We Can Still Win

[thedrifter]

01-17-2005

Hack's Target

We Can Still Win





By David H. Hackworth



The invasion of Iraq was sledgehammer-simple: Slug in some “shock and awe” and kiss Saddam Hussein goodbye.



But while our troops and generals deserve a big “bravo” for their brilliance and bravery during the initial war-fighting phase, the occupation – which went wrong right from the get-go and has bled along for almost two more terrible years – is going down as one of the biggest snafus in U.S. military history.



If the generals had any kind of plan to stabilize Iraq, it had to have been drawn up and approved by serving officers seriously stoned on LSD. But as there’s zip evidence of any high-level pre-invasion planning effort, I suspect that Gen. Tommy Franks bought into all the Pentagon hype about how once the statue of Saddam fell it would be wine, roses and ecstatic dancing in the streets – and then the majority of our soldiers would leave 40,000 peacekeepers behind to assist the appropriately grateful Iraqis in building a booming, oil-rich democracy and return home to confetti and victory parades.



Our troops were truly magnificent in the early days of the fumbled occupation. Their skill, sacrifice and flexibility gave new meaning to “take charge and move out, field expediency and staying loose,” and prevented even worse disasters in the chaos that ensued after our forces took down Saddam.



There is no doubt both that our warriors won the battle and that our generals blew the occupation and have been playing catch-up – badly – ever since. And nearly two years later, too many of our senior military geniuses still don’t understand that we’re fighting insurgents and that they need to get the necessary additional combat power on the ground quicksmart.



Again, the three mistakes that have continued to haunt our forces in Iraq since April ‘03 are: (1) No initial occupation plan; (2) no acknowledgment at the top that we’re fighting an insurgency war; and (3) not enough combat troops to put down the insurgents, who daily become smarter, stronger and better-organized.



Our grunts have been letting me know since the early days of the invasion that there has never been enough people power on deck to do the job. “We’re stretched too thin” has been a constant complaint. “Battalions are doing the work of brigades and brigades divisions,” snorts an infantry skipper now in the Mosul area of operations.



So far, not one general has had the guts to stand tall and demand more troops from either Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Richard Myers – who was selected for the job because he’s a technical whiz, not a warfighter – or his boss, SecDef Donald Rumsfeld. And late last year, when a reporter tore into Rummy on CNN about how our forces were knee-deep in an insurgency war that wasn’t going well, Rummy remained in undaunted denial, defending the one-note, high-tech 21st-century force he keeps pushing – in spite of the overwhelming evidence that this war is now all about insurgency.



Meanwhile, our brass hats appear to be suffering from the Shinseki disease they caught bearing witness to then-Army Chief of Staff Gen. Eric Shinseki’s being treated as a leper for standing up to Rummy over the number of troops needed for the occupation. The lesson learned from this telling example: Don’t cross Rummy. So even though Shinseki was dead-right, the brass went along – to get along – with a shamefully inadequate troop strength.



In my judgment, the war in Iraq against the insurgents is still winnable: if Saudi Arabia, Syria and Iran are told to stop supporting the insurgents or else; if we get enough boots on the ground ASAP to saturate and dominate the badlands; and if the brass allow the small-unit leaders to do their thing without the obsessive micromanagement that infects our Army.



The troops should be left alone to build up a solid network of Iraqis who want the war to end. Then together they can put down the spoilers and spread the good life that the majority of the people in Iraq are now starting to enjoy.



Fighting insurgents is relatively simple. You don’t need to be the top guy in the class to win the game. But you do need common sense and commanders who aren’t afraid to stand up to bum-kissing top brass and dumb policy.



--Eilhys England contributed to this column.



Col. David H. Hackworth (USA Ret.) is SFTT.org co-founder and Senior Military Columnist for DefenseWatch magazine. For information on his many books, go to his home page at Hackworth.com, where you can sign in for his free weekly Defending America. Send mail to P.O. Box 11179, Greenwich, CT 06831. His newest book is “Steel My Soldiers’ Hearts.” © 2005 David H. Hackworth. Please send Feedback responses to dwfeedback@yahoo.com.

