Exclusive: REALITY CHECK


Author: Jeff Bearor, (USMC, ret.)

Date Published: 2007-06-15


 

 

Take it from one who knows: FSM’s distinguished Contributing Editor Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC, ret.). “Our country invaded Iraq and told the Iraqi people and the world we’d ‘make it right.’ Iraqis took us at our word. There is no substitute for victory. We should declare our intent to win by putting into Iraq the necessary resources to ensure success.” Read how this can be done.
 
REALITY CHECK
Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC, ret.)
 
What a whirlwind of a month in the national security sphere! The elections, followed by the resignation of Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and the nomination of Robert Gates for the position. Endless attacks and turmoil in parts of Iraq, the President’s meeting “near-miss” with Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki, and it all culminates with the release today of the Iraq Study Group’s report authored in large part by James Baker.
 
The US is truly stuck in Iraq if we maintain the current policy. We’ve not enough troops on the ground, even with the Iraqi Army units that can fight, to “clear” the bad guys out much less to then “hold” what’s been cleared. That’s been the problem for two years now.
 
The enemy on the ground is a devil’s brew of criminalized fundamentalist Jihadis, nationalist Baathist insurgents still loyal to Saddam, sectarian militias driven by religious hatred, revenge, and power-lust, and international terrorists and their supporters. The violence is fueled by money from criminal enterprises like kidnapping, oil smuggling and black market activities as well as outside money coming from international terrorists Iran, Syria, and perhaps from Saudi Arabia as well.
 
Preferred weapons include car and truck bombs, improvised explosive devices, all manner of small arms and shoulder fired unguided rockets, and power drills.
 
There are so many groups that hate each other it is hard to keep track of them all. Most if not all the groups fighting each other are also fighting us and anything that looks like a legitimate Iraqi Army or security force unit or member. It seems that any Iraqi from parliament members and government functionaries to doctors and educators to ordinary citizens trying to make a living are targets of some terrorist, insurgent of sectarian militia group.
 
The pundits with their plans run the gamut from “get out now” (which would most likely result in a bloodbath of epic proportions and turmoil in the region for years) to “send a signal” to the Iraqis by pulling a few US troops out to let the Iraqis know they must “pull up their socks” as Secretary Rumsfeld put it. Ralph Peters declares that a partial drawdown of US combat forces would leave the stay-behind US advisor teams in peril to another “Sepoy Mutiny” like befell the British in 19th century India.
 
Two of our best and most knowledgeable national leaders have both decided that the only way to win is to add significant numbers of US ground forces to the fight now to gain control of the security situation. Senator John McCain supported the invasion of Iraq. Retired US Marine General Anthony Zinni, commander of Central Command before General Tommy Franks, was opposed to the invasion of Iraq. But within the past few days both have said more troops on the ground now is the only answer to the Iraq problem.
 
Senator McCain has said since the invasion began that we had too few ground forces in Iraq to execute the mission. General Zinni believes the stakes are too high now to leave. According to an interview with the New York Times Zinni said, “I don’t see how you can walk away from this one.”
 
The Marine Corps and the Army are running flat out to train enough of the right kind of advisor teams to have the kind of impact with the New Iraqi Army and other security forces that’s needed. The Army’s National Transition Training Center at Fort Riley, Kansas and the Marine Corps Transition Team Training Program at 29 Palms, California will improve on our current capability by training advisor team members in the necessary advanced skills.
 
Even the best trained US advisors can be successful only if enough Iraqis decide that they want to fight for a country not just for their tribe or religious sect and if there is at least some semblance of security across the country. Right now it appears that neither of these conditions exists. There are plenty of very brave and dedicated Iraqis who are willing to fight for a unified, secure, and democratic Iraq. I’ve met many of these men. But they know they can not be successful without our help.
 
We can win in Iraq. It’s a four step process – one, put in enough US ground forces now to secure the country and defeat the terrorists, Baathist insurgents, and sectarian militias. That’s the way to show the Iraqis we mean business. Security on the ground must be obtained and maintained in order to allow the Iraqis the time they need to fully prepare to take over the fight. Iraqi men will fight and fight hard if they understand we’ll not leave them in the lurch and that we mean to win. Two, increase the numbers and quality of US training and advisor teams who directly support the Iraqi Army and security forces. Three, as Iraqi units are prepared to come on line, bring them more and more into the fight alongside US forces. Four, pull US forces off the streets into a support role as “911” forces to reinforce Iraqi security forces when and where necessary. Then and only then can US main force combat units be withdrawn.
 
This need not take forever. With security gained and maintained and the continuing push to organize, train and equip Iraqi security forces, this is about a one year effort. But it has to be focused, it has to be tough, and we have to realize that the fight is on.
 
For the long term, as long as significant numbers of US trainer/advisor teams remain in Iraq we’ll have to have some combat units there as well to provide the “in-extremis” force to protect US “transition teams” spread all over Iraq. If US military members are captured or come under attack it must be US forces that come to their rescue.
 
There should be no mistake about the fact that putting more US ground combat units into Iraq means taking risks around the world. Even with armed forces numbering 2.7 million in the active, reserve and National Guard forces, only about 20 percent represent ground combat forces – “boots on the ground” soldiers and Marines. We’d be signing up soldiers and Marines who already have multiple tours in Iraq for longer stays and more deployments. Basically we’d need to adopt a “hold” strategy in any other world hotspots using tactical air power, which is never totally precise and never replicates the effect of having US combat units on the ground.
 
Not a perfect plan by any means, but the only way to complete the mission as successfully as possible. The time is now for decisions from our leaders. Our country invaded Iraq and told the Iraqi people and the world we’d “make it right.” Iraqis took us at our word. There is no substitute for victory. We should declare our intent to win by putting into Iraq the necessary resources to ensure success.
 
Senator McCain perhaps said it best last weekend. George Stephanopoulos asked him, “If the Iraq Study Group does not call for an increase in troops as you’ve advocated, will you call for American troops to come home?” Senator McCain replied, “I will if at that point I think we have exhausted every option and that we are doomed to failure.”
 
If it comes to that point “failure” is exactly what it will be.
 
FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC, ret.) is a career Marine Corps officer, the former commanding officer of the Recruit Training Regiment at the US Marine Corps Recruit Depot at Parris Island, SC, and has served as Chief of Staff, Marine Corps Training and Education Command, Quantico, VA.
 
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FamilySecurityMatters.org Contributing Editor Col. Jeff Bearor (USMC, ret.) served more than 30 years on active duty with the U.S. Marine Corps before retiring in January 2006. As an infantry officer he commanded four rifle companies, an infantry battalion and the Recruit Training Regiment at Parris Island, SC. He also served as USMC exchange officer with the British Royal Marine Commandos in 45 Commando Group in Scotland and graduated from their famed Commando Course. He is a military parachutist and diver. He served as a military detailee in the CIA Counter-Terrorist Center, as the Fleet Marine Officer/Force Protection Officer for the U.S. FIFTH Fleet in Manama, Bahrain, and as the Chief of Current Operations, J3 at the U.S. Central Command. Jeff is currently a Research Fellow at the Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities working on Marine Corps issues. The views expressed here are his own.

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