Feral Jundi

Monday, May 4, 2009

Military News: The Soldier’s Story, Who Should Be Telling It? by Captain Bret Bellzio

Filed under: Media News,Military News — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 6:42 PM

   I would like to introduce a new guest author from the military side of the house. His name is Captain Bret Bellzio, US Army, and he has written an excellent little article in regards to today’s military and media relationship, and how to use new media as a way to tell the story of the soldier in war.  Of course this is a constant theme over at Wired’s Danger Room, at Small Wars Journal, and you even see official military blogs popping up all over the place these days.  The other day I even made a comment on the US Coast Guard’s blog, and I actually got a response back!  

     The key here, is connecting with the population and learning from and educating folks.  It is about the interaction and connecting with others. For me, the blog is an essential tool for understanding my industry and making it better–pure ‘Kaizen’. I learn from you guys, and you learn from me and others that interact on Feral Jundi.  

   On another note, according Col. John Boyd, the way you defeat the enemy is you isolate him mentally, morally, and physically. In other words,  you turn him into a closed system, and closed systems are not good because they end up destroying themselves out of sheer insanity.  

    The military, if it wants to be a learning organization and defeat our enemies, cannot be a closed system. And low and behold, good ol’ Mr. Lind has a wonderful article about such things as well.  By the way, if you would like to contact Captain Bellzio, let me know and I will make that happen.  –Matt 

Edit: I have been informed by Mr. Pelton that he was not technically embedded with the SF during the time period the Captain mentioned, and I will pass that along to get it changed. 

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“The Soldiers story, who should be telling it?”

By CPT Bret Bellzio

May 05, 2009

     During the Cold War and even Operation Desert Storm both the media and the American population maintained a moderate interest in the military, its policies, and the issues service members faced. Both the media and the military followed their expected roles during this period and the quality of reporting was high.

     Following September 11th interest in the military sky rocketed. Analyst of every caliber and experience populated the innumerable cable news shows. Every aspect of the War on terror was dissected. Americans had access to documentaries on everything from Al Qaeda to Special Forces and every organization in between.

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Monday, April 20, 2009

Military News: Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results

Filed under: Afghanistan,Military News — Tags: , , , , , , — Matt @ 6:44 PM

   It sounds like these guys got some payback out there, and good for them.  What I really liked about this story, was the idea of getting back to basics with ambushes.  For scenarios like this, most every lesson we have learned about the basics of ambushing, were learned time and time again in wars past.  So it was cool to see them apply those lessons, and throw in today’s high tech stuff to get the job done.  The knife kill was interesting as well, and you don’t hear of too many of those in this war. –Matt

 

Edit:  Check out Tim’s article on the subject here. 

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Turning Tables, U.S. Troops Ambush Taliban With Swift and Lethal Results

By C. J. CHIVERS

April 17, 2009

KORANGAL OUTPOST, Afghanistan — Only the lead insurgents were disciplined as they walked along the ridge. They moved carefully, with weapons ready and at least five yards between each man, the soldiers who surprised them said.

Behind them, a knot of Taliban fighters walked in a denser group, some with rifles slung on their shoulders — “pretty much exactly the way we tell soldiers not to do it,” said Specialist Robert Soto, the radio operator for the American patrol.

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Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Publications: CSBA Report and Finding Strategists, By Barry Watts

Filed under: Military News,Publications — Tags: , , , , — Matt @ 10:02 PM

   I found this over at DOD Buzz and it grabbed my attention.  Anything to do with strategy grabs my attention, and especially the lack there of within today’s military leadership. But the real juice of this article, is the discussion of how do you find ‘good strategists’ and what are the qualities of a skilled strategists, besides the obvious trait of achieving victories? I love stuff like that, because this guy goes beyond the standard report, and tries to infuse a little science into the deal.  Cool report, and check it out.    –Matt

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Clausewitz 

Finding Strategists

By Barry Watts

     Do most U.S. political leaders have the cognitive skills and talents to craft and implement effective long-term strategies? Do most senior American military leaders — even those who have demonstrated tactical competence in combat — have those skills and talents? Historical evidence, as well as leading-edge research into human cognition, suggest that the answer to both questions is: no.

     There is considerable evidence that strategic performance is an area in which U.S. political and military leaders have shown declining overall competence in recent decades. True, as the outcome of the Cold War and the turn-around in Iraq testify, American strategies have not been uniformly poor. Still, a case can be made that, on the whole, American strategic competence has been declining since the Vietnam War and continues to do so today. Given the recent financial crisis and economic down-turn, can the United States afford another decade of declining strategic competence? Or is it time to begin finding good strategists and put strategy in their hands?

