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Analyst's note:  This article answers the many questions that my friend John Bernard has fielded in the past three days. There are many readers who want to call their Senators, Rep's, etc., but have not known exactly what to talk about (scream about). John's article, quoted in full below, will provide historical perspective as well as detail about the strategy and inescapable impact of the religion of Islam in a war that now has battles on four continents (Asia, Africa, Europe, and North & South America).  Still the Free World is generally not confronting the expanding threat of the Islamist, or is not doing so in the right ways.  As a result the Islamist threat will only grow stronger and more enduring.  If the Free World waivers, remain confused as to the objectives, retreats, or submits, the Islamist will press on and defeat them.  

This issue is the number one issue of the day. If you think not; you have never been to war in the 'sand box' or elsewhere. For this generation serving over there, it is their number one concern. 

For those who think that remembering our veterans on one day each year and other wise making comments to the effect that "I support our troops" is enough -- you are wrong.  Some of us argue that this is "dead wrong" in terms of our sons and daughters who serve in our armed forces. 

As one would expect, John Bernard, a retired Marine First Sergeant, in this article speaks clearly and provides the needed insight into the subjects associated with 'Rules of Engagement' (ROE) and the Doctrine of Counter Insurgency (COIN), all blended with a generous amount of apathy from our federal government.  In his many articles, John points out that if an enemy -- which it was and continues to be -- is not assessed accurately, either due to ignorance or for politically correct reasons, it will always be more difficult to defeat that enemy. 

Our troops -- members of our American family -- continue to bleed and die unnecessarily.   Our nation remains in great peril as the result of faulty "situation assessments" that lead to employing the Counter Insurgency (COIN) strategy for combat operations against our global Islamist jihadist enemy.  Political correctness and the efforts of the Muslim Brotherhood operating in our country today continue to blind and tether the United States.  I for one have grown extremely tired of ignorant "civilian experts" in federal positions and academics (this accounts for some in uniform) who are killing our troops just as surely as if they were pulling the trigger or setting the IEDs themselves.

Consider yourself being directed to fight under such conditions.  The lives of your sons and daughters serving in the military in Afghanistan are thought, by most, to be endangered by violations of ROE.  These ROE were to have been created by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who was recently relieved of command, and was then replaced by Gen. David Petraeus.  In fact, Gen McChrystal's senior commanding officer had been Gen. David Petraeus.  Gen. David Petraeus has had the "opportunity to excel" in terms of getting the Rules of Engagement fixed .... he has not done so.

This problem goes even higher.  We have here further evidence that the global Islamist jihadist have infiltrated one of our highest government offices.  Admiral Mike Mullen Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

, has either been "mentally blinded" by the jihadist enemy, is himself seditious in nature, or insane.  The results to our national security, the safety of our military forces, and thus your personal safety and that of your family is the same.  Only how we treat Adm. Mullen's personal situation differs.

 

No doubt my thoughts expressed here to those who have not fought will be unpopular in some circles, but this old Marine believes they need to be said.  And last check I still have freedom of speech.  Quoting General Lewis W. Walt, USMC (one of my favorite Generals) - I know I'm dating myself - "I think the future of our country boils down to this simple proposition:  either we as individual Americans will assume the responsibilities of citizenship or our nation, as the land of the free, will be destroyed" (page 98, The Eleventh Hour).  Responsibility includes speaking out, especially when we see that the fate of our nation is involved.  It is good to remember that our individual welfare and fate are NOT separate and distinct from that of our nation.

I grew up at a time when war was considered "hell on earth" and I agree with this well-written article.  I never have followed the concept of "Lets have a war, the worst you can do is break even -- want to play?"  We are engaged in a war that will likely last for my lifetime and beyond - the theaters may change - in the Middle East, I'm not always sure for what, but we seem to have no objection if the global Islamist jihadist enemy brings the fight to us through subversion, infiltration, or by some other coalition. 

There are four long forgotten principles of war - old, but still valid -- that I believe must guide our continued efforts at bringing this war to a close.  Sorry, Mr. Obama, it does NOT include a public withdrawal date of our fighting forces now engaged with the enemy.  To do so puts you directly responsible for the ensuing deaths of our loved ones from the time of the announcement.  And yes, you will answer -- if not at the next election -- certainly in the eternities to follow.

General Curtis E. LeMay (USAF) is the source of these valid principles and they are found generally expressed in U.S. News and World Report, October 10, 1966.

