A CNAS project: What platoon leaders should read before deploying

Posted By Thomas E. Ricks Wednesday, November 24, 2010 - 7:20 AM Share

My CNAS colleague Andrew Exum is putting together a website for platoon leaders and company commanders deploying to Afghanistan. I am helping him as I can. Below is the memo I wrote for him yesterday. But please go to his blog and offer your own suggestions.

My favorite single document is CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine's Afghanistan Lessons Learned report. Start here with his discussion of how to patrol.

There are 17 parts in all, reachable on Tom's blog under Marine's name (which is real, by the way).

Here is a reading list I originally wrote for a friend who was deploying to Afghanistan. It must have been a good list because a year later he was named Marine Corps intelligence officer of the year.

Here is a link to reading suggestions made by company commanders in the 101st Airborne at the end of a tour in eastern Afghanistan.

Here is a list and discussion of pre-deployment tips from those 101st commanders.

In a nutshell, here are their suggestions:

1. Get fit
2. A little understanding goes a long way
3. If you want stability, work on continuity
4. Don't assume you own the Afghan night
5. Don't underestimate the enemy
6. Your weapons usage may surprise you
7. Find time for training between fights
8. Employ the locals

Read anything by David Kilcullen, especially his basic articles, which I think are more helpful than his book. Don't miss his "28 Articles" on COIN at the company level.

Also, here are links to a discussion of Killcullen's metrics for COIN in Afghanistan.

And then go to this.

Then this.

And finally this.

Read "The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa," a short book that provides a terrific look at COIN in Iraq from the point of view of a platoon leader. Here is my discussion of it.

Here is a reading list on COIN by Prof. Eliot Cohen, who helped write the COIN manual.

Finally, if Andrew hasn't already told you: Get on companycommand.com, and ask for help. Also, get ahold of their book "A Platoon Leader's Tour," which I wrote about here.

Shane Huang/flickr

EXPLORE:AFGHANISTAN, MEDIA, MILITARY
 

ANALYTICS

2:04 PM ET

November 24, 2010

Another Link to Add for Kilcullen & Analytics in Afghanistan

http://ricks.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2010/02/15/a_response_to_kilcullen_here_are_10_ways_to_think_about_combat_metrics?hidecomments=yes

 

STARBUCK

4:51 PM ET

November 24, 2010

Tom: I believe in a sound

Tom:

I believe in a sound mind, but I also believe in a sound body as well. (I think General Petraeus might agree)

Thus, I might suggest--well, not so much a book--but might I suggest that each company procure a copy of the "Mountain Athlete Workout" book?

http://www.mtnathlete.com/

T.E. Lawrence's Seven Pillars, in my opinion, was more applicable to Iraq--and general military culture. Yet, it's always been one of my favorites. I'll put forth a shameless plug for that one.

 

TOM RICKS

5:08 PM ET

November 24, 2010

Yep

that was no. 1 on the 101st AB company commanders' list of reccommendations.
best,
tom

 

RVN SF VET

9:01 PM ET

November 29, 2010

READ!

Read and train or bleed.

Once you've lost a few troops, you will wish that you had. Also, listen to combat-experienced NCOs before you decide on a course of action. Clean and test fire all weapons. Clean again.

 

CARL

9:33 PM ET

November 26, 2010

Mr. Ricks: Is there any way a

Mr. Ricks:

Is there any way a member of the general public can read "A Platoon Leader's Tour"?

 

NORMAN ROGERS

8:07 AM ET

November 27, 2010

COIN is Dead

COIN, COIN, COIN

How 2008 of you.

News flash--General Petraeus is begging for tanks. I suppose a lot of this COIN nonsense will go a long ways towards maintaining those vehicles (are we still running short of track pads? Spare parts? Lubricants?) while regular Afghans scratch their heads over flattened homes and crushed cars.

Keep selling this stuff, though. Most Americans don't even know what COIN is, but if it's marketed properly, they'll buy it for the holidays.

 

TOM RICKS

9:51 AM ET

November 27, 2010

The critique of COIN

The critique of COIN used to be that it was a fad. Now the critique is that it is unfashionable?

If the alternative is flat out conventional warfare, then I am content to be out of fashion.

Your pal,
Tom

 

NORMAN ROGERS

5:01 PM ET

December 1, 2010

The critique of COIN

is that it doesn't work, and you know it.

Your pal,

Norman Rogers

 

JAILHOG

2:41 AM ET

November 28, 2010

Pardon the interuption

Sorry this isn't quite on topic though relevant.

Tom (or any other readers) have you ever read/reviewed Gen. Rupert Smith's 'The Utility of Force'? Seems like you would have, and if you had any thoughts or comments I'd like to see your take on it and Smith's commentary on how and why our current conflicts tend to be "timeless" or without end.

I'd also like to recommend it for those of you who haven't yet read it. It was entertaining to read about the development of our modern military institutions and the natural built-in prejudices that flow from that history and structure. The embodiment of the, 'When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem is a nail.' meme.

 

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military for the Washington Post from 2000 through 2008.

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