Blogging here has been light due to extra demands at work...but have you noticed it?
The military "social networking sites"...those places that I go to for daily updates on the war in Afghanistan and the situation in Iraq have virtually embargoed news of what's happening.
Marine Corps News has been running stories non-stop on the partnership mission in Africa. Navy News is all atwitter about the various partnerships in S. America. Army news is focused on tech advancements and dependent matters...the Air Force? Don't know and don't care.
But for some reason, the Afghan war is off the radar screen of those closest to it.
No one seems to have noticed.
Have you?
doesnt suprise me, forgive me for being one of the defeatists but i am not sure if we are making "progress" and just like in the iraq war, no one has defined what "progress" or "winning" is. there is no city to take and hold, no government to topple, we are simply fighting an insurgency. considering the government is one of the most corrupt in the world, we cant keep the entire populace safe because of teh lack of transport and terrain, i am afraid we are fighting something we cant "win" (although i hate the word win in wars). i want to see someone spell out clear objectives for the conflict and conditions for getting out. if they have been, i havent seen them. our men and women are doing a valiant job over there and as hard of a job if not harder than iraq, and they are to be admired, yet i am afraid their honor and integrity far outstrips the "leaders" they have over here (and thats a bipartisan statement).
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I'm that pessimistic.
ReplyDeleteI do agree that we don't have a clearly designed plan for success though.
To be honest I think it has to do with the history of this conflict.
Special Ops was allowed to go to pure raids. Not counter insurgency, not training of foreign forces, just pure raids.
Raids are a Ranger Mission.
We know who owns the media and the war isn't going well. Maybe we need to log into the Journolist (sp?) to see if there is a strategy?
ReplyDeleteJust like when the surge started to work in Iraq there was a media blackout on the progress. Anything and everything to further the agenda.
There have been stories about the 10 aid workers killed by the Taliban though...
yeah but the aid workers isn't what i was getting at.
ReplyDeletethats an NGO. sorry but i can't get too worked up over people that ignore advice given by military personnel and people who believe that good wishes and thoughts of sugar blossoms will keep them safe when they're operating in a war zone.
i truly believe that the only reason why its such a big deal is because these were non-combatants.
my question to people that are outraged is why? how many people need to be killed or be-headed before some realize that there are really bad people in the world that will only be civilized once they're killed!
i digress but my main point is i haven't heard anything from the Marine units in theater. Army either.
could the blackout being intentional by petraeus so he redoes the strategy there doesnt want it leaking out or things thats happening getting to the Taliban? remember we announced our plans when we seized that one town (i cant remember it) but now he isnt wanting them to know what we are doing now? i dunno, just throwing ideas out there.
ReplyDeleteI'm not worked up over those 10 workers either, but, putting that story in the media illustrates exactly who we are fighting over there--which I think speaks to your point.
ReplyDeleteGates put down some new rules on dealing with the media. The approval bottleneck is probably stifling things.
ReplyDeleteFinished eating so I can give better response.
ReplyDeleteAfter the whole McChrystal fiasco Gates implemented new rules that,"requires top-level Pentagon and military leaders to notify the office of the Defense Department’s assistant secretary for public affairs “prior to interviews or any other means of media and public engagement with possible national or international implications.”
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/03/world/03pentagon.html
They are likely not fully prepared for the load of requests so there will be a backup until they get a hang of it.
Blame McChrystal's lack of judgment(or whatever he was thinking)and Rolling Stone for breaking agreed ground rules for the interview. Now everyone suffers.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/25/AR2010062504087.html