You all are aware that we are seriously vulnerable right now in regards to National Security, right? You know that Congress left to party and have a great time before renewing the Protect America Act, right? You know that there are no protections in place for companies that help track down terrorists, right? You know that of the 29 Senators that voted against extension of the Protect America Act, 24 took monies from trial lawyers that have sued companies helping to track down terrorists, right? You know all this because our friends in the media make it a point of sharing with you the importance these issues have in relation to our National Security, right?

Sure … right … I know they haven’t, too.

It is sad that the media and Washington’s elite continue to spin their untruths about the Protect America Act. While spinning all this muck, they continue to threaten our security. Just remember, they are doing this for another vote that will net them 4 more years sucking money from we, the tax payers! This is all about their ego, money for free, and power to tell you what they think is right - because you are too dumb to know. Yep, government knows best, we the people are sheep, and things like National Security are too far above our heads to grasp.

There is someone out there that hears your concerns and is aware of how you feel. They have published results from a poll to see just what you all know, and just how far off Washington’s elite and the media machine really are on knowing you, the American people! American Solutions for Winning America asked the Polling Company to cover three key areas: the Protect America Act, protection for companies that help track down terrorists, and the self-interests of Senators who took money from trial lawyers that sued companies that helped track down terrorists. Let’s take each one as a separate issue as well.

In regards to our immediate National Security being at risk, the Protect America Act was due to be renewed a short time ago. Well, our elected free loaders Congress decided to take 12 days off instead of voting to renew the Act. Yep, the “all about me” crowd decided to leave us all exposed instead of doing what is right and maintaining a strong front against terrorism (like this is nothing new, I know). So, the Polling Company asked we, the people, did we think it was right for Congress to leave to party and whoop it up for 12 days before voting to renew the Act. Here is what we, the people, have to say about their deplorable conduct:

Was leaving on a 12 day recess without renewing the Protect America Act best for our safety?

• Should have renewed the Act before leaving: 71%
• Republican: 83%
• Democrat: 63%
• Independent: 68%

As you can see, across the board, everyone says they should have actually renewed the Act. Of course, no one in the media cared to tell us what we already know. They just continue to sweep this under the rug even though OVERALL, more than 60% of we, the people, wanted Congress to DO SOMETHING RIGHT!!!

Moving on …

There is a very important facet to the protection of our beloved country. I fought for our country to continue to be free, as many of you have as well. I also believe that to maintain a strong front against terrorism, one must enlist all resources capable of supporting the effort. This includes those in the private sector, companies, that have a myriad of ways and opportunities to help our government track down terrorists. However, these brave folks in these companies have little to no protection at all from freak-fest lawsuits! These brave souls are out there, with no one to watch their six, and they get routinely stabbed in the back for keeping us safe. Well, how do you all feel about this, and is the media and Washington’s elite share your concerns? Well, here is what we, the people, have to say about this:

If a company helps the government track down terrorists, should these companies be afforded protection from lawsuits?

• Agree with protection against lawsuits: 75%
• Republican: 89%
• Democrat: 65%
• Independent: 77%

Again, the media and Washington just don’t see it. We are greater than 65% behind those companies that help to track down terrorists! What the heck is going on, anyway? Self-aggrandizing politicians and media twits are twisting this against us, and we need to spread the word - they need to tell the truth, now.

Moving on …

Did you know that there are a sizeable amount of lawyers out there that make money from suing companies that help track down terrorists? Did you know that from the money awarded in these cases, $1.5 Million went to our US Senators and other political causes? There were 29 Senators that voted against the extension of the Protect America Act. AND, 24 of those 29 took money from these 66 trial lawyers that donated this $1.5M!!! Yeah, these free-loadin’ Senators who already get paid way more than they should be, also took donations from the trial lawyers suing companies that have helped to keep us all safe!!! Plain and simple this shows that Senators are willing to put their own self-interests over the safety and welfare of all of us - we the people. Yeah, I can just hear the media and Washington’s elite providing us this powerful bit of news, what about you? Well, as before, here is what we, the people, have to say about this:

Senators put their own political self-interests above National Security - and take money from trial lawyers who sue companies that help track down terrorists

• Agree Senators put their own political self-interests above National Security: 58%
• Republican: 74%
• Democrat: 48%
• Independent: 61%

OK, so here is where you can see the true colors of the Democrats polled. If you give them a mulligan, you can still see that greater than 60% of we, the people, know that Senators only care about their own political gains and really care less about our National Security.

