Insufficient Numbers of Marines
BY Herschel Smith
15 years, 2 months ago
Greyhawk (in a smart read that addresses the slow fall of Kandahar to the Taliban) comments on Why are we in the Helmand Province (where I was nonplussed by Nagl’s comparison of Fallujah 2004 to Kandahar 2009 and lobbied for seeing Helmand as a necessary element of the campaign) that Kandahar isn’t as bad as Fallujah was, nor should we allow it to get to that point.
Granted. But the argument focused on the concept of center of gravity, and I still see the campaign as needing multiple lines of effort. That brings me to the main point since more Marines would be required to address the campaign in this manner. Greyhawk also comments:
Mr Smith has never noted a problem whose cause couldn’t be traced to insufficient numbers of Marines – and fixed by more. That last part has a kernel of truth, but there are other considerations.
Greyhawk understands me well … but perhaps a clarification is needed. There are always other considerations, and so it would be more accurate to say that “Mr. Smith has never noted a problem in which a contributing cause couldn’t be traced to insufficient numbers of Marines – and fixed by more.”
The Marines can’t fix every problem, but lack of them in counterinsurgency dooms even the possibility of other lines of effort to be successful because of lack of force projection.
On September 27, 2009 at 11:00 pm, DesertPete45 said:
So if I understand this cerebral text, which I am getting damn sick of, it is that it doesn’t matter how many Marines we have! Am I understanding this text correctly??? If so I partially agree: if our Marines, of whom my son is one in Helmand (in a Marine rifle platoon), are not allowed to kill the damn enemy because of McChrystal’s wimpy position because he is scared to death of AbomiNation and having to retire and not make as much $$$ as he is active then that is correct. We could have ten trillion Marines and the Taliban would continue to sip tea, plant IEDs at night and chill in the ville during the day with the homeboys. What the hell has happened to our military and where the HELL are the men (senior officers) in our military who would resign/retire before committing their charges to such idiocy?? And yes I do mean retire! When the HELL will our military leaders cowboy up and act like real men instead of neutered lackys??? NEVER!!!! I fear America’s glory days are gone forever and I cry over that. Dammit, my dad was wounded on Saipan, I fought in Vietnam and now my son is in A-stan and can’t defend himself!!! Our only hope is the 2010 elections, if we fail if is over and we better get ready for heavy handed govt control by the damn FOOLS inside the beltway and the wimps in this country who want the govt. to provide everything for them (impossible). Damn, can’t believe I am witnessing the dismantling of the United States of America by a neomarxist!!! Where are the MEN, where are the PATRIOTS, where are those of PRINCIPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If we unfetter our Marines and provide them with air and atrillery we can win! Several weeks ago 4 Marines were killed because they were denied air and artillery by the damn egghead commanders who are scared shitless by Obama because a civilian might be killed!! What the hell, now we have 4 more dead Marines!!!!! Does no one give a damn??? Where the HELL are the men??? Are they pleased that they were simpatico with the EU, AbomiNation and probably the world court notwithstanding we lost 4 Marines!!! Well hell they weren’t the sons’ of any of those fools!!! Where the hell is the outrage???? Where the hell is the passion?? Where the hell is the anger???? We can have or cerebral discusions after we win in a quiet bar with many beers but that is not for now. Dammit, where is the fire in the belly of those who think we are hanging our guys (and gals) out to dry and they are nothing but cannon fodder for the PC crowd. Obama is uncomfortable with the use of the word victory and not sure that is necessarily the goal in A-stan, Gates doesn’t want a large military footprint, CMC is worried about our carbon footprint and Levin wants us to convince the enemy to switch sides!!!! OMG am I dreaming?? Pinch me please!!! Are these people fools or not and McChrystal says we can’t win the war with 200+ civilians killed in the last year!! What??? What about our guys?? We can’t win the war with 80% of Helmand as Taliban and Taliban sympathizers if we are not allowed to kill them!!! Karzai is a corrupt hill bandit and he has the temerity to hold us responsible for civilian deaths!! That dirty rat!! If he was a man, which he is not, he would hold the Talaban responsible but he doesn’t have the guts. He would be dead meat in 24 hours if we left. Let’s stop the academic bullshit, there is enough of that by McChrystal, CMC, Jones, Gates, Mullen and or course, OBAMA!!! Did I miss anyone???
Respectfully submitted,
Desert Pete
USMC 1964-1968