My Own Iraq Study Group

This morning, my wife started crying when we listened to the long-awaited findings of the Iraq Study Group.

She said, “Just great! We have two sons in harm’s way, and they have a bunch of gray-haired old geezers with political agendas trying to influence how they will fight in this war, and none of them have a clue how to fight or win!”

For some time now, I have been conducting my own Iraq Study Group, but I asked fellow Green Berets and former Green Berets working for the CIA who have lived with the Iraqi and the Afghani people, men of the U.S. Army Special Forces, the highest trained military unit in the world, who are experienced at training people to fight their own battles. WE DO NOT NEED AN IRAQ STUDY GROUP. We need to use the resources we already have and do things right, and we will most definitely win in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Based on my Iraq Study Group, this is how we should prosecute the war and how we will win it:

Tariq and Abdullah ran through the alleyway between the rows of high buildings in Baghdad not far from the Green Zone. One carried the baseplate for the 60MM mortar and the other, the mortar itself. They each carried an HE (high explosive ) round in his backpack. Tariq also carried a dead cat, with a high explosive IED inside. He carefully placed the cat’s body on a crate, making it look like the critter might be napping, and close to eye-level on a vehicle. Then he stretched a trip wire across the alleyway and tied it off to a pipe.

Moving away from the wire, and while Bayid, their friend, waited two blocks away in his multi-colored Nissan taxi with the engine running, they set up the baseplate, aimed it like they had practiced over and over, and quickly fired both rounds in rapid succession towards the armored cavalry headquarters located behind the high walls of an old presidential palace. Before the deadly rounds even hit, killing one American and wounding two more, the insurgents ran as fast as they could to the waiting car and sped to another part of town. Soldiers investigating shortly after would suffer two more wounded from the dead cat IED. The attackers knew that their friend, Ayoob, who worked as an interpreter for an NBC News crews in the Green Zone would tell them later what kind of damage the two mortar rounds and the IED had caused.

The story and names are fictional but the strategy is very real, but easy to overcome. One major solution is to move all military headquarters out of the cities and into the desert, so that insurgents firing mortars or rockets at the U.S. military have to come at least one mile out of a town and expose themselves to fire their weapons. Then, we can pinpoint and eliminate them. Now the way it is, they have numerous concrete and glass caves and asphalt labyrinths to easily move through and hide in. Many Iraqi citizens are paid the equivalent of $ 20 U.S. per month to act as lookouts or to simply look the other way as insurgents move through their neighborhoods.

The other solution to this scenario is also common sense. By far and away the largest percentage of our soldiers who are killed or wounded are the victims of IED's, or Improvised Explosive Devices. We were supposed to learn from the lessons of Vietnam, but we have not. The Vietnam War proved to us that the helicopter is a very useful tool. It is time to park and significantly limit all the wheeled and tracked vehicles and start using helicopters more. Additionally, Apache attack helicopters should accompany every major troop vehicle movement. That also makes attackers more exposed to our fire.

In another fictional, but very typical anecdote, Special Forces Sergeant First Class Jones, serving in Basrah as a team weapons sergeant, had worked with one neighborhood in particular and was really getting to know the citizenry who were starting to trust him and were bringing him intelligence on a steady basis. It also helped that he and his teammates dressed like Iraqis and spent money in the struggling stores in the neighborhood. One of those stores was owned by Muhammad who supported his family of seven and his late-brother’s family of five, and all lived in the same little house. He was a Sunni and his brother had been beaten and set on fire by Shiites. The A-Detachment members realized that the Sunnis and Shias have been killing each other for centuries, so they befriended both groups separately, learned how to interact with both, and did not ever try to force them to act like good friends.

Then a new conventional armored U.S. Army unit came into the neighborhood. Seeing the shabbily-dressed Green Berets, the commanding officer called the team commander, a young handsome West Pointer, in to his office.

He said, “Captain, your unit is working OPCON to mine (Under Operational Control) and your men do not look like soldiers. They are to wear proper battledress from now and will be clean-shaven with haircuts that are high and tight. The ABC reporter we have imbedded with us could not believe it when I told him your men are Green Berets.”

The captain argued with the colonel for five minutes to no avail. Then later that week, when Muhammad was ready to leave for work to support the 13 in his household, the armored unit got a report of insurgents in the neighborhood. They immediately sent two Abrams tanks to the opposite corners of the walled neighborhood, while a ground force worked its way towards them. The two tanks churned up the asphalt in the road, so Muhammad could not get his flimsy car to even drive down his own street to go to his own store. The long barrel on one of the main battle tanks, while the turret swiveled around, totally demolished the privacy wall built by Muhammad’s second cousin behind his house.