Look, the fence isn’t the only thing we need for our own protection. But, wouldn’t you say we all need some protection from our own elected officials and the main stream media? Really, these people are DANGEROUS to our own safety!

Think hard when you vote … bigger changes are needed … I’m gonna keep up on what American Solutions for Winning the Future … you should too!

If you are interested in helping American Solutions, or you are interested in the full data collected from their most recent poll, contact me: Fix4RSO :at: FIX4RSO :dot: com

Ah yes, we now have another back-N-forth issued from within our own borders. This NIE Report, which no one has even read yet, makes more trouble than it is worth. In fact, I believe that this latest NIE Report gives more ammo to scary world leaders like Putin and Ahmadinejad. And now, with “insightful?” commentary from StratFor’s writer George Friedman, proof is now up front that we’ve got a bigger problem listening to the likes of the NIE Report which has little HUMINT data.

Here, these two paragraphs just got me to sit up and read this article carefully:

With this announcement, the dynamics of the Middle Eastern region, Iraq and U.S.-Iranian relations shift dramatically. For one thing, the probability of a unilateral strike against Iranian nuclear targets is gone. Since there is no Iranian nuclear weapons program, there is no rationale for a strike. Moreover, if Iran is not engaged in weapons production, then a broader air campaign designed to destabilize the Iranian regime has no foundation either.

The NIE release represents a transformation of U.S. policy toward Iran. The Bush administration made Iran’s nuclear weapons program the main reason for its attempt to create an international coalition against Iran, on the premise that a nuclear-armed Iran was unacceptable. If there is no Iranian nuclear program, then what is the rationale for the coalition? Moreover, what is the logic of resisting Iran’s efforts in Iraq, rather than cooperating?

The second sentence in the second paragraph is where you should all begin to sit up and take note. If you believe that that sentence leads you to believe that we are wrong for being watchful when it comes to Iran’s nuclear weapons development program, I weep for you …

Be very careful, people - this isn’t just Israel we are talking about. In today’s world, Pearl Harbor is now your own backyard. Weapons can be delivered farther than a series of aircraft that can only reach the Hawaiian Islands. And we are only 2 days away from that ill fated day … take heed.

It’s true, no one wants to have to memorialize anyone that has given the ultimate sacrifice serving their country. But when our brave men and women serving their country,our country, have fallen while performing their duty, they shall be given the respect they deserve.

[DVIDS — USAF photo by Staff Sgt. Michael R. Holzworth]

“Command Chief Master Sgt. Scott Dearduff briefs Chief Master Sgt. Rudy Lopez and Air Force Surgeon General James Roudebush on the Fallen Airman’s Memorial which was created to honor the 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing Airmen that have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country, Balad Air Base, Iraq, Feb. 26. Roudebush came to Balad to meet with 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing leadership and asses the efficiency of the air medical operations in the region.”

Thank God men like these are there to ensure all the fallen are given the respect, praise, and support they and their families deserve.

Now, to those who expend their breath trying to convince us they support those who protect us all, I believe they cheapen memorials such as these. It saddens me when I have to listen to the spew-ridden, soulless, vote-gettin’ politicians, and their cabal of Satan-forgiving main stream media types, trying to make us all believe they support the troops. If you truly inspect the record of those doing this unholy deed (lying to us all) you can see they have quite a history that contradicts their glowing statements of today.

Do you honestly expect me to believe someone like Mike Wallace actually supports the troops? The same Mike Wallace that spent countless hours deriding and destroying those who served in Vietnam? The same, “man”, that put everything on the line to promote an agenda of destruction that to this day has roots so deep I believe continue to choke those who served so bravely and were sold a steaming bag of excrement. Just because they may have served, or may have taken the field of battle to report, does not excuse the destruction they have directed at us all.

Again, one can only take so much - and how much have you checked into the backgrounds of those that say, “I support the troops.”?

These two desserts look to be pretty much the same thing. And, to the person standing there watching you make these two after dinner delights, it sure looks like you used the same ingredients, mixed the batter, rolled the dough, prepared the apples, you know, the same steps. But, there are subtle nuances that can be found, if one actually takes the time and has the experience, in making these two classic desserts.

