Obama's "Limited" Surge Strategy

Last night, we heard the new strategy for the Afghanistan War from President Obama. Some old soldiers watching, could not figure out whether this “limited surge concept” was bi-polar or schizophrenic. Only after learning that schizophrenia "commonly manifests as auditory hallucinations, paranoid or bizarre delusions, or disorganized speech and thinking with significant social or occupational dysfunction," we figured that was the right term to describe the “limited” surge strategy.

OK, so Obama inherited this war. As of last night, that excuse ends. Now, he owns it. Undoubtedly, he finds this war inconvenient. It could derail his quest "remake" America and sucks money from the tax coffers needed to pay for the "new America." That is why we are hearing whispers in the media and Congress about imposing a "war tax." Those in power do not want to endanger their agenda and that sucking sound at the treasury does exactly that.

As President Obama discovered soon after taking office, even with unparalleled popularity and a majority in Congress, fundamentally changing the course of a country will require at least a second term to finish the job. Getting reelected is the number one priority of every politician. A President is supposed to rise above that, but very few can or do. There is little question that President Obama believes that any price should be paid to make it happen, whether it means sending burglars to the Watergate Hotel or soldiers in harm’s way for political gain back home.

The reaction to Obama’s new war plans was mixed and varied as you can see in the video below. Another source is Small Wars Journal that captures multiple media responses. Few have reacted yet, with a perspective of what this means to the warriors who will be impacted by this "new" Obama War.

On the surface, there are a lot of fundamental problems with this “limited” surge. First, is that it is “limited.” Overwhelming force and firepower against a foe remains a common sense fundamental of any war. "Proportional response" is a bizarre liberal concept that has come into vogue in recent years. It is an idea with one foot rooted in defeat and needeless suffering of our warriors.

Establishing piecemeal combat out posts of small units without mutual support and fires has never made sense in Afghanistan. The only course of action that ever has is creating hunter-killer teams of special operators who live off the land and hunt Taliban. While we make a big deal of "hearts and minds" it does not change one basic truth. Afghanistani's want to be left alone, free of warlords, religious zealots, and foreign fighters. When hunter-killer teams decimate the Taliban and the warlords that throw in with them, the Pakistani ISI will also lose support to create chaos in Afghanistan. Only when the Taliban and warlords are gone can there truly be any nation building.

What worked in Iraq, a country with a completely different infrastructure and tribal organizations, won't in Afghanistan. One size does not fit all in counter-insurgency operations as one can see from studying COIN campaigns in Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Greece, Columbia and Vietnam as well as the many others.

After arriving in-country it takes a few months to ramp up to operational effectiveness. In some cases it takes a few months for all the organizational gear and equipment to catch up with the "easy to ship" people. Rushing troops into Afghanistan is going to look good back home, but pretty silly to that grunt in a pup tent in the desert of Registan or on the plain of Kandahar.

Logistics resupply continues to be a major difficulty to support the troops now in Afghanistan. Add 30,000 more and extraordinary efforts will have to occur.

Pundits tell us that we are not going to do more combat outposting and trying the "inkblot" strategy in Afghanistan. Instead, we are going to cede the rest of the country to the Taliban and establish a ring of influence around Kandahar City with an expiration date. That's nuts.

The Taliban thank-you, Mr. President. They know they have time on their hands now to refit, recruit and reconstitute and train and will wait for the promised Obama withdrawal.

I admit, it is a brilliant political strategy for President Obama. He "gave the generals what they asked for," right? As a result, he will not likely be perceived by the electorate of having “lost Afghanistan.” Now we can all blame the military.

It was a superbly executed move by the President and typical of one that is willing to put our warriors at risk for reasons that have little to do with our national security, but everything to do with getting reelected. For that, President Obama may likely have earned the scorn of history.

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