Land Ho! We're about to have a shipwreck in Iraq!

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[Frank Antenori]

Below is my weekly Op-Ed piece for the local political blog I write for here in AZ.  It won't be posted until this weekend so you guys get a crack at it first.  Let me know what you think.

Frank A

 
Land Ho!  We’re about to have a shipwreck in Iraq!

January 4, 2007
By Frank Antenori

The two year period of command has expired for both General John Abizaid as Commander of U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) and General William Casey as Commander of Multi-National Forces in Iraq.  This is a prime opportunity for the President to pick two replacements that will be able to pull things together and turn around a floundering war effort.  Two men that will implement and oversee a rapid change of momentum on the ground by properly utilizing the proposed troop surge of 20,000 Soldiers and Marines

Who will President Bush choose?  Maybe a Special Forces General?  Maybe a General with extensive experience in unconventional warfare or counter insurgency operations?  Maybe a Marine General with some tenacity to take the fight to the enemy?  One could only hope that the President and his advisors would see the light and realize that this unconventional war needs some unconventional leaders to fight it.

But just when I thought there might be an opportunity to turn things around in Iraq, the President surprises me and pretty much everyone by putting Navy Admiral William Fallon in command of CENTCOM and essentially in charge of the war efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.  Can someone explain to me why they put a guy that spent his life waging war on the seven seas in charge of a war in the desert?   This is akin to Franklin Roosevelt putting George S. Patton in charge of the Pacific Fleet just before the battle for Midway! In the words of a close friend of mine from West Virginia: “That just ain’t right.”

Someone in the Republican Party had better find out who the moron is advising the President and drag him off to a dark damp place and knock some sense into him.  Better yet, send him somewhere far away so can’t hurt anyone else. 

I realize that the five major regional commands are Joint and can be commanded by generals or admirals from any of the services, but that was during peacetime.  For crying out loud, we are at war, a ground war.  Now is not the time to follow peacetime protocol or petty military politics.  We need guys in charge over there that know what the hell they are doing.

Replacing General Casey on the ground in Iraq is General David Petraeus.  Patreaus seems like a reasonable choice; after all, he participated in the initial invasion of Iraq as Commander of the 101st Airborne Division.  However, the initial invasion of Iraq was a conventional war, not what we now face in Iraq.   While I think Patreaus will do a fair job, he is still not equipped nor trained to fight this war the way it needs to be fought.  What the American people will see is Déjà vu; just more of the same, because Patraeus comes from the same military mindset mold as Casey.

That translates in to a continued spiral downward of public resolve to fight this war and additional damage to the GOP; something none of us Republicans need after licking our wounds from the November elections.

I have supported President Bush and his efforts to fight radical Islam and deal with looming threats to our country, and I still do.  The President is correct to be on the offense and not play defense by waiting for another attack on U.S. soil.  But all politics aside, this is personal.  It’s not personal because I have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq, nor because I lost 16 close buddies in this war and don’t want to see their sacrifices be in vain when the Democrats force us to cut and run, but it’s personal because I have lots of close friends still fighting over there and I want them to come home to their families in one piece.  I just don’t get a “warm fuzzy” with a ship driver “learning on the fly” how to fight a dirt war.

Being in the military prevents my fellow Soldiers from dissenting or raising such a question, so I’ll do it for them:

President Bush, with all due respect sir, why didn’t you appoint a Special Forces General or a Marine, why a Navy Admiral?  What fuzzy logic did you apply to conclude a man with sea legs is capable of commanding of a dirt war?  President Bush, what the hell were you thinking?


Frank Antenori is a retired Special Forces Soldier that saw combat in Desert Storm, Afghanistan and Iraq. He is also the author of “Roughneck Nine-One: The extraordinary story of a Special Forces A-Team at war.”

[DragonSoldier]

I dunno....  Maybe as CENTCOM commander, the President thinks Admiral Fallon might be the guy he wants in charge if the Iranians get any more 'sporty', since it's going to be a largely air and sea power issue, rather than a 'dirt war' with them gomers..    CENTCOM is, after all, a lot more real estate than Iraq and Afghanistan.. 

Personally, I've been 'seeing' a gearing-up for a real **** storm in the entire region...  But, it's all above my pay-grade... 

[shaesdad]

If the President had been a special forces guy himself, maybe this would be obvious.  My gut tells me that the longer someone works in the political realm, the more politcal everything becomes.  Must have been the Navy's turn.  Status quo does not allow clear thinking and logic.  My boy is just a Pfc in Sadr City, but I would bet that even at his level, you could find soldiers with some good ideas on how to clean some of this **** up.  Ask the NCOs, ask some of the company level COs, ask the colonels.  Start from the bottom up to solve this one.  The boots on the ground just may have some input that would work  here.  My son says that yeah, they understand the mission and can see the big picture why we are there, but they sure are forced to do some stupid **** in spite of it.

