Dr. Kilcullen’s statement on Pakistan is just eery to read. We all know those are the stakes in Pakistan, but it just doesn’t seem to sink in with most of the west. There is so much else going on out there, but this kind of dwarfs everything in terms of threats when you really think about it. A Pakistan that collapses, would not be good, and would be a huge loss in this war.
The other thing that is interesting is that he has given numerous interviews about his thoughts on the way forward, and it seems each interview keeps presenting a more refined viewpoint. So that is why I keep posting them, and trying to get in the right mindset for what is required for this war. I know he lives this stuff daily, and it really helps to hear his thoughts on the matter.
Now on to the one area that continues to get ignored when ever he talks, and that is the role of the contracting industry in his vision of the war effort. I mean there are more of us than US troops, yet still we get no mention as to what we need to be doing in this war to help? Doesn’t anyone else see a problem with this? We are very much a part of the population interaction out there, and our actions do have an impact on the war. So why we continue to be treated like the elephant in the room that no one wants to acknowledge is beyond me.
Further more, we are a resource, that if used correctly, can certainly add to the effort. What is all this talk of diplomatic efforts, or taking care of the people? Is a soldier with a gun, the best tool for that job, or is a civilian helping a civilian the best tool? I tend to think that both are important to the equation out there, but we tend to fall back on using the soldier with a gun for all problem solving.