Second-guessing Mattis
The Washington Post arm-chair generals scrutinize the Trump Administration writing a blank check to the Defense Department for the war in Afghanistan. The Post asks Mattis “What’s your end game?”
James Mattis, Defense Secretary explains that he intends to run the battlespace better than the Obama Administration which used the Lyndon Johnson method of looking over the shoulder of commanders and making every troop deployment a political decision from the bowels of the White House;
While Mattis declined to give an estimate of how many more forces he might send to Afghanistan, he told lawmakers at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing that he would deliver an Afghan strategy by mid-July.
“I’ve been given some carte blanche to — to draw up a strategy or a number that’s out of step with the strategy,” Mattis said. “I think right now what we have to look at is what kind of capabilities do we bring to them because the Afghans have proven they will fight.”
When the Obama Administration sent a surge of troops to Afghanistan, they also told the Taliban how long those troops would be there, so the Taliban just had to hunker down and wait for the expiration date. Mattis says he won’t give the Taliban that advantage;
During Wednesday’s hearing, Mattis laid some of the blame for the current situation in Afghanistan on Obama’s timeline, noting that pulling forces at a predetermined pace only emboldened the Taliban and strained a government and military that wasn’t ready to fight without U.S. and NATO support.
“So why would I come to you and tell you there’s some alternative now, where we put some forces back in?” Mattis asked. “We would have to change the priorities, we would have to put it in a more regional construct.”
Mattis said that adding more forces in Afghanistan would “restore the high ground” by lending more U.S. assets to help the Afghans with air support and in turn would buy them more time to mature their forces and reduce casualties.
“The Taliban had a good year last year, and they’re trying to have a good one this year,” Mattis said Tuesday of the anti-Afghan government militant group that has been fighting U.S.-led troops since 2001. “Right now, I believe the enemy is surging.”
Imagine that, the Pentagon is not going to repeat failures.
Category: Terror War
Waah-Po armchair generals pontificating?
Nothin’ new.
General R.E. Lee remarked that it was a pity that the very best generals were put to work writing for a newspaper.
Seriously does anybody read that toilet paper roll anymore
Somebody needs to hit those retards with a rolled up newspaper.
Back when my brothers and I each threw 150 papers a day, we made a rolled up Sunday Houston Chronicle a dangerous weapon.
Accurate out to 10 yards.
It’s a wonder we didn’t kill each other.
A rolled up Sunday Cleveland Plain Dealer – probably considered WMD!
I imagine several at the Pentagon have had their feelings hurt nonstop since Mad Dog/Chaos took over.
THAT thought warms the cockles of my heart.
Mattis can get the job done in spite of the interference of the usual suspects, thanks to the boss he reports to. He can probably even make them understand that when he says “No” it really does mean “No.” As in, “No, I am not going to share those details with you.” And, “No, asking the same question 712 times will not get a different response.” Or, “No, since you all only want to ask stupid crap, this Q & A is over.”
He can also say “yes” just as easily, and in “Yes, I said 100 pushups on your knuckles…Yes, I realize that your are a civilian…Yes, I just increased it to 200…Yes, I enjoy seeing you cry.”
“he told lawmakers at a Senate appropriations subcommittee hearing that he would deliver an Afghan strategy by mid-July.”
Good. After 16 years all those staff wallahs in the Pentagon and/or CENTCOM should have several options ready to go.
Aaahhh, the joy of having adults at the helm again…
I am more like….
http://www.duffelblog.com/2017/05/dereliction-of-duty-author-afghanistan/
and
http://www.duffelblog.com/2017/02/were-making-real-progress-say-last-17-commanders-in-afghanistan/
A soldier who joined after 9/11 is eligible to retire in four years. That is insane.
While it sucks to be Mattis, as the media failed to hold the NCA accountable for the last eight years, relived the best commander over staff high jinks, he picked up the ball and now he has to run with it.
Don’t be so cynical. With just a leetle bit more training, no more than another decade, the Afghan Army will be able fight on its own.
Can’t you see the light at the end of the tunnel? Watch it closely as it sways back and forth. So relaxing. Back and forth. Bright and shining. It makes you want to close your eyes. And relax. Go ahead, close them. Everything will be all right. Relax…. …..
I hope he surprises everyone. I assume he’s in it to win it.
I will sacrifice a wheel of brie, crusty bread, some grapes and a crisp, but friendly, red wine to Mars, the God of War.
The question should have been, “Secretary Mattis, what is best?”
The Washington Post…
Like other fish-wrappers, they are smarter than everyone else, on everything.
Still waiting for them to give the Unified Field Theory to Physics, or the Cure for the Common Cold to Medicine.
Oh, right, only -they- would understand it! So they just tell us what we -need- to know!
Oh, waitaminute! They are smart enough to tell us why they are going broke! And how they reverse it!
(crickets….)
Cure for the common cold = Jaeger bombs. Im a genius now where is my money?
And they’re not going to let the press in on their plans?
How DARE THEY!!!!!!!!!
“And they’re not going to let the press in on their plans? “
That reminds me of how the press was handled during the Grenada Invasion. It worked pretty damned good, too.
Jim Mattis once read The Art of War by Sun Tzu.
Upon finishing the book he exclaimed: “Thank you, Captain Obvious”//