Listen to the podcast and read Jake Allen’s review here.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Podcasts: PMH Radio Interviews Suzanne Simons, Author of Master of War
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Friday, August 28, 2009
Books: The Tactical Trainer: A Few Thoughts On Training And Training Management From A Former Special Operations Soldier, By Msg. Paul R. Howe, U.S. Army Retired
Add this to your reading list. Paul Howe has produced another outstanding resource for the military/police/contractor community. For the record, I have not read this book because it just came out. If any FJ readers have anything to say about the book, let it rip in the comments section, because I would be very interested to hear any feedback on the thing. –Matt
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The Tactical Trainer: A Few Thoughts On Training And Training Management From A Former Special Operations Soldier
By Msg. Paul R. Howe, U.S. Army Retired
I will be describing how to structure high risk tactical courses in this book. I have developed these courses through my years of instruction with CSAT (Combat Shooting and Tactics). While I describe various techniques, I will limit any description of tactics as the bad guys have a tendency to study our work. Sometimes, I will be generic and it will be so on purpose.
I will also describe some “near misses” and training accidents in this work. This is not to demean or cast a shadow on those involved. It is necessary to learn from our mistakes. If we cover them up, they will be repeated at the same price-the loss of a human life. My goal is to always give safer and more efficient training techniques to fix the problem. These safety techniques will come through a logical stair-stepped methodology.
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Thursday, August 27, 2009
Industry Talk: The Book ‘Beyond Market Forces’ and a Policy Forum with UNWG and Company
The convention does not want to eliminate the use of private companies at all…. -Shaista Shameem
Over a decade ago, Kofi Annan concluded that the world wasn’t ready for privatized peacekeeping. It’s still not. But that shouldn’t mean that we are oblivious to the very important role that many private military and security companies are playing at what I would call the second rank level, freeing up national troops to play key frontline roles. We see these kinds of companies, for example, providing security analysis and training, local private security companies are often key in providing site security and in some cases, convoy support services, and humanitarians operating under a UN security umbrella come into contact with these kinds of companies in a wide variety of theaters and playing a wide variety of functions. -James Cockayne
Ok, here is a quick run down of this policy forum, book promotion and gathering of some really smart folks. The general idea that I am getting from this group is that PSC’s and PMC’s are a fact of life, and it is on the various countries that use them to back up some kind of way to regulate them, all with the idea that accountability should be built into the whole process to prevent human rights violations. The UNWG (UN Working Group) along with other groups (IPOA, PASA, BAPSC, etc.) have been working hard on some kind of a standard that companies and countries can adhere to, how to regulate it and also exploring what these security contractors should do and not do out there.
For the most part, the folks on this panel think it is just fine that PMC’s and PSC’s should do defensive tasks, like convoy protection, PSD or static security (note the quotes up top). It’s just anything in the realm of offensive actions is what they are against and very wary of.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Books: Attack State Red, By Colonel Richard Kemp
Hey guys and gals, I wanted to put this out there at the recommendation of one of our readers. Thanks to Glen for the heads up. I have not read the book, but it sounds pretty good. –Matt
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Attack State Red
By Colonel Richard Kemp and Chris Hughes
A 21st Century “Band of Brothers”
“I went to Afghanistan with seven mates and came back with seven brothers.” — Private Kenny Meighan, in Attack State Red.
What happened in Helmand’s Sangin Valley in the spring of 2007 was nothing short of extraordinary. A twenty-first century Band of Brothers, the soldiers of the Royal Anglian Regiment arrived in Afghanistan charged with taking the battle to the enemy. Despite brutal, debilitating conditions, the tour that followed became a bloody lesson in how to conduct offensive infantry warfare. Over a six-month tour of duty, the ‘Vikings’ battlegroup unleashed hell in heavy, relentless fighting that saw teenage soldiers battle toe to toe against hard-core Al Qaeda and Taliban warriors at unprecedented levels of ferocity.
The stories that emerged from the Sangin Valley, defined by bravery, comradeship, endurance and, above all, aggression, are remarkable. But the fight was far from one-sided. During their time in theatre the Royal Anglians paid a heavy price in dead and wounded men. And all those that did return home came back changed by the intensity of the experience.
In Attack State Red, Colonel Richard Kemp, a former Commanding Officer of 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment, and Chris Hughes, the Daily Mirror Security Correspondent, tell the story of the Royal Anglians’ deployment for the first time.