First -- War is serious and dangerous business and it does not lessen its seriousness -- especially for those who are on the front line or otherwise engaged in combat -- by calling it a "police action" or a "limited" war.  War, any war, should have objectives that are both clear and worthy of sacrifice of human life. As stated by Theodore Roosevelt, 1917 - "The only proper rule is never to fight at all if you can honorably avoid it, but never under any circumstances to fight in a half-hearted way.  When peace come, it must be the peace of complete victory."

Second - Even small wars are cruel and must be fought in such a way as to win them as quickly as possible.  Under no circumstances do so-called political considerations justify prolonging the slaughter when it is possible to have victory.

Third -- In his own words, I can still hear General LeMay say, "Never to point a gun at someone unless you are prepared to shoot him dead.  A bluff in warfare should never be attempted unless one fully intends to back it up, if need be."

Fourth -- "The popular philosophy that we can, by cautious and timid military tactics, keep the war from escalating into a larger conflict is the ultimate in military blindness.  The only way to win a war is to escalate it in one way or another above what the enemy can take.  If we feel that we can't win without unacceptable risk, we have no business fighting in the first place .... Thus, when-ever we commit our young men to mortal combat, we should be equally prepared to commit our leaders, our cities, our families and civilians -- our own or the enemy's.  Modern war is that serious, and we should not forget it."

In closing my introduction to John's comments below, I would add that if our Republic is to survive and retain our rights and liberties, we must recognize the threat and clearly identify the source of the problem.  We must demonstrate the will to fully resist the threat, maintaining that resistance until the threat is destroyed.  We must engage the enemy with nothing held back, and do so as quickly as possible. 

The war is already engaged and the only option we have is to quickly and soundly defeat this enemy. The Islamist have at their disposal oil power, financial empires, regular armies, militias, underground connections, radial clerics, influential media, madrassas, regimes, seditious circles within governments, biochemical arms, a totalitarian ideology guided by sharia law, wide webs of collaborators and sympathizers with the Free World and, potentially, nuclear weapons. (see page 16 of "The Confrontation:  Winning the War Against the Future Jihad," by Dr. Walid Phares.)  All of which they will use.

Now for the thoughtful article by fellow Marine, John Bernard, a retired Marine First Sergeant, being discussed here.  

"Much of the discussion about war strategies, ROE, nation building and the like has been steeped in one side or the other denouncing existing strategies or defending them. All of it is based on intelligence reports and analysis by third parties trying to untangle the seeming conflicting daily stories and events coming from both Afghanistan and Iraq.

There should be little doubt that any critical look at the analysis of the current strategy in Afghanistan should include a look at the progress or lack thereof in Iraq. After all, the argument for a successful COIN operation seems to stem in part from our experiences there. The recent uptick in bombings, the reemergence of Al Sadr on the political scene, the continuing violence by Afghan troops and police against our troops and continued instability in the Iraqi government all paint a picture of a country on the verge of a change unfriendly to us. If COIN is then to be seen as the strategy that provided what now exists, the bad should not be overlooked or understated if the intent is to use it as a template for future campaigns in this part of the world.

For a quick recap:

The first written guidance for Counter Insurgency Doctrine (COIN, as we know it today), first emerged in 1940 in the 'Small Wars Manual' of the United States Marine Corps. Much of the doctrine, strategy and wisdom imparted by the Small Wars Manual was generated from 40 years of Marine Corps experience garnered during the Banana Wars fought in Central and South America. It is worthy to note that Major General Smedley D. Butler, a hero from those campaigns and twice awarded the Medal of Honor, denounced the small war effort as a waste of Blood and Treasure in his book 'War is a Racket'. Although the book is a damning expose on political and industrial motivations, it is also a wake-up call to anyone unlucky enough to have to plan such a campaign.

The next major emergence of the doctrine came in 1948 in Malaya. 'Chairman Mao' was busy redefining government and society in his sphere of influence and sent a contingent across the Thai border into Malaya with the specific intent of destabilizing the government, turning the local population against their British overseers and offering the Malayan people an alternative a` la Communist China. It took 12 years for the British to destroy a relatively small force and return Malaya to some semblance of normal. This campaign the British dubbed 'The Malayan Emergency', has been touted as confirmation of COIN theory and because of it's successful employment there, has been tried several times since with a generally mixed if not disastrous effect.

