Last week, the two authors of The
Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa dropped by good old CNAS, the little think tank that could,
to discuss their work. I think their
book is terrific -- as some guy says in a blurb on the cover, it should be in the
rucksack of every soldier heading to Iraq, and studied by anyone who cares
about the Iraq war. You can read the
whole book, which is based on the old E.D. Swinton classic, The
Defense of Duffer's Drift (which actually is included in their
new book) in an evening or on a two-hour flight.
Over a fine lunch of greasy
chicken, white rice, stuffed zucchini, smooth hummus, and pita bread, I asked
Army Capts. Michael Burgyone (great military name) and Albert
"Jim" Marckwardt why the U.S. military was so slow to adjust in Iraq.
Marckwardt responded that actually in his view, "we've done it pretty quickly."
(After their talk, a British officer present told me he agrees with Marckwardt,
and believes that the U.S. military adapted astonishingly quickly to a new way
of war in Iraq.)
They also reported that they've
gotten a broadly positive reaction to their work. The sole exception they could
remember was comments by Col. Gian Gentile, a thoughtful officer who objects to the dominant
COIN narrative (and, full disclosure, sees me as one of the bad narrators).
Another reason to buy it: The authors are donating any money they get
to the Fisher House charity. The
authors also have created a Web site
to aid those wanting to delver deeper into the issue.
I am told their talk will be
posted soon on this CNAS page.
Read More
(1)
HIDE COMMENTS LOGIN OR REGISTER REPORT ABUSE