Ellie

[Osotogary]

We can still win?
What does that title imply? (Negative Title)
For some reason this whole article just pizzed me off. How many American lives have been lost to ineptitude of, what I call, politically correct/watch my fanny decision makers?
If there is an area that has tunnels......blow it up.
If there is a building that houses armaments......blow it up.
Why risk American lives?
I think that we have "****** around way too long". Fight to win, using any means possible and then come home and shore up these United States.
I don't have two cents so this is just my opinion based on what I have read and what I have seen on the tube.

[Koble_USMC]

I hate to break it to you Osotogary but you cant just blow sh*t up whenever you feel like. In this day and age of warfighting, with everything being televised and politicians planning even the most minute factors of warfare, it is not possible to just blow things up. As the American people witness through the almost unrestricted journalism in Iraq, the things that we need to do to squash the insurrection would only further kill public opinion. And although I hate to admit it, public opinion controls military policy. War was never meant to be televised. Just my opinion too, not trying to bust you in the chops.



Ductus Exemplo,


LT

[Osotogary]

Understood, Koble_USMC.
I agree with you most certainly under the guidelines that are now actively in place. I just hate to see the needless waste of American lives.
Note: You didn't bust my chops. I rolled with the punch. LOL
Thanks for your input.

[HardJedi]

well, Ihave to agree with ostogary. and admit the Koble is right.

It's to late to do it now, but in he future, reporters should be pretty much banned from anywhere there is conflict, untill after ALL fightiing is over. I realise that people would throw a fit about this, but hell, just tell em it's too dangerous or something, or arrange to have a few of those jounalists to be casualties, and not as many of em will want to go cover it so close. then again, maybe they would want to. stupipd people, carrying cameras and tape recorders into the middle of a battle.

[Sparrowhawk]

If so, we would lose, because public opinion is the majority of the time slanted toward a liberal thinking, because of the way the public is protrayed by the media and how the questions are asked.

First of Hackworthless is just that worthless, I stopped reading his "I am the most decorated individual that has ever lived and I know what is right with America," writings long time ago, about the time it was discovered some of his medals were not awarded to him.

He was useless in vietnam and should have been brought up on charges, and would have been had he stayed in.

He has always been negative about this war, and I wouldn't allow him to carry my toilet paper in nam.


The majority and unfortunate the silent majority of Americans support our war in Iraq and our troops. The left wing thinking and negative statements like hackworthlessness takes away from the honor due our troops for what they are doing everyday.






Hackworthless and the liberal media refer to the war now as an occupation, then let's put up the American flag and let it wave.

In the article above if we did what Hackworth wants that would be occupation...


Its the liberation of an oppressed people, that are begining to understand what real freedom is like. To be able to vote for who ever they want to run their government. This time Saddam Hussein will not be getting 100% of the vote as he did in the last election.


My two cents worth on hackworthlessness

Cook

[Sparrowhawk]

Blow the S hit out of everything, that's what Isreal does and if innocent civilians are killed in the process lay the blame on the insurgents, who used that house, building for their weapons, supplies and to stay in.

What stopped us before is because we were too selective, trying to prevent innocent civilians from getting killed. If your neighbor is an insurgent and you know it, better get out of the neighborhood or suffer possible damage when we take them out.

Do it often enough and pretty soon the people become very cooperative in pointing out where those insurgents live.


Along the way you let an Iraqi officer push the buttons on those bombs and let them walk first through the neigborhoods aftwerwards. pretty soon the people feel their country is in control of this war against those that would do them harm, and prevent them from enjoying real freedom.


You're right Osotogary the artical pis sed me off....

[Toby M]

The problem as I see it is that insurgents stay in large groups of people (mostly family) so when he or his house gets blown away, there is bound to be collateral damage. Idealy and I realize this is never going to happen, but we should be allowed to go in and remove these obsticles (at whatever cost), not allow reporters to record the event and give our fighting men and women the tools they require for a quick and decisive end to this b.s.! We continue to hamstring our troops with politics. The enemy doesn't play by the rules so it is time we adapted!!!
I am retired so I definately don't have two cents...

[Osotogary]

Toby M-
I'm not retired and I still don't have two cents. LOL. (Actually, I shouldn't be laughin'.) LOL