Between Elsewhere and Here

Military Diplomacy

Defense Secretary Gates (someone I’m a big fan of) made a surprise visit to the Afghanistan capital of Kabul yesterday to call for at least 10,000 more troops to be deployed to the country. (Where we get those troops isn’t very clear without drawing down in Iraq.) Today he apologized for the Sep 9th attack that killed an estimated 90 civilians and, more importantly, Admiral Mike Mullen is in Islamabad to help sooth the tensions over the cross-board attacks.

I find this significant. As I wrote yesterday, Pakistan isn’t to happy with American attacks inside their boarders. Reports had stated that Pakistan’s military was under orders to fire on US forces entering the tribal areas. That clearly got everyone’s attention and now the military is flexing some soft power. Which is good, because it looks like there was another UAV attack inside Pakistan today.

Right now, everyone is saying the right things. “We’re going to work together more.” “No really, Pakistan is doing a great job.” “American attacks inside Pakistan are only against Taliban forces.” And so forth. Really, Admiral Mullen is giving the leadership of Pakistan the opportunity to yell at him and tell him how pissed off they are at the US in person. That’s the first step to easing tensions. It’s like eating a bunch of humble pie… though one wonder’s how well that pie will go down with the UAV attack today.

In Imagination Land:
Admiral Mullen, “Sorry for all those cross border attacks. We promise to be more cooperative about them in the future.”
Pakistani Leadership, “Damn straight you will!”
Pakistani assistant, “Sir, there’s just been another America attack in the FATA.”
Admiral Mullen, “Gottago…”

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By Christopher on 09/17/08 06:28 PM | | Link | Comments [0]

No One Else Understands the Miliary

“No one knows what war is like other than my family. Period.” – Meghan McCain.

I understand the sentiment behind this quote. I understand that being in the military or having family in the active duty provides one with a much more personal and intimate understanding of the US military as both an organization and a way of life.

I’m also not going to dispute that Meghan McCain or John McCain have a much better understanding of what it means to be willing to give your life for your country. That’s not what bugs me about this quote.

I’m not even terribly bothered by how stupid it is to suggest that her family, and her family alone, knows what war is like. That the 1,427,546 active duty personal and their families, the additional 1,458,400 reservists and their families and the families of the 4,739 US troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan don’t understand war. I am going to assume that she’s not that stupid and that her specific choice of words were nothing more than a mistake. And yet…

The deeper implication here is that those who “share DNA” with military are the only ones who understand war. Military families are in a unique position when it comes to war. They bare a special burden, one our nation (and every nation) should be both eternally grateful for and supportive of. But to understand war does not require family in the service. To suggest otherwise is wrong. Soldiers have been promoted to the rank of General having never seen combat let along war. Technically speaking, no American soldier has seen war since Korea, but that’s just semantics.

Military policy, strategic thinking, the utility of force are not zero-sum. These are areas of expertise that one learns and understands over time, from teachers, mentors, leaders, books and experiences. Being in the military is one way to understand war, it is a very personal way to understand war, but it is not the only way to understand war. Of the last five presidents, only one (Bush 41) has seen active combat.

So, this is like someone working at a Barnes & Noble saying, “Because I work at Barnes & Noble, I understand books and you don’t. Period.”

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By Christopher on 09/09/08 04:45 PM | | Link | Comments [0]

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