via Yahoo.Uh wow.
It’s highly unusual for a high-ranking soldier, let alone a high-ranking Marine, to publicly questionWhite House and Pentagon policy. Yet that’s exactly what four-star Gen. James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps, did yesterday in Washington.
Speaking at the Brookings Institute Tuesday, Amos said the Obama administration paved the wayfor the emergence of the Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (ISIS) by completely withdrawing American troops in 2011.
“I have a hard time believing that had we been there, and worked with the government, and worked with parliament, and worked with the minister of defense, the minister of interior, I don't think we'd be in the same shape we're in today,” Amos said.
Amos also blasted the White House for failing to live up to its obligations around the world.
“We may think we're done with all of these nasty, thorny, tacky little things that are going on around the world -- and I'd argue that if you're in that nation, it's not a tacky, little thing for you. We may think we're done with them, but they're not done with us," Amos said.
He plainly said that the Obama administration's policy in Iraq is wrong.
Is he attempting to burnish his legacy or is he trying to give the White House the reason they need to punch his ticket?
Sidenote: Dunford's confirmation hearings are going on now.
What an ignorant man. The US has combatant commands that cover the world, with troops in many countries.
ReplyDeleteOne of the principal problems in Iraq, and Afghanistan too, is that general officers have lied about the effectiveness of host country military forces. So Amos is saying: Yeah, we lied, they were actually no good so the US should have stayed forever.
In Iraq, the prime minister is also the minister of defense and interior, by the way. News to Amos.
Don't let the door hit ya, Jim.
A military that's leadership is composed of political cronies and rife with patronage isn't going to do shit against hardcore,fanatics because the cronies and patrons will wilt away in the presence of dedicated fighters.
ReplyDeleteThat was going to happen with or without Americans in country.
And as I keep harping on, only American can succeed at the American-way of war because we have the technology, the PGMs, the ISR assets that make it possible. The Iraqi military is a pale imitation of the US
The problem in these countries the US invades (Vietnam is the best example) is that our guys never fight like their guys. That’s because “our guys” are fighting for us, or the puppet government we set up, and “their guys” are fighting for their own freedom from “our guys.” It just never works out.
DeleteThat’s a fundamental factor that all this “advising” overlooks. Suppose there were an armed Chinese takeover in Washington, the US military was disbanded, and Chinese military advisors were trying to form a new US army? Forget it.
Dunford is getting interesting.
ReplyDeleteStripes
Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford urged lawmakers on Thursday to back off plans to cut funding for Russian-made transport helicopters used by the Afghan military, arguing it would have a “catastrophic” effect on Afghanistan’s ability to conduct counterterrorism operations.
He also said military commanders were uncomfortable with the Obama administration's announced intent to pull all forces out of the country by 2017.