Let’s hope Mattis sees the error of the ways. COIN was likely at some highup’s direction. Let’s go back to H&C and win wars again.
“Kill them all” or H&C is the time honored way wars have been won since recorded history began. COIN seems to have become the time honored way wars are either lost or stalemated with high body counts among our troops.
On Dec 10th I had asked John Bernard the origin of COIN. His reply:
“The origin of COIN is gleaned from the pages of the Small Wars Manual, 1940. Following that it was first used by the French, followed by the Brits and then us.
“Marines were the first in modern history to attempt limited warfare and to exploit to a greater degree, Counter Intelligence gathering in the Philippines and the Banana Wars....a lead Officer who had a career filled with experience in them, Smedley Butler, was a key figure in the writing of that manual.
“Petraeus is one of the Officers who “retooled” COIN in a new manual geared toward our current struggles.”
Burn the book? LOL