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Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Military News: Grunts to Rebuild Like SOF, Move Away From Bases-Mattis

Filed under: Military News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 1:16 AM

   I like it, and I hope Mattis is able get this going soon.  To me, it is all about a division of labor like Mattis said, and we just do not have enough snake eaters to get this done. –Matt

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Speech at FPRI Luncheon 

February 12, 2009

Gen. James Mattis, USMC

Gen. James Mattis is Supreme Allied Commander Transformation and Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command. He was introduced by the Hon. John Hillen, FPRI Trustee.

This presentation was the keynote address at the “Defense Showstoppers” conference sponsored by FPRI’s Program on National Security and the Reserve Officers Association. FPRI thanks its trustees W. W. Keen Butcher, Bruce H. Hooper, John M. Templeton, Jr. for funding the Program on National Security.

(Go to minute 30:37 for the part that relates to the story below) 

Video Link Here

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Grunts to Rebuild Like SOF, Move Away From Bases: Mattis

By Greg Grant 

February 19th, 2009 

Fighting two simultaneous counterinsurgency wars in Iraq and Afghanistan has placed enormous demands on the small number of elite Army Special Forces teams, known as Operational Detachment Alpha. So the Army and Marines plan to restructure and create many more small combat and advisory teams from existing conventional ground forces, says Marine Gen. James Mattis, Commander, U.S. Joint Forces Command.

The military is dominant in conventional warfare and can best any opponent in high-intensity battle, but it’s not superior in irregular warfare, the types of wars the U.S. is most likely to fight in the future, Mattis said. The requirement for small combat and advisory teams, along the Special Forces model, is now a “national priority.” Mattis recently created a Joint Irregular Warfare Center, headed by a Special Forces officer, to guide the effort “to shift general purpose forces more into a special operations forces approach to fighting, without giving up conventional warfare.” Creating these small, deployable “high performing” teams for irregular warfare will require many more Army and Marines trained as advisors.

“We need more troops who are culturally adept, who are comfortable working outside mother Army, mother Marine Corps and able to work in small teams,” Mattis said, speaking Feb. 12, at a conference sponsored by the Foreign Policy Research Institute, in Washington, DC. Irregular wars are fought amongst the people, requiring American troops, “understand not just of the nature of the conflict, but the ‘human sea,’ to use Mao’s analogy, within which the enemy swims,” according to the “Joint Operating Environment,” a recent Joint Forces Command publication.

Mattis said in future irregular wars, the military must avoid the logistically demanding and often problem causing “heavy footprint,” where large numbers of troops are sent ashore and operate from massive bases, as in Iraq and Afghanistan. He prefers an expeditionary approach, using small advisory teams who live and work among the local people. It will require a “fundamental shift” in the approach to basing in foreign countries, “where not every troop has a big screen TV and eighteen entries on the menu that night and where they’re completely isolated from the local people.” He said the seabasing concept, where troops operate from large naval platforms located offshore, will be an important component of the new irregular warfare operating concept.

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Sunday, February 8, 2009

Military News: America’s Last Draftee, General Mellinger

Filed under: Military News — Tags: , , , — Matt @ 11:10 AM

   I really liked this article, and it even motivated me to start a new category.  Many of us have military roots, and these types of stories are great.  Today’s all volunteer fighting force is truly a heroic, tough, and intelligent bunch. I also think it is important to note that civilian contractors are volunteers too, and it is a system that works.  I could not imagine working with someone that did not want to be there or was doing a job against their will.  Although a draft should never be taken off the table for national defense, it’s just if we can get troops that want to be there, then that to me seems the most optimum scenario.  (Although I am sure the Starship Trooper fans out there would disagree–lol.) Semper Fi. –Matt

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General Mellinger 

America’s Last Draftee: “I’m a Relic”

By Mark Thompson/Washington

Saturday, Feb. 07, 2009

     America’s generals love to brag about their all-volunteer Army. That’s because they tend to overlook Jeffrey Mellinger. He donned his Army uniform for the first time on April 18, 1972, about the time the Nixon Administration was seeking “peace with honor” in Vietnam and The Godfather was opening on the silver screen. Nearly 37 years later, he’s still wearing Army green. Mellinger is, by all accounts, the last active-duty draftee serving in the U.S. Army.

     “I’m a relic,” Mellinger concedes with a self-deprecating laugh. But the last of the nearly 2 million men ordered to serve in the Vietnam-era military before conscription ended in 1973 still impresses 19-year-old soldiers. “Most of them are surprised I’m still breathing, because in their minds I’m older than dirt,” the fit 55-year-old says. “But they’re even more surprised when they find out this dinosaur can still move around pretty darn quick.” 

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