The Main Stream Media thinks they understand how the US Military gets troops ready for battle. These are the same scum that miss some glaringly obvious nuances and truly “forked us” in regards to Vietnam.

In this last Sunday’s San Francisco “Comical” (SF Chronicle to those of you that respect this friggin’ rag!), Anna Badkhen, the person that typed the piece of fiction to which I refer, says that the US Military has “cut corners” to get personnel into the field. She asserts that shorter training times and lack of equipment have hurt readiness. One of the choice paragraphs that exposes her lack of understanding follows:

“Soldiers of the 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division had so little time between deployments to Iraq they had to cram more than a year’s worth of training into four months.”

At first blush, one could say, sure, this amount of training time seems a bit too short for someone to go into an operational theater, not to mention the field where every move one makes has consequences. Some of us would say that there are very plausible reasons to have just such a training period. I will hold that assessment until my conclusion. My true intent at the outset is to show just how off the mark these “writers” are when it comes to understanding US Military training and deployment policies, procedures, and ultimately goals and objectives that are more strategic in nature. Or, more appropriately, just what these twits are really up to as they mask their true colors.

The “writer” continues:

“Some had only a few days to learn how to fire their new rifles before they deployed to Iraq - for the third time - last month.”

Now, let’s really look at this statement closely. This is the third time that this particular team, or team member that she spoke with, has been to the battlefield. They had weapons then, obviously, yet this time they have a new weapon. Is the weapon in question such a tectonic departure from their current weapon for their MOS? And I am assuming these individuals are only in the US Army (1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry), what if it were a US Marine or US Air Force Security Forces person? C’mon, is this reporterette honestly trying to make me swallow this swill, hook, line and sinker?! Are all the “SF Comical” readers truly that lost that they do not understand weapons training and in-combat experience?

Am I the only one awake, left reading this tripe, and barely able to hold down my breakfast? Well, this gets better, really! Chew on this one:

“And some soldiers were assigned to the brigade so late that they had no time to train in the United States at all. Instead of the yearlong training recommended prior to deployment, they prepared for war during the two weeks they spent in Kuwait, en route to Anbar, Iraq’s deadliest province.”

Again, members of this brigade are on their THIRD ROTATION! Or, am I just missing something she seems to understand as being crucial to the whole picture? Onward:

“As the Pentagon prepares to boost troop levels in Iraq by 21,500 people, such logistical and training hurdles are emblematic of the struggles besieging a military strained by unexpectedly long and grueling commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

I’m trying really hard to stay calm here … really …

You’d think that, based upon the above, we are talking about shortened training time with new weapons, right? Oh no, this little barb sticks out, in a big way:

“After the Cold War, U.S. military [her use of case, not mine] policy - pushed hard by former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld’s policy of “transformation” - relied too much on cutting-edge technology and air power and too little on boots on the ground, and further undercut spending on equipment that would protect large ground forces, critics charge.”

Why do these pinheads always dodge the bullet and say, “critics charge” or “military analysts conclude”? Why isn’t this reporterette making an assertion herself? C’mon have some “gravitas” and make the call yourself! Hiding behind faceless, and often out of context, assertions that are based on several factors, not the one under discussion. But, I digress … these friggin’ chicken-livered, candy-assed, oops … sorry … onward …

Obviously, this writer has no information from which to posit an intelligent conclusion. Just 20 minutes of research on 5th Generation Warfare, and she’d be relatively up to speed on modernization and the efforts being put forth by the US Military - beyond boots on the ground. The only reason that the casualty rate is SO FRIGGIN’ LOW YOU MORON is due to these new, modern, and all encompassing changes to improve the net effective force strength and battlefield control infrastructure.

As to my statement above where I said I’d add a conclusion, well, here goes. Reporters like this Anna Badkhen, in pieces like her 4th of February 2007 piece, “Corners Cut in Rush to Add Troops”, really shows just how lost these people are today. I am struck by the obvious lack of military experience that pervades our printed and video media reports. To just take one point to task, shorter training times are not necessarily bad during war - in fact, they are quite often the smartest decision. By using real world examples (ie on the job training - the hallmark of the US Military!), while riskier, provides training that far surpasses anything you get using fake rounds and a confidence course! And, when you are already skilled with one rifle, how hard is it to get qual’d on a newer one? I know folks that would be splittin’ targets after about 10 minutes of mini-instruction on a new rifle!!! Once you’ve got the sight, feel, weight, balance, and correction for drift, any rifle is just damn deadly - to our enemy. So, THREE WEEKS TO LEARN A NEW RIFLE!?!?!?

