which includes defending vital National interests in the broader Middle East; Resetting, Reconstituting, and Revitalizing our Forces; and properly balancing our global strategic risk. In addition to these issues, he said, there is a whole range of other global concerns such as tensions in Eurasia and Africa, and the impact of the economic crisis.

The Joint Staff has done a lot of work to prepare, he said, and he’s comfortable they are meeting the goals of the transition to the new administration [of Barack Obama]. We serve one leader, he said, and that’s the sitting Commander in Chief.

During the question and answer period, Mullen said he assumes the pirates that captured the super oil tanker off the coast of Saudi Arabia on Saturday, November 15, will ask for a ransom. The piracy does not seem to be connected to al-Qaeda or terrorism, he said.

Dismantling the forces in Iraq is “very doable” but it’s not the sort of thing we can do overnight, Mullen said. In regards to “we have to be out by 2011,” Mullen said it’s in his view that three years is a long time, and conditions can change. We will continue to have discussions with them [the Iraqis], he said, and clearly it’s theoretically possible to pull the troops out by 2011 but conditions would dictate the outcome. We have 150,000 troops in Iraq right now, and a lot of equipment, Mullen said, and clearly we want to be able to withdraw the troops safely.

It is his understanding, Mullen continued, that the Status of Forces Agreement troop withdrawal specifics is in regard to American troops, and does include removal from certain cities by the year 2009. Using Baghdad as an example, Mullen said they’ve been improving security and are attempting to turn one city over at a time [to the Iraqis].

Upon being directly questioned and asked for a yes or no answer, Mullen simply answered “yes” to the specifics of the SOFA agreement: yes, American troops have to be out of Iraq by 2011 regardless of conditions.

As for the timetable of “16 months” (the policy stated by President-Elect Obama), Mullen said that he looks forward to the discussion he will have with Obama, and will give him the “best advice I can.” He continued, saying, “I will not pre-state” what that conversation will entail.

There are about fifteen to twenty key leaders of “special groups” within Iraq, Army Col. John Hort, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division said during a live brief to the Pentagon from Iraq. It’s hard to tell how many followers they have, Hort said, about two to four thousand, but it’s hard to count. However, that number isn’t nearly what it was before March, according to Hort.

Those “special groups” are those that are unaligned with not only the government, but also with the political movement within the country. They just create their own group sort of like the mafia, Hort said. “They’re more interested in power,” sometimes with religious connotations, but it’s really more about power, he said.

The al-Queda threat still exists but with the help of the Sons of Iraq (directed by and reporting to the Iraqi Army), Hort said there has been significant improvement. Approximately a year ago, the attacks in Sadr City averaged about six to seven attacks a day, and now they are averaging about one a day. According to Hort, there has been “significant progress” in regards to security.

Hort said he approximates that 98% of the SOI are paid by the Iraqi Army.

“We lead from behind at this point,” said Army Col. Dominic Caraccilo, commander of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division during a live briefing from Iraq held in the Pentagon. The area he commands, nicknamed the “Triangle of Death,” has changed dramatically in the last year, he said. Over a year ago, he continued, there were over seventy improvised explosive devices found, and twenty-eight recorded attacks in the month of September. This year, there were only fifteen devices found, and only two attacks in the month of September. From Caraccilo’s vantage point, he said, the Iraqi Army is capable of taking the coalition’s position when they finally leave.

Of main interest is the Sons of Iraq, a short-term military strategy that employs volunteer Iraqi citizens. Although Caraccilo said he didn’t know what the monthly budget the coalition is considering for the SOI, he said “It’s a lot less than the losses that were occurring” before the SOI were established. The budget, he said, is worth it, because peace is more important than violence.

As coalition forces leave, there is always the concern that the void will be filled by violence, Caracillo said. “There is such a large footprint” of Iraqi presence, however, that “quite frankly the population has decided they’re not going to put up with it.” Even if there is a flare up of violence, he said, we haven’t abandoned the Iraqi Army. We are coaching, teaching, and mentoring them. We continue to train them, we provide coverage, and we provide clearance on the roads. In doing so, he concluded, we allow the Iraqi Army to work and sustain themselves so that they will be capable and ready to do the work alone.

Major General John Kelly, Head of Multinational Forces West talks about progress in Anbar.
General Kelly spoke about several updates that are significant to the citizens of Anbar province and to U.S. military personal. (more…)

Secretary of Defense Robert M.Gates, speaking at a summit held at the Pentagon for wounded warriors and their families, said he wanted to reflect on an event a few months ago when Frank Buckles, a 107-year-old veteran, was present at a ceremony when a new exhibit was opened. Upon discharge from the military after World War I, Frank Buckles got “sixty bucks and a free pass to the Y[MCA],” as his severance.

To our wounded warriors, Gates said, I’ve been amazed by your grit and resilience. Part of my duties was to visit Walter Reed and other hospitals and I wasn’t sure I could keep it together and if I could handle it, to see the wounded. But I found instead that they lift me up, he said. Gates became emotional, his voice wavering, and looked solemn as he sniffled a bit and looked out at the audience. I will repeat the pledge I made to myself and everyone, he said, that other than winning the wars we are in, my highest priority is caring for those who are wounded.

Gates said they are now converting the disability rating process so that one service member has one exam, and one rating which will be shared between the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Veterans Administration (VA). Working together, the DOD and VA can cut in half the time required to get to the disability payment process completed through the VA.

Many have returned bearing the scars of war, and some of those wounds are not readily apparent, Gates continued. In Iraq and Afghanistan, improvement in techniques and medical care has made it possible to survive an injury that many used to not be able to live through. This, however, has made evident how much we do not know about Traumatic Brain Injuries. We are poised to learn a lot more. We’ve also gone a long way to deal with the psychological effects of what has turned out to be a very long war.

As we all know, Gates said, not everyone returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is getting the mental health care they need. Too often people have avoided help because they were afraid of it affecting their security clearance or even their jobs. They are trying to remove the stigma by keeping counseling not part of the evaluation process, so that having it not affect their jobs is hopefully going to make it more likely to have men and women in uniform seek help.

Although we’ve made significant progress in the last year there is no doubt we still have a lot of work to do. “I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Gates concluded, and his remarks were received with a round of applause.

At a joint briefing with the Secretary of Defense, Minister of Defense Lee Song-hee says (through a translator) that Kim Jong-il is probably enjoying all the attention he’s getting, but it’s true that his health has significant implications, and the United States and Korea are monitoring the situation. They determine that he most likely has control of his administration, he says, and the Korean and United States will do its best to monitor the situation in a stable manner. We will coordinate our responses together as well. (0:56)

 

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At a joint briefing with the Minister of Defense- Korea, held at the Pentagon, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says the United States reaffirmed its commitment to Korea, including an extention of its “nuclear umbrella.” He says they urge a swift resolution to the issue in North Korea using the six party talks. (0:52)

 

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