It should be noted that the British had been in Malaya for 100 years prior to Mao's incursion and the relationship between the Malayan people and the British was amicable. The British owned the plantations, hired the Malayans as workers, provided security for Malaya and shadow governance. Religious differences weren't an issue probably because the typical lifestyle of this tropical state precluded serious religious study. They just weren't that invested. Whatever the reasons, neither British nor Malayan took issue along the lines of religion.

When David Petraeus and the Pentagon began formulating strategies for Afghanistan, they set out at a disadvantage. Whether intentionally sidelined or blinded by agnostic indifference, the reality is the completed assessment of the enemy either ignored the likely effect of religious ideology or seriously downplayed it's role as a motivator for both the tenacity of the enemy and willing cooperation of the civilian population. This analysis put Afghanistan more or less en par with Malaya in the sense of human terrain. The assessment suggested there could be a meeting of the minds and that we, as a Western culture, a predominantly Christian culture, could be viewed by the average Afghan as a liberator of the Afghan from his Taliban oppressors. I have no doubt, the analysis included tribal structure and although likely naive` in the beginning, at least accounted for it. Not so the ideology. Even today, getting any elected official, in this country to discuss even the possibility of the predominant religion of the region playing a role is impossible. Whether for political gain, ignorance, personal prejudice or special interests influence, the vast majority of this government has hamstrung itself and the entire military establishment by it's stubborn refusal to accept what any High School student of world history should know.

Understanding the bare basics of Islamic doctrine, for the novice, as it affects a believer's relation to the world around him is as easy as a quick Google search. For the analyst, there are libraries devoted to Islamic history and scores of academics who have dedicated significant portions of their lives to studying and understanding the core doctrines of the religion. So why is it that the Pentagon and the intelligence community as a whole seem to have shifted the entire weight of authority on the subject to the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization established outside this country in 1928 and whose stated primary goals are in fact antithetical to our national security interests? This is one of many questions that could be and should have already been asked of the Pentagon and upper echelon military establishment by our elected Representatives and Senators; yet they remain silent.

The most basic understanding of the doctrine of Jihad and the Islamist's relationship to the infidel community, places us in a tenuous situation under normal circumstances. Placing the sovereign forces of this nation of infidels in the midst of an Islamic nation is an insult and intolerable to the Islamist - whether 'enemy' or 'friendly'. The number of incidences where Afghan and Iraqi Policemen and Soldiers have fired upon American and NATO forces, which continues to this day, should be providing a wake-up call to our Representatives and yet they remain silent.

There are six points of change to the argument that we have been making collectively and I will provide them here. For those who have wanted to call their Representatives and Senators to voice their concerns and have not known what to complain about specifically, this list will help. I also recommend Robert Spencer's 'Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades'. For those who are ready for 'meat', I highly recommend Andrew Bostom's book 'The Legacy of Jihad'. For those of you with a 'fast food' appetite, there is always Wikipedia and the several sites a simple search will provide. For an understanding of the Malayan Emergency; read; 'War of the Running Dogs'. This last one will give you a perspective of the complexities of a COIN operation. The point is, in the year 2011, there is little excuse not to self educate on the defining international issue of our day.

The Six Points of Change to confront your elected Representatives with:

1. Revisit our assessment of the enemy and human terrain in that part of the world and make it align with history, Islamic doctrine and how they see themselves.

2. Rewrite the strategy so that it aligns with our 'new understanding' of the enemy and the 'friendly population' there.

3. Write an ROE that is commensurate with the new strategy based on our new and corrected understanding of the enemy and civilian population.

4. Identify the specific threat to our national security and allow our Marines and Soldiers to locate, close with and destroy them without fear of retribution from the hordes of self absorbed and self-righteous prosecutors gleaning after action reports.

5. Write a definable Mission Statement and Operation Order, complete that mission and bring our forces home.

6. Cease and desist from all activities distracting our Armed Forces from completing the Mission - including Nation building schemes. This is the work of Diplomats, Bureaucrats, the Peace Corps and Missionaries - not Warriors!

The road to change is never an easy one and with all of the distractions afforded the average American on any given day, it is amazing that anyone is paying attention to anything of importance. That box in the family room, video games, snowmobiles, sports, the almighty dollar, legitimate family concerns, hurdles to jump in contacting anyone in DC and the all important Evening News all do their part to keep the American citizen from actively holding their Representatives accountable for their actions.

The primary concern here should not be the Health care bill or Union domination of the work force, the survival of the car industry or any other self-serving issue; it should in fact be a heartfelt concern for those who willingly sacrifice their time, and their very lives for us; The Warrior!"

Call your Representative today!

Semper Fidelis;

John Bernard

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