Frank, you are correct on this one.  The folks at the top get insulated by layers and layers of other folks trying to suck enough ass to get to the next position.  Folks that go against the grain have a lot harder time hanging around long enough to be heard.  So, who do we write to about this?  What is the best place to get someone with some influence to listen to these ideas?  Too much at stake, as you have stated, for this to continue like it is.  

[DragonSoldier]

Dunno...  Like I said, CENTCOM is a BIG AOR...

[burnsk73]

I gotta agree with Frank on this one. I've been arguing with liberals on this same premise concerning Afghanistan when they say we took our eyes off the ball concerning Bin Laden. They were *****ing because we downsized forces in Afghanistan. "My" contention was that I seriously doubt having the 1st ID, 3rd ID, or any other major battle force would have much of an impact on a group that can easily slip between counties and having those main forces cross borders could cause an international incident with a Nuclear Power. It was also my contention that the best force to handle the situation in Afghanistan would be having Frank's guys there to deal with the situation covertly. If they decided they needed more assistance, then that call should be there's to make. The Special Ops guys have ways of crossing in and out of Pakistan unlike, say, the 3rd Bde, 3rd ID. Makes since to me that Iran should be dealt with covertly, at least until they get balsy. If you want to wage war against a country that isn't going to fight unconventionally, why would you install a conventional military leader? Terrorism is unconventional warfare, IMO. 50K suicide bombers is what Ahmedwhatshisnuts states he has.

[Frank Antenori]

Dragon Soldier,
You're kidding right?  A big air and sea war with the Gomers?

If the Iranians learned one thing it was that a head to head fight with the U.S. is a loser.  They will employ surrogates as well as unconventional tactics similar to the ones that have been used successfully by the insurgency in Iraq. Afghanistan, as well as half of the countries in CENTCOM are land locked (or lach access to an open water port) for crying out loud.

The very map you posted to illustrate your point shows a lot more dirt than water.  Neither the Iranian Navy nor their Air Force is capable of projecting itself past their territorial waters or airspace.  That means, if there are going to be any sea actions, they're probably going to be littoral and not in the open ocean and most of the air war will be over land and of short duration.

After that, it's all back down to the common denominator: unconventional, asymmetric warfare fought on the ground by small, lightly armed bands of loyalist militants.

CENTCOM has been traditionally commanded by Marine and Army Generals, and for good reason, most of the conflicts in the region are ground based.

PACOM has been traditionally been commanded by Navy Admirals and USAF Generals, again, mainly because that regional command has a lot of water and air space to control.

By comparison to the other regional combatant commands, (EUCOM, NORTHCOM, SOUTHCOM, PACOM, and CENTCOM), CENTCOM is the smallest.  PACOM and EUCOM (Which includes all of sub-Sahara Africa) are huge in comparison.

Your point would have been better suited had we been discussion the Admiral taking command of one of those regional commands.  Not to mention, the potential enemies in those regions possess huge navies and air forces.  There is no country in the CENTOCM AOR that has any credible navy or air force, and for that reason, that's why only Army or Marine Generals have commanded there.

Why go with a Navy guy now is my question?  What military political B.S. is going on in the Pentagon that would advise the Pres to put a ship driver in charge of a dirt war.

I see this decision as political and not strategic and that is the President's mistake.

Frank A

[DragonSoldier]

Frank, my point was real simple..  It was "I don't know"...  I'm a retired Artillery/Chemical Staff Sergeant...
And it's above my paygrade..  Is it political? Probably..

But, the Navy owns a lot of tactical aircraft, and they can also carry strategic weapons and they own all the Marines' aircraft, too.. I don't see the current conflict staying confined to the current theater of operations.    But in the end, it's opinion, suppositon and largely SWAGing on my part...   I don't try to out-general the Generals (or Admirals), or out-president the President..

I musta missed the day they taught that in Sergeant School...

[Thor]

ADMIRAL WILLIAM J. FALLON, USN
Commander, U.S. Pacific Command

Admiral William J. Fallon was raised in Merchantville, N.J.  A 1967 graduate of Villanova University, he received his commission through the Navy ROTC Program and was designated a naval flight officer upon completion of flight training in December 1967.

Admiral Fallon began his Naval Aviation service flying in the RA-5C Vigilante with a combat deployment to Vietnam, transitioning to the A-6 Intruder in 1974.  He served in flying assignments with Attack Squadrons and Carrier Air Wings for twenty-four years, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans embarked in USS Saratoga, USS Ranger, USS Nimitz, USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Theodore Roosevelt.  He has logged more than 1,300 carrier arrested landings and 4,800 flight hours in tactical jet aircraft.

Admiral Fallon commanded Attack Squadron SIXTY FIVE embarked in USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, Medium Attack Wing ONE at NAS Oceana, Virginia, and Carrier Air Wing EIGHT in USS Theodore Roosevelt during a combat deployment to the Arabian Gulf for Operation Desert Storm in 1991.  Assigned as Commander, Carrier Group EIGHT in 1995, he deployed to the Mediterranean as Commander, Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group and commanded Battle Force SIXTH Fleet (CTF 60) during NATO’s combat Operation Deliberate Force in Bosnia.  Admiral Fallon served as Commander, SECOND Fleet and Commander, Striking Fleet Atlantic from November 1997 to September 2000.