Most people wonder what it is like in battle and how they themselves would perform. Many books claim to give the reader a whiff of combat. Attack State Red really does. Seen through the eyes of the ordinary soldier, this book shows the danger, the fear, the exhilaration, the heat, the dust, the confusion, the exhaustion and of course the ever-present humour of infantry warfare.
It places the reader firmly into the boots of the British fighting man. For the first time ever you will understand what it is like to confront an enemy in impossible battle conditions, slogging for mile after mile through rugged Afghan desert and jungle-like ‘Green Zone’, in searing heat and carrying up to 90 pounds of equipment. Nervously wondering when the first shot will be fired at you. Hoping it won’t come. Knowing it will.
*****
Colonel Richard Kemp is a former Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, The Royal Anglian Regiment and later commanded all British forces in Afghanistan. He was a member of COBRA, the national crisis-management committee, and worked on international terrorism, Iraq and Afghanistan for the UK Government’s Joint Intelligence Committee, for which he was awarded the CBE. Although an infantryman, he invaded Iraq in a Challenger tank in 1991 with British forces in the US 3rd Army, and has spent much time in that country since the 2003 invasion. He has served extensively in command of troops in most other campaigns the British have fought in recent years, including Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Macedonia.
Chris Hughes is Security Correspondent for the Daily Mirror and has spent considerable time with British forces on the Afghan frontline. He was embedded with the Royal Anglians for several weeks at the height of the tour described in this book. He covered the aftermath of 9/11 in New York and has for the past five years reported on the ensuing wars in Iraq, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
Attack State Red website.
Attack State Red Facebook Group
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Monday, June 8, 2009
Books: Steven Pressfield’s Video Blog on Tribalism
Follow the links below, and you can watch Steven speak in depth about tribalism and his thoughts about the war today. Very interesting stuff, and especially the comparisons of Alexander the Great and his war in Afghanistan, compared to today’s war there. His books are amazing, and I know I am highlighting his Video Blog, but really this about the author himself. If you notice in the videos, he is an outstanding speaker and story teller, which are key components for influencing others. Check it out and Semper Fi. –Matt
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Why I’m Doing This
By Steven Pressfield
June 8, 2009
June 8th I’m posting the first two of five video op-ed pieces on the subject of Afghanistan, U.S. troop involvement, and the nature of the enemy. #3 will be posted on Wednesday, #4 on Friday. #5 will wrap it up next Monday.
Why am I doing this? Not for money. I’ve got no book coming out, no tour, nothing. I just want this information to get out there. We did these videos—I and a group of smart and dedicated young filmmakers—just as concerned citizens, the way one might write an op-ed piece and submit it to a newspaper.
What’s the thesis of the videos? That the enemy today in Afghanistan (and Pakistan and Iraq) is being mischaracterized as “militant Islamist,” “jihadist,” “terrorist,” etc. I don’t think that’s the defining characteristic. I think the single quality that most defines our foes is tribalism and the tribal mind-set.
What does that mean? It means that the qualities common to all tribes at all times and in all places—warrior pride, hostility to outsiders, fidelity to the group, the obligation of revenge, suppression of women, a code of honor rather than a system of laws, extreme conservatism, patience and capacity for hatred—are what characterize the enemy (as well as our potential friends) in Afghanistan and in Pashtunistan, the tribal areas along the Pakistan border.
Our young Marines and soldiers are in harm’s way now, and more will be deploying soon, in this strategically critical and very dangerous part of the globe. It’s imperative, in my view, that these men and women be armed with a full understanding of what they’re up against. I’ve spoken on this subject at West Point, Quantico, Camp Lejeune and Camp Pendleton and, though our young Marines and soldiers are getting some training in this area, my fear is that it’s not in-depth enough and that it’s not extending far enough down the food chain. Officers of course need a background in this subject, but our enlisted troopers on the ground—the much-talked-about “strategic corporals”–need it just as badly.
It is equally imperative, in my view, that our policymakers in Washington possess this historical and cultural grounding.
That’s why I’m posting these video op-ed pieces.
Tomorrow I’ll write about how this thesis evolved, what the sources are, and on what authority I “submit it for your approval.”
*****
Steven Pressfield is the author of Gates of Fire and four other historical novels set in the ancient world, including The Afghan Campaign. His most recent book is Killing Rommel, a WWII story. He is also the author of The Legend of Bagger Vance and The War of Art.
Mr. Pressfield is a graduate of Duke University and a former Marine. His books are in the curriculum at West Point, Annapolis and the Naval War College, as well as being on the Commandant’s Reading List for the Marine Corps. He lives in Los Angeles.
Steven Pressfield Video Blog Here.