WP: Officers Question Visibility of Army in Iraq

[kskiska]

Some in Military Urge Lower Troop Profile

Monday, July 26, 2004; Page A01

Some top U.S. military officers are questioning whether the practice of keeping U.S. troops highly visible in Iraq is doing more harm than good, challenging a key tenet of the Army's approach to occupying the country.

Advocates of the new approach say U.S. troops would be more effective if they were kept out of view of the Iraqi public, and even removed to remote desert bases, appearing only when needed to conduct operations beyond the capacity of Iraqi security forces.

For most of the Iraq occupation, the U.S. military has assumed -- based on lessons drawn from peacekeeping missions in Bosnia and Kosovo -- that maintaining "presence" through extensive patrols, large-scale raids and other highly visible operations would increase stability. Now, however, some officers are saying that such operations are doing more to inflame anti-American feelings among Iraqis than to secure the streets, and the resulting debate may shape the military's future structure and tactics in Iraq.

"Sometimes the best way is to be less present, and to be focused in your presence and successful in what you do," Gen. Peter J. Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, said in little-noticed comments made last week during the final moments of a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee. "And by exposing more and more of your formation to this kind of warfare may not be the smartest thing to do. And we're looking and working very hard to do that through the commanders over there."

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A14015-2004Jul25.html

[lastknowngood]

1. Maybe if we stop killing people we can stop bringing attention to

ourselves. Somethings are so obvious the big thinkers can't see them.

[acmavm]

2. And maybe if we were gone, well you know.

.

[intheozone]

3. Jeez, how f**king stupid our these guys,

Iraq is not a Bosnia or a Kosovo!!! :crazy:

The lessons of Bosnia and Kosovo cannot be applied to Iraq, just won't work. It is like comparing apples and oranges, or comparing Bill Clinton and W! There is just no comparison.

DUMB SHITS! This war is being managed by DUMB SHITS!

:mad: :mad: :mad:

[moondust]

7. Pretty stupid.

Whoever decided they must ride around in Humvees without armor in roadside bomb and RPG country should be retired to Leavenworth. Or worse.

[The_Casual_Observer]

4. Legitimizing a policy that has been in place for a long time

Our brave fighting men have been holed up in forts away from the cities for a long time. Venturing out for supplies and an occasional run in with the locals, where they have had their asses handed to them. So now they want public approval for this stand. They are only there in case the fake government gets overrun and the new guys demand control of the oil.

[daleo]

5. Plan is to protect the pipelines and oilfields for western oil companies

Disengage from the rest of Iraq, and let the devil take the hindmost.

[number6]

6. well ....duh

"that maintaining "presence" through extensive patrols, large-scale raids and other highly visible operations would increase stability. Now, however, some officers are saying that such operations are doing more to inflame anti-American feelings among Iraqis than to secure the streets,...."

[drdtroit]

8. So these are the Adults???

[truthspeaker]

9. big difference: many Kosovars and Bosnians WANTED US troops there

Iraq is a totally different situation. Why can't the brass see that?

[MichiganVote]

10. They shouldn't be there at all.

Iraqi's don't want us there and the insurgency is all about that. But noooo...Bush will say its AL Quaida. Its not. Its about who will achieve political soverignty.

Pull the troops out. The military brass know this is a bullshit war.

[0007]

12. Absolutely, bring the troops home.

[Mari333]

11. Bring them home now

http://www.bringthemhomenow.com

[MichiganVote]

13. Great site

The Bush admin. talks about training Iraqi police force. Fine. But who are the trainers? A bunch of 19 year old kids? Some 30 or 40 something year old sargeants from the National Guard? Like these people don't know how to fight in their own country? Give me a break.
A soldier who was escorting a convoy was killed the other day. Why was he escorting anyone? Convoys need escorts? Step right up Iraqi's, its your fucking country, you do it!!

Where are the majors and the generals? Safe on US bases and in nearby Kuwait that's where.

All we're doing is sacrificing these kids to insurgents who want the US out. Its their country, not ours. How would Americans feel if during the Civil War, the French or English sent over their 150,000 or 200,000 troops to "keep the peace"? We'd raise hell too.

Iraq was and still is a war about the failure of diplomacy. Soldiers cannot solve that problem.

We need to support our troops now by pulling them out. Then, maybe, some of the deadhead politicians will get off their fat asses and solve these Mideast problems. Maybe if the diplomats had to work for their living as the middle class works for its bread, they'd realize we're sick of this whole damn thing.

That's the message that voters want clear to Bush and Kerry.
'We're sick of this, we pay you to fix it, now do it'

[sidpleasant]

14. Bush's highest military priority is reducing the death count until 11/2

I'm smelling "trial balloon" here. KKKarl doesn't want the KIA count to go over the symbolically important 1000 number before the election, so restricting the troops to bases in Iraq as much as possible reduces the exposure to danger. Of course the US will have to explain why the troops are suddenly out - of - sight so "we're rethinking our approach" sounds better than "we're standing down so there won't be daily death counts disturbing Bush's campaign."

Anyone who read the interview with Robert Fisk last week knows that in many parts of Iraq US troops have already retreated to bases and ceded control of towns to the insurgents. The situation reminds me of many Western movies with an isolated troop of cavalry in a stockade surrounded by hostile Indians.

[MichiganVote]

15. You got that right.

"Bring it on" Custer sure knows when to tuck his tail feathers under his high rise ass when he wants to.

Again I say, the troops need to be brought home so that these diplomats do more than sit in air conditioned rooms passing the champagne. These soldiers, young,older,experienced or green, can do more for us at home than in these dirt heaps.