Then, Muhammad and his two teen-aged sons, who were working to help support the large brood as Iraqi police officers on graveyard shift, as well as all other IAAM’s, (Iraqi Army-Aged Males) were rounded up and herded into the playground of the local school. The men understood this, but their little children did not when they were taken from their homes like prisoners. Then the U.S. Army conventional unit spent the entire day thoroughly checking the ID’s of each of the men from the large neighborhood. The men understood that was necessary to find insurgents even though it took money from their pockets making them miss work. What the men did not understand though, was as the weeks went on, this became a continuous process and the same men were repeatedly checked for proper identification papers, detained all day, and questioned.

On top of that, the team commander got a call from his B-team commanding officer located in an air-conditioned office in the Green Zone. The lieutenant colonel chewed out the captain for not conforming to the rules set down by the Basrah commander. The captain argued his case, which fell on deaf ears, as the lieutenant colonel had just gotten an earful from a Marine general in charge of that part of the country.

The solutions to these scenarios are also common sense and simple to execute. We spend millions of dollars to qualify and train each Special Forces operator (Green Beret). They are very well-trained to conduct a counterinsurgency war, plus are trained in direct action missions, as well as civil affairs and psychological operations. FOLLOW THEIR LEAD. Do not make them serve OPCON, or under operational control to a conventional unit that is not trained in counter-insurgency warfare. The entire country of Iraq should be divided up with an appropriate number of Special Forces Operational Detachment-Alpha, or A-Teams, who live and work with the civilian populace. Conventional commanders should report to them, not vice versa.

Instead, use conventional forces as a Quick Reaction Force in the same way that the 5th Special Forces Group used Mobile Strike Forces in Vietnam. If one town or area gets “hot,” the Quick Reaction Force for that area comes in immediately to reinforce whoever is already there fighting. The Conventional Force is also used for specialized joint operations where intelligence indicates a major enemy target.

The U.S. Army Special Forces proved their worth in Vietnam and ever since. They are not on trial, but are still wearing shackles and handcuffs. If you want to win the war, let our very best warriors lead the way. They have been the American military’s quietly professional stuntmen, for decades, but now they need to be the stars of the show. If you do that, you will not need to train more trainers, just deploy more Special Forces operators. That is what they are trained for. And DO NOT micromanage the war from Washington, MacDill AFB, or Fort Bragg. The commander on the ground must be trusted to perform his job, who sees what is going on around him and knows what is best at the time, not a Chairborne Ranger in headquarters miles or continents away. One of the best ways for him to see what is going on and control enemy movement in the cities, day and night, sniper teams need to be deployed on many, many more rooftops, especially with the “reach out and touch someone” long range .50 cailber Barret sniper rifle. Snipers in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven their worth.

It is frequently mentioned that Usama bin Laden has become a non-factor in the Global War on Terrorism. No, I am sorry, he is not. He and al-Zawahiri are heroes to the jihadists who are totally bent on our demise. One of the most important psychological aspects to winning a war is the live action game of ''Capture the Flag.'' The “flag” in this war has two banners: Usama bin Laden and al-Zawahiri. Both must be found and taken out--period. They have both sworn not to be taken alive. So let us happily give them their wish. They do not need to be in prison cells, waiting for their day in court, so we can prove we are civil, and they can play the world media. Kill them. That will knock the wind out of the al-Qaida. Those two are the symbols of hope and power to the al-Qaida.

It is also incredibly important to “Know thy enemy.” The al-Qaida is not jealous of America. They hate Christians, and they hate Jews, and they will NOT sit down at a peace table with us someday or ever. We must accept that. They have a 7th century mindset to capture and convert all countries to Islam, called Dar el Islam, and to kill all Jews and Christians.

They must be killed or conquered--period. And to that end we absolutely must fight to win the war, not friends. If a sniper shoots an American from a rooftop, level the building. If insurgents kill Americans then hide in a mosque, turn the mosque into rubble, and let a politician apologize later. And in doing this, we must understand an important principle. YOU CANNOT WIN A WAR WITH SUPPLIES FROM WAL-MART. This war will never be won by fighting on the cheap. Do what it takes to win quickly and decisively regardless of the price tag. The long term is the real drain on our resolve and our cash reserves.

This includes no more Mr. Nice Guy with Pakistan. U.S. Forces led by area-knowledgeable Special Forces teams must execute a massive search and clear operation with extensive use of helicopters, into the warlord-controlled tribal regions along the Afghani-Pakistani mountain corridor to find and eliminate al-Zawahiri and Usama bin Laden.

Psychological operations are a major part of the Global War on Terrorism, and the al-Qaida have learned very effectively how to play some of the U.S. media like a cheap fiddle. If you are a decision-maker in a news organization, you must realize that the courage, sacrifice, and actions of the U.S. military insures your freedom of the press. The al-Qaida wants to destroy that precious freedom by using it against you, against us, and they are succeeding in some quarters. Your first loyalty is not to the news, but to the country. Without our freedoms, your stories will be dictated to you by a man with a sword in his hand.