Sheesh!

What’s holding us back is stories, and I truly use the word story in reference to this reporter’s piece, and uninformed perspectives that cloud the overall effectiveness of the US Military. We wouldn’t have such a strong insurgency if it weren’t for the cut-N-run crowd and these twits that are very much the lesser of any species trying to grasp what warfare and the US Military are all about.

Anyway, we’re way beyond Apple Crisp and more into apple sauce … what a mess!

If you have the Sunday Comical from 4 February, 2007, maybe you need some bird cage liner?

So, did you get on the Stand-To! mailing list? No? Hmmm … we need to talk.

The US Army has provided the second part of their discussion of battle command. Again, I’ll help those that are asleep at the switch and haven’t seen today’s installment:

“What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future? The Army continues to focus on the synchronization of operations, logistics and intelligence in order to provide Commanders and leaders with the most accurate information needed to conduct combat operations and achieve mission success. The Army will use the Army Force Generation (ARFORGEN) process to field robust Joint Network Battle Command capabilities to the units as they prepare and engage in combat operations. The Army will use these new Joint Networked Battle Command capabilities to leverage information from intelligence, logistics, operations and medical sources, improve analysis, enable greater collaboration, to synchronize efforts quicker and reduce Commander’s decision cycles in the execution of operations to include Force on Force, Stability and Security Operations (SASO) and Counter Insurgency (COINS). The Battle Command systems will connect more soldiers to the network, and provide increased throughput, improve security, enhance collaboration, provide situation awareness, unit readiness status and Command & Control analysis. Battle Command will move toward closer integration with Logistics, including the Movement Tracking System. This system automates tracking of continuous, distributed, and Joint focused logistics across the battle space. Battle Command will also add gateways to US Marine Corps, joint, and coalition tracking systems. As with Blue Force tracker, the result will be a better integrated common operational picture.

Why is this important to the Army? Battle Command is an essential Warfighter Mission Area operational capability for both our current and future joint operations. Joint fully networked Battle Command capabilities will bridge to the Future Force and enable the Joint Force Commander to conduct fully interdependent, network-centric warfare. The Army must continue to work with the Combatant Commanders, Joint Forces Command, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics and the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Network and Information Integration to identify, align and develop Joint Force capabilities relevant to joint operations. Battle Command will align with Joint ground combat capabilities while simultaneously spiraling in proven Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Information, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) technologies.”

Is this approach new to the US Army, or the US Military as a whole? No.

Is there something missing that no matter the good intentions of the US Army and the entire US Military Command Structure, this is all for naught? Yes.

To wage an effective campaign in this 5th Generation Warfare watershed, the media is an integral component to success. Without getting too down on the main stream media (I know, fish in a barrel) an effective holistic campaign can only be waged with communications not just inward but outward. The Milbloggers are behind you and already on board, but multiple media outlets are still not working effectively together with the war. This war on terror is lacking a primary component and we are sacrificing the high ground by not executing in this area.

One can see the net-effect difference by comparing Al Jazeera teamed up with al Qaida and the terrorists currently in the field of battle. In a 5th Generation Warfare command structure, communications between soldiers and communications to the support structure, like the people sacrificing their sons and daughters, results in a highly effective overall campaign. Terrorists have a lock on that, albeit they utilize tactics that should nullify any effort, but theirs works very effectively. We are not to accept or emulate their approach, but it is clear without an outward communications component, all effectiveness is diminished to an unbearable level.

It is a fact that the main stream media is refusing to support our military, our politicians are thrashing to keep their jobs, and the counter-media (Al Jazeera) utilizing propaganda to shift opinion and mold fact to fiction. All of this gives testament to the lack of the US Military’s ability to effectively execute a holistic campaign in the global war on terror. We have technology that dwarfs the competition, yet we cannot use true shock and awe because we all know we’d be set upon by our own media and politicians. It is a given that the European Union is against us, they always will be, so move on, nothing to see here. But the negative energy from within our own boarders is continuously aimed inward thereby reducing the overall effectiveness of waging a true campaign. In the end, it is impossible to be effective in a 5th Generation Warfare watershed until the entire battlefield is conflated. Therefore, our US Military Command Structure needs to gain the high ground on this primary objective, take this last hill and hold it, or we will never be able to effectively field a successful force in battle.

