Thursday, December 03, 2009

War leadership

UPDATE & BUMP - See bottom of post.
Z 020118ZDEC
FM CINC
TO ALLWORLD
BT
UNCLAS
MSGID/GENADMIN/CINC/WEST POINT NY/DEC//
SUBJ/AFG TIMELINE//
RMKS/1. BEGIN THE TRANSFER OF OUR FORCES OUT OF AFGHANISTAN IN JULY OF 2011.//
BT
#0000
NNNN

O 021530ZDEC
FM SECDEF
TO ALLWORLD
BT
UNCLAS
MSGID/GENADMIN/SECDEF/
WASHINGTON DC/DEC//
SUBJ/AFG TIMELINE//
REF/A/020118ZDEC/CINC//
RMKS/1. REF A SHOULD BE SEEN AS A STATEMENT OF CINC STRONG INTENT. CINC ALWAYS HAS THE FREEDOM TO RE-EVALUATE HIS DECISIONS.//
BT
#0000
NNNN

R 022308ZDEC
FM CINC/PAO
TO ALLWORLD
BT
UNCLAS
MSGID/GENADMIN/CINC PAO/
WASHINGTON DC/DEC//
SUBJ/AFG TIMELINE//
REF/A/021530ZDEC/SECDEF//
REF/B/020118ZDEC/CINC//
RMKS/1. CANCEL REF A. REF B REMAINS IN EFFECT.
2. CINC EMPHASIZES REF B IS LOCKED IN - THERE IS NO FLEXIBILITY. TROOPS WILL START COMING HOME IN JUL11. IT IS ETCHED IN STONE. PAO HAS CHISEL.//
BT
#0000
NNNN

Follow the links Shipmates. I don't make this stuff up.

SECDEF - you were just punked.
UPDATE: The goat roping spaz's along in a great expanding grabastic cluster.

Looks like McChrystal and SECSTATE were punk'd too. Hey - when you follow this link to Allah at HotAir and watch the video, you would almost think that SECSTATE learned Operational Planning from 'ole Phibian Salamander. Strange bedfellows, indeed.

Oh, wait ... visual .... unghhh ... errrrr .... I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry ....


UPDATE: The waters just get murkier.
July 2011 is not a withdrawal date, but a specific target date for beginning to transition security responsibility to Afghan forces, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said on several morning talk shows today.

“We’ve been given very clear direction from the president to start the transfer of responsibility for security to the Afghan security force,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said on “American Morning” on CNN. “July of 2011 is a time where we can start to transition, … but it’s not a hard deadline to leave.”
That does not match with what the CINC and his spokesman said yesterday.

I know very well what the transition phase of an operation is. I also know that a successful transition date is decided on by conditions. You set yourself up for failure if you don't have a conditions based transition date.

From a military planning perspective, what Admiral Mullen says in the clip below makes absolute sense and if it is the plan - then things are fine and well going forward (though mentioning any conditions free start date is a rookie planner mistake).

Thing is - what Mullen says isn't in alignment with what the CINC said yesterday.

On both the firmness of the date and the withdraw of US troops; we have a condition where the public statements of the CINC and his Spokesman are not in agreement with his SECDEF, SECSTATE, and CJCS are not in alignment.

If this confuses military professionals, Senators, and press - what is this doing to our STRATCOM and an understanding of our purpose to the rest of the world?

My $.02: the CINC needs to make a clear statement - soon.

I fully understand trying to clean up behind your boss - but it is the CINC's word that matters. He needs to clarify what his plan is.

Right now it just looks like our national security leadership is in chaos. No way to run a railroad, much less fight a war.


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