And we have to start publicizing our successes in Iraq and Afghanistan and stop imbedding reporters with military units. The military’s primary job is to kill people, blow things up, and break the enemy’s back. We are there to fight and win, not protect CNN News, because “the public has a right to know.” The American public wants to know, but more importantly, they have a right to be protected, first and foremost.

So many more men and women become general officers now with an eye on politics after their military careers end. They used to fade away, but now they run for office. If we want to win, there can be no more one-upsmanship with the U.S. military. It has gone on for years and must stop now for the sake of victory.

Additionally, Generals are only told whatever will keep the briefers from getting in trouble. If you really want to know how to improve things to win, don’t ask a general; ask his sergeant major.

We can, must, and will win this war in Iraq, in Afghanistan, and against terrorism. We simply have to learn from our mistakes in the past, follow the K.I.S.S. principle, and stop trying to win the Ms. Congeniality Award, and playing to the liberal elitists and naïve anti-war crusaders.

About the Writer: Don Bendell is the author of 21 books Don receives e-mail at don@donbendell.com. Born and raised in Akron, Ohio, Don joined the U.S. Army after graduating from Tallmadge High School in 1966. He was an MP for awhile, then, after Infantry Officers Candidate School and Airborne Training (Jump School) at Fort Benning, Georgia, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and trained for a year with the 7th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. This included Vietnamese Language School under the tutelage of Madame Nhu's sister.

In May, 1968, as a Green Beret first lieutenant, Don joined the 5th Special Forces Group in South Vietnam where he was assigned to an A-Team, A-242, living at Dak Pek with the Montagnards (aboriginal-type warriors who lived in Vietnam's mountainous Central Highlands). The Montagnards made him a brigadier in their secret movement called the FULRO. Don was also coordinator of the Top Secret Phoenix Program for the Dak Pek/Dak Sut Districts in his area of operations. In 1969, he was medically-evacuated, first to Pleiku's 71st Evac Hospital, then the 1st Field Hospital in Tokyo for a month, then back to Womack Army Hospital at Fort Bragg in the United States, and finally, with a 3-Medical Profile, he was assigned to the 3rd Special Forces Group, where he became the Assistant S-2 (Staff Intelligence Officer). He was not allowed to return to Vet Nam because of his medical profile, although he kept trying to return. In June of 1969, Don was promoted to Captain and sent to the US Army Intelligence Officers School at Fort Holabird, Maryland, where he graduated on the Commandant's List. He also received a Top Secret security clearance and was placed in charge of all Top Secret Area Studies for every country in Africa and later, the Mideast. When the 3rd Special Forces Group deactivated, Don became an Assistant S-3, or Staff Operations Officer, with the 6th Special Forces Group.

It's always hard to know which armchair quarterback to listen to, but I like this. It makes sense as you read it. He seems to have the background to make his opinion worthwhile.

[ This morning, my wife started crying when we listened to the long-awaited findings of the Iraq Study Group. She said, “Just great! We have two sons in harm’s way, ]

The malfeance is great.. and portends much more crying before a democrat lead Congress is over..

The conventional army generals didn't get it in "Nam and still don't get it. Special Ops is the way to win an insurgency like we now have in Iraq and Afghanistan. The big army is trained to fight a big opposing force and can't see beyond that mission. With the surrender monkeys (press and Democrats) now in charge, both missions are down the tube. Special Ops and the Marines will be withdrawn first and wither away under the post 2006 downsized military budgets. Most Americans won't notice in a few years when our national flag is replaced by the UN flag.

Stormin' Norman would not even allow snake eaters in his AO.

Talk to a SOF operator and they will tell you they can do it all.

Talk to a conventiion force type (or a Marine) and you will get a range of opinion from OK to terrible.

You will have to draw your own lines-
as for me, if really hits the fan, I'll take the Marines over SOF - just me - YMMV

sounds good...so I why is it not done?

Because conventional minded officers have infiltrated and staff Special Forces. Their tactics and fidelity to the conventional side of the Army is causing more problems than their rank is worth. I hear these same things from the troops coming back from the "box" and it's not getting any better. Best to pull out everyone but one Brigade of "firefighters" and keep nothing else but Special Forces and support for them in country.

A big problem is no one has learned counterinsurgency like SF has. Conventional minded officers think a tank and bombs will win all. Just isn't so.

"Special Operations" Marines and conventional units that are going to be used to "train" Iraqi forces are not going to get the job done. They don't have the native experience and and are too conventional for they type of warfare.

Other than that...the only option is to "kill 'em all and let God sort them out."

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.