re: "Muddy Boots"

Lex at Neptunus Lex ("The unbearable lightness of Lex. Enjoy!") noticed SecDef Gates' speech at West Point.

Money quote(s):

"Mr. Gates’ predecessor notably regretted having to “go to war with the army you have,” rather than the one he wished he had. To me that means having a ground combat element capable of the full-spectrum of military missions, from humanitarian assistance, to training foreign indigenous forces to combined arms mechanized maneuver.

This is not to say that you’d ever seriously contemplate another nation-building mission as we’ve attempted in Iraq and Afghanistan. But we ought to retain a nation-breaking power, and when it comes to enemy ground formations that cannot be done with air and naval power alone – someone has to hold the hill and plant the flag, even if only to haul it back down again once the enemy’s will to fight is broken.

To me the secretary’s speech sounds like we’re tailoring our missions to our budget, which is not in itself an irrational thing to do. But we might as well be honest about it, and admit that we’re voluntarily curtailing our ability to project power in traditional ways in favor of I’m not exactly sure what."

re: "Barno on Afghanistan; Exum still in his pajamas"

Abu Muqawama ("a blog dedicated to following issues related to contemporary insurgencies as well as counterinsurgency tactics and strategy") is clearly a "coffee achiever."

Money quote(s):

"Federal employees are supposed to arrive to work two hours late today, so taking my cue from them, I'm going to have that extra cup of coffee this morning before walking to the Metro in what will look like a scene out of Napoleon's retreat from Russia."

"Barno was one of those rare commanders in Afghanistan who actually put some thought into a little thing called "strategy," so his words are always valuable. Why we let this guy retire I have no idea. Perhaps it was because Barno made the mistake of spending too much time in the suspect 75th Imperial Ranger Regiment rather than that secretive and elite group of war-fighters known as the "U.S. Military Academy Department of Social Sciences." (Which, as we all know, is running the wars. That's right. The nerds you used to beat up in high school are now colonels and generals in the U.S. Army. No, I'm not sure how it happened either.)"

&

"This article really underlines the importance of partnering every combat operation with effective information operations in Afghanistan. If you don't have a plan to craft a narrative for what you're doing and to explain your actions to the population, you simply do not have a plan for success. This article illustrates precisely what happens when you let the other side run its information operations unopposed."

re: "Improving the PRT-Military Professional Relationship"

"A U.S. Army member of an Iraq Provincial Reconstruction
Team offers practical advice to Foreign Service colleagues."

CPT Sean P. Walsh has written an article in this month's Foreign Service Journal ("published monthly by the American Foreign Service Association") that you should take the time to read. He offers quite a few tips on how to operate successfully in a military-heavy environment.

Money quote(s):


"I can clearly see that the culture clash between members of the armed forces and State Department employees has a definite impact on the quality of work done by both organizations."

When we let that interfere with the mission, the mission suffers. As professionals (on both sides of the clash), we can't allow that to happen.

"First, let me say that I have the utmost respect for the Department of State, in general, and Foreign Service officrs in particular."

Very diplomatically said.

"I also know how hard it is to become an FSO. I once took a Foreign Service Written Exam practice test and did not do well (knowledge about American choreographers is apparently a prerequisite for success on the exam)."

And humor. As jabs go, this one is pretty painless, especially as it's grounded in truth, if an outdated one. I hope.

Having read CPT Walsh's article, I rather wished he hadn't been discouraged by the FSWE practice test. He could well have made, could still make, a fine FSO. Perhaps someone will take the time to encourage him to try the FSOT sometime.

"I won't try to downplay the fact that some military personnel view civilians as "weenies," as Shawn Dorman reported in her March 2007 Foreign Service Journal article ("Iraq PRTs: Pins on a Map")."

In military terms, most civilians ARE, in fact, "weenies." But thanks to the efforts of some of our PRT folks, that perception is hopefully weakening in certain quarters when it comes to FSOs.

"Foreign Service officers need to take the time to read up on military terms and acronyms before coming to Iraq or Afghanistan. The military's constant use of jargon makes it almost a language unto itself, and the fact that each unit seems to have its own slang and unofficial acronyms only complicates the situation."

Having myself crossed (more than once) across the State-military linguistic divide, I can't agree with this last point emphatically enough. Don't be afraid to ask what something means, the first time you hear an unfamiliar term. There is a surprising amount of acronym overlap (terms like "TDY" and such common throughout the federal government), but much of it will seem like so much noise UNLESS you ASK.

I've seen the same incomprehension going the other way as well, when military attachés attend Country Team meetings. We have to learn to not talk past each other.

"(J)ust as a physicist might not be able to follow everything a zoologist writes about, Foreign Service personnel are not trained to use the professional terms of the military (nor the other way around)."

We're supposed to be quick learners. Nowadays the Department takes considerable pains to ensure that FSOs have the proper foreign language training before taking an overseas assignment. Perhaps something could be done with regards to proper military language training. Raising the issue in the FSJ is a good first step in any case.

&

"I have seen firsthand the success that our two organizations can achieve together when our relationship and areas of responsibility are clearly defined, and hope that success will continue in the future."

I'm delighted that FSJ printed this article and hope it finds widespread readership within the Department. Kudos to CPT Walsh.

_____

Captain Sean P. Walsh deployed to Iraq from August 2007 to October 2008 as an infantry officer with the 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment. After serving as a rifle platoon leader in the Dora neighborhood of Baghdad, Capt. Walsh was assigned as his battalion's civil-military plans officer and worked extensively with matters related to economic development, reconstruction and capacity-building in both Baghdad and Baqubah and supervised a Commander's Emergency Response Program budget of over $15 million. A 2005 graduate of the United States Military Academy, he is now a student at the Maneuver Captains' Career Course in Fort Knox, Ky., and is also a master's degree candidate at Virginia Tech.