For review, here are my 5GW posts, in order from oldest to newest:

Seems the family has a rift
We Blew Through 4th Generation Warfare!
Boundaries for the Fourth Generation
Clues to the 5th: Shorter Chains?
Yeah, 5GW Means Squat, Right?

Again, any 5GW stuff you find, forward on to me.

Alright, there are a few of us in the blogosphere that follow this crazy stuff. Yeah, I know, we’re like those Area 51-types that see something not really there, just behind that door. And, no, we are NOT all hopped-up on “acid” or “Mary Jane”! Force utilization and the changes and strides made over time are very real, and something that makes some folks just sit up and wanna read more.

Now, when one gets a missive straight from the core area of development in regards to warfare, and the act of prosecuting a war, ya just gotta dig a little bit deeper. This morning, in my regularly scheduled morning memo from the US Army, my inbox gets a jolt! The team at Stand-To! are covering a very germane subject termed battle command. To those of us working and writing about generational warfare, and this aligns with my 5GW posts quite well, their first installment entitled Battle Command - Part One has been posted to those within the US Army command structure - and some of us that read their site and get their daily e-mails.

If you don’t have the time to wander on over to Stand-To!, please take a moment and read their latest sidebar article:

“What is it? Battle Command is the art and science of applying leadership and decision making to achieve mission success. Battle Command leverages technology to achieve information and decision superiority. Battle Command systems enable leaders to gain knowledge to enhance the speed and accuracy of decision making. Battle Command provides Commanders and Leaders with the ability to see first, understand first, act first, and finish decisively.

What has the Army done? Recent combat operations highlight the criticality of beyond line of sight mobile communications, enhanced situation awareness, and synchronization of force application. Battle Command provides improved information systems to make visible actionable information and reduce the cycle time on key commander decisions. The Army has created a better common operational picture with enhancements made to Blue Force Tracking and Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below (FBCB2). With Joint Intelligence Operations Capability - Iraq (JIOC-I) the Army has integrated and fused intelligence that is relevant and timely within a specific geospatial area of operation for Commander’s and Leaders. Also, the Army has integrated unmanned Aerial Systems and their imagery feeds, and we have added Biometric enhancements to our Human Intelligence (HUMIT) data collection. The Army’s Joint Battle Command network has increased connectivity with JNN, putting more soldiers on the network with higher throughput, so that they are able to push more Command & Control information to Battalion. The Army also has experimented with collaboration tools such as Information Dissemination Management - Tactical (IDM-T) and Command Post of the Future (CPoF), and information systems similar to Combined Information Network Data Exchange (CIDNE) and FusionNet, which provide valuable information to Commanders. The Army has accelerated the fielding of critical Battle Command systems to standardize capabilities, ensuring interoperability of operational and tactical organizations. These capabilities improve joint interdependency as well as horizontal and vertical situational awareness to the platoon level. The Army continues to work with DOD agencies to bring the Joint community closer to a shared common operational picture.”

Now, what interests me very much is the threading together, within the major FBCB2 (Blue Force Tracking and Force XXI Battle Command Brigade and Below), of joint intelligence, information dissemination, and overall coordination within the command structure. This is where I have been leading us all in my 5GW posts. We are doing a better job and have made significant strides in these areas, but how does our use of 5GW differ from those of our enemy? In fact, how much of what we have done is being borrowed, or emulated, by our enemy. My next few posts are now going to be focused on those two very important questions.

For review, here are my 5GW posts, in order from oldest to newest:

Seems the family has a rift
We Blew Through 4th Generation Warfare!
Boundaries for the Fourth Generation
Clues to the 5th: Shorter Chains?

And, please check out as many resources that you can find where this subject, generational warfare, are being written about, and send on to me. I am a major consumer of this subject - a hobby ya might say.

Just about a year ago I wrote a short piece about the 447th EOD finding and destroying weapons caches.

Today, the same squadron has lost three airman, and another is seriously wounded. AF.mil has the short announcement, here. I’ll provide the text here inline because the most disgusting part of this is that it was a vehicle-borne IED:

“SATHER AIR BASE, Iraq (AFPN) — Three Airmen assigned to the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Division were killed Jan. 7 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while performing duties in the Baghdad area.”

