That war has become largely a nation-building mission rather than the pitched fighting in which the Marine Corps excels, Conway said.
Conway said he wants to see up to 20,000 Marines deployed instead to the building fight in Afghanistan, especially in the south where insurgents and the Taliban and al-Qaida benefit from both a nearby safe haven and booming trade in narcotics.
I agree. They are trained to and equipped to destroy the enemy, and do land warfare incidental to naval operations. As far as that goes, pretty much same is true for Army units less the naval piece.[/align][/align]It is kinda like sending boxer in to decorate a tea shoppe.[/align]
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Mess Chief, Ft Arroyo
"Tucson sweet. Best chili in the Saguaro."
blah, blah, blah. The Marines have hated the fact that they've been "bogged down" in anything but kicking in doors since 2003. I heard this same thing back then, and truth be known, the Marines were the first to be pulling the plug and rolling back to Kuwait, even before the formerPresident's "Mission Accomplished" flub.
If you've ever worked aroundMarines in combat, it's pretty apparent they're wired a little bit differently. They like to blow stuff up and kill people. And, while extremely proficient in that, they tend not to be as successful in operational environments that requireanything else. Sure, they'd kill a LOT of Taliban in Afghanistan, but a significantly more important role there is giving the Afghan Army and Police the training and confidence to do the same thing on their own (unless, falcon, you'll approve of our presence in Afghanistan for "100 years"?).
Soon as thelatest round of door-kicking is done inAfghanistan, they'll want out of there, too. Theyleft me hanging in Iraq, they'll leave the Army hanging in Afghanistan, too.
For years the generals who run the Afghan war have been asking for more troops: Their requests fell on deaf ears. The Bush administration wanted other NATO countries to do the bulk of the fighting in Afghanistan and that did not happen.
The Taliban, assisted by alQueda, isquickly taking back Afghanistan from NATO and the Afghan army.The Taliban control more than one third of Afghanistan. More troops are needed thereASAP and the Marines sound like a good choice to me.
i know a lot of folks who have been involved in training Afghan troops. Training the Afghan army is very problematic. One big stumbling block is the illiteracy rate in Afghanistan. According to the UN about 64 percent of Afghans are illiterate.The illiteracy rateis much higher than that among those youngfolks who grew up after the Najibullah government lost control of the country.
For years i was involved in training foreign military troops that were illiterate. There is only so much that can be done with them. Training troops that come from a true tribal society if kind of iffy because there is little concept of country. Theirfirst loyalty is to the tribe.
The USMC policy/philosophy has traditionally been different from the other branches. Whats the classic line, "The Marines are peacemakers, not peacekeepers." Serving as beat cops, training the local police,doing public relations for the natives, and nationbuilding is for other folks, after the mess has been cleaned up.
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"Shoot him again....his soul is still dancing"
i know a lot of folks who have been involved in training Afghan troops. Training the Afghan army is very problematic. One big stumbling block is the illiteracy rate in Afghanistan. According to the UN about 64 percent of Afghans are illiterate.The illiteracy rateis much higher than that among those youngfolks who grew up after the Najibullah government lost control of the country.
Falcon -
With all due respect to your service, there's a new attitude in the U.S. military - and particularly the Army -when it comes to this kind of thing, and "illiteracy" isn't seen as the obstacle that you might have experienced it as. Nor are "tribal loyalties". The Army I joined in 1984 is not the same Army I left in 2006. It might be a bit different since you left it, too?
CalHunter -
No thanks are necessary. When I was too young to, someone else (maybe falcon?) walked a post to ensure my freedom. Someone else walks a post for me now that I've gotten too worn out to. Mathematically, I think I'll end up owing 2/3 of my ownfreedom to someone else!?
The Army I joined in 1984 is not the same Army I left in 2006. It might be a bit different since you left it, too?
Retired in 1979 and workedas atrainer of foreign troops for many years. Expertise in EOD, rifle marksmanship, and firing range advisor. Was the senior firing range advisor to the Saudisduring Desert Shield/Storm. My small company still does foreign consulting work in EOD.
The Army is much different from the one i was in.Some of the changes i like and others i do not like at all. For example: The Army i was in was totally self sufficient with almost no civilian contractors: Do not like that fact that they got away from that but can understand the reasons for it.
USMC Comdt-Marines Should Leave Iraq