Shore duties included assignment as Aide and Flag Lieutenant to the Commander, Fleet Air Jacksonville, and to the staffs of Commander, Reconnaissance Attack Wing ONE; Commander, Operational Test Force, and Commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet.  He has served as Deputy Director for Operations, Joint Task Force, Southwest Asia in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and as Deputy Director, Aviation Plans and Requirements on the Staff of the Chief of Naval Operations in Washington, D.C.  His first flag officer assignment was with NATO as Assistant Chief of Staff, Plans and Policy for Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic.  He was then assigned as Deputy and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Fleet followed by assignment as Deputy Commander in Chief and Chief of Staff, U.S. Atlantic Command.  Admiral Fallon served as the 31st Vice Chief of Naval Operations from October 2000 to August 2003.  He was the Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Atlantic Fleet from October 2003 to February 2005.

Admiral Fallon is a graduate of the Naval War College, Newport, R.I., the National War College in Washington, D.C., and has a Master of Arts Degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University.  His awards include the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal, and various unit and campaign decorations.

 


OK, I'm a Sailor and MAYBE he isn't the absolute best choice for desert warfare, however....... he DOES have some decent bona fides.

[mrgreenfatigues]

 

Frank, my point was real simple..  It was "I don't know"...  I'm a retired Artillery/Chemical Staff Sergeant...
And it's above my paygrade..  Is it political? Probably..

But, the Navy owns a lot of tactical aircraft, and they can also carry strategic weapons and they own all the Marines' aircraft, too.. I don't see the current conflict staying confined to the current theater of operations.    But in the end, it's opinion, suppositon and largely SWAGing on my part...   I don't try to out-general the Generals (or Admirals), or out-president the President..

I musta missed the day they taught that in Sergeant School...

 

[burnsk73]

No one's saying he doesn't, Thor, but like Frank said, this war, and the ones in the future more than likely, won't be fought conventionally. If this Admiral was a SEAL, or a former commander of SOCOM, maybe so.

SOCOM Commanders can be SEALs, right Frank?

Anyway, in a head to head battle with China in the Pacific, this guy would probably be a shoe-in.

[mrgreenfatigues]

Not a hundred percent sure but isn't SOCOM run by the Army?

[Mollypitcher]

I  think.....I  hope.....you  are  too  early  with  your  criticism.  Perhaps  this  is  a  way  to  "Break  the  Mold"  or  "Alter  the  system"  by  putting  the  unexpected  in  place  at  CENTCOM.   It  will  certainly  realign  some  thinking  and  might  be  what  is  needed  in  the  way  of  a  fresh  approach  and  a  road  to  coordination. 

I  am  with  Dragon.  I  don't  know  and  I'm  not  going  to  try  to  outthink  the  Generals.  however,  I  have  a  few  reminders  on  the  subject.

The  Navy  has  the  SEALS

The  MARINES  are  part  of  the  Dept.  of  the  Navy.

The  Navy  and  Marine  Air  Power  are  pretty  formidable.

We  are  in  a  Global  War  on  Terror  and  it  WILL  spread  outside  the  desert  regions.  I  don't  look  at  this  man  as  a  boat  jockey.  I  think  he  has  much  stronger  credentials.  I  expect  him  to  think  "Global."  Perhaps  that  is  what  the  President  is  thinking.  China  and  Russia  must also   be  watched....for  different  reasons. 

My   penny's  worth.

Molly

More  importantly   Admiral  Fallon  is  a  BTDT  man  and  has  certainly  not  flown  a  desk  all  his  life  like  some  pretenders.

[burnsk73]

Not a hundred percent sure but isn't SOCOM run by the Army?

To my knowledge, it used to be DoA, but now I think it's ran by the DoD. SOCOM, now, encompasses all Special Operations.

[burnsk73]

Ask yourself this Molly, would it be feasible to put BG(P) Randolph Strong, Commander US Army Signal Center & Ft. Gordon, in charge of the 82d Airborne Division? Both can be commanded by 0-7(P)s, but BG Strong has no combat experience, at least combat arms. I'm not saying the Admiral doesn't have combat experience, matter of fact, I know he has a ton of combat experience, but he's a pilot. War is seen a lot differently from 35K feet, and I seriously doubt Iran's Air Force would last a week to begin with.

Guys, Frank is right on this. You need someone that KNOWS how to fight an unconventional, and covert, war. You don't think Iran is going to just meet us on the battlefield with a couple of Tank divisions, do you?

[biggatorsc]

Not a hundred percent sure but isn't SOCOM run by the Army?

To my knowledge, it used to be DoA, but now I think it's ran by the DoD. SOCOM, now, encompasses all Special Operations.

Yes.......with data feeds and intel from other orgs.