“Additionally, one Airman was injured in the explosion.”

This just brings up all sorts of ire in me. When public opinion makes the US Military second-guess their decisions, like protecting oneself from a suspicious looking oncoming vehicle, bad things happen. I just cannot stress how the media, politicians, and ex and current senior officers that gravitate towards a “softer stance” are actually placing our fine men and women in harms way. Add to that those that find appeasement and cut-N-run as viable options are just placing a round in the chamber themselves - in a weapon aimed directly at our brave volunteers.

Step back and think for a moment; truly, search your heart. Do you honestly believe that the rest of the world’s leaders want peace? Yes, the people that live under these iron-fist regimes most certainly want peace. But, they are not in a position of power. Therefore, what option is left for a country, and her citizens, but to use force until those that force themselves on the weak have been vanquished. I can count on just about 2 hands the number of peaceful countries, that have leaders that promote and work towards peace every day, and do not support terrorism or the act of subjugating their people.

Just remember, there are very few countries in Europe today that have such mettle.

I will post an update below, as we find out more information. In the meantime, please take some time to pray for all those in EOD and their families and friends. It is an important job, and one that saves so many lives.

God speed.

The Department of Defense announced Jan. 8 the death of three airmen who were killed Jan. 7 by a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device while performing duties in the Baghdad area supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. The airmen were assigned to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron, Hill Air Force Base, Utah.

Killed were:

• Tech. Sgt. Timothy R. Weiner, 35, of Tamarac, Fla.
• Senior Airman Elizabeth A. Loncki, 23, of New Castle, Del.
• Senior Airman Daniel B. Miller Jr., 24, Galesburg, Ill.

For further information related to this release the media can contact the Hill Air Force Base public affairs office at (801) 777-6634 or if after 5 p.m. MST, call (801) 777-3001 and ask for the on-call public affairs representative.

Sorry for the confusion, but AF.mil had the squadron as the 447th Civil Engineering EOD, and today’s annoucement states that it is the 775th Civil Engineering Squadron. I am unsure if this is a joint command or if the 447th EOD was in a FOB and assigned to assist the 775th, or if the initial announcement from yesterday was erroneous. I am attempting to contact an internal source to see if I can confirm - or I’ll just wait like everyone else and keep an eye on AF.mil.

Here is the update from AF.mil - and, yes, they were from Hill AFB but attached to the 447th while in Iraq:

“The Airmen were assigned to the 775th Civil Engineer Squadron’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Flight. While in Iraq, the Airmen were members of the 447th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron.”

God Speed SrA Loncki, SrA Miller, and TSgt Weiner …

And, no, we’re not talking about snow chains for your car or those hanging swag light chains. The 5th is being marked by something very simple, and I’ll just drop a few breadcrumbs to get ya walkin’ in the right direction:

• JTIDS
• JSTARS
• TADIL
• MC2A
• MOP/DSHTW/Big BLU
• JSF
• JDAM
• HDBTDC Thermobaric Weapon
• Metal Storm
• MOAB
• NLOS
• RJ
• SWF
• UAV/UCAV/JUCAS

In the strategic and tactical execution of warfare, the above have enabled or will produce a tectonic change, uncovering the holy grail of warfare: the Shortened Kill Chain.

Really, the dialectically qualitative change has happened, you just need to read the simple signs. Several of the above I’ve seen on Future Weapons. And a couple of these I’ve had the honor of supporting on active duty. I believe that once you tie all the US Military services’ commands, infrastructure, tools, and weapons together you’ll start to see just how much the change is so very real.

More to come. (how ya doin’ so far, eh?)

UPDATE: added the Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SWF) and Direct Strike Hard Target Weapon (DSHTW) as these two truly change the “response” of the enemy on the battlefield. In fact, in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), the SWF was used and was VERY effective. Oh, and ya can’t leave out the MOAB - she’s got game!

UPDATE 2: added the Hard and/or Deeply Buried Target Defeat Capability (HDBTDC) Thermobaric Weapon, or the BLU-118/B. This is the cave-buster used in Afghanistan that was rushed through development, test, and live fire, to be used live - in less than 67 days (from the woman in charge of the program at Eglin AFB that was interviewed on Future Weapons). Another item to make the enemy, think, before hiding …

Did ya miss it? Huh?

To truly grasp why I posit that we’ve blown through 4th Generation Warfare, and have already entered 5th Generation Warfare, one must understand the periods that comprise 3rd and 4th Generation Warfare. It is key that we understand what comprises a transition, or in fact the watersheds William S. Lind describes in “The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation”. Mr. Lind’s report, filed with the US Marine Corps in the Marine Corps Gazette some 17 years ago, has been a primary resource for those that dabble in “generational warfare” speeches, theories, papers, and books. In one simple statement Mr. Lind provides the definition for these generations:

“While military development is generally a continuous evolutionary process, the modern era has witnessed three watersheds in which change has been dialectically qualitative. Consequently, modern military development comprises three distinct generations.”

Now, when Mr. Lind wrote this initial report for the US Marine Corps, back in October of 1989, warfare was very different from today. In fact, some may even say that they have not seen a change in the way the US Military fights today than say, WWII or even in The Korean War. But on closer inspection, I say that there has already been one more watershed added - the 4th Generation is clearly marked and we are now into the 5th Generation. Again, as stated above by Mr. Lind, the catalysts for change are key when transitioning from one generation to the next.

Looking at a timeline of the first three generations, you can see that the shortest transitions have taken place around WWI (1914 - 1919) and WWII (1939 - 1945), as pictured here:

It is very important to note that Mr. Lind has stated that the basic concepts of 3rd Generation Warfare tactics were in place by the end of 1918. What is written as the primary catalyst defining the entrance into 3rd Generation is a new technology and the tactics that are a direct result of that new technology: tanks and the blitzkrieg. Therefore the 3rd Generation owes its very existence to the tank and blitzkrieg. You can learn all about these watersheds in the first page and a half of Mr. Lind’s paper. The last three and a half pages carefully postulate what could comprise the 4th Generation’s watershed, as if it is something that is in the future - or near future. I posit that it is actually in our past, and that we’ve blown through the 4th Generation and have already entered the 5th Generation based upon the above guidelines for what makes a generational shift possible, a huge catalyst.

There were huge changes after the Korean War and into and through Vietnam that, to me, are incontrovertible evidence that the 4th Generation happened and we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of the 5th Generation. I’ll give you the two that come quickly to mind for me, and that is mainly ’cause I’m ex-USAF and these two birds show a clear shift in technology and tactics.

The first example can trace it’s birth to the need for close air support and directed strikes in rough terrain: the AC-130 Spectre (the younger sister of Spooky, the AC-47). The AC-47 Spooky, a rework of the C-47 Skytrain, had guns that could destroy targets from the air, but she lacked the range, and effectiveness, that the field commanders required. Later, in 1968, the US Air Force put the first AC-130 Spectre into action - and she performed beyond expectation! The growing relationship between ground troops and the AC-130 became paramount to the success of ground operations. The AC-130 afforded small squads the opportunity to call in close support in terrain that in the past would have been impossible. The AC-130 flew in, taking direction from the squad leader or officer on the ground, with pinpoint accuracy. By eliminating the enemy without directly engaging them reduced casualties. Plus, with the advent of even newer and more accurate weapons’ delivery systems, the AC-130 became the best friend for anyone pinned down during a firefight.

The second example is the grandfather to a maneuver that has changed the way of the air campaign: the F-105 Wild Weasel (older brother to the F-4 Wild Weasel, well all wild weasels!). The bane of every attacking wave of US Navy and US Air Force fighter/bomber pilot is the Russian made SA-2 rocket. Sorties into North Vietnam were tough with just having to put up with AAA fire, now pilots had to deal with this ground missile guided by ground based, mobile, radar trucks. The threat needed to be eliminated, and new technology and tactics developed for the F-105 allowed pilots to fly ahead of and behind those fighter/bomber sorties, eliminating the radar systems, either by scaring them into going dark or blowing them up on very dangerous, “down the beam” attacks. Once the AGM-45 missile was developed for the F-105 and RF-4, SA-2 sites no longer had a chance.

These two examples, in my estimation, are evidence that huge catalysts in technology and tactics provide the 4th’s watershed, the beginning and the end. The reason that I posit that there is an end to the 4th and an entrance into the 5th is, well, read on.

Several pundits and authors have presented their analysis that states, and I’ll generalize here, that there are multiple elements considered when categorizing these generational warfare bands or eras (1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th). Most often spoken of today is technology and tactics that make up the 4th Generation. This is due, primarily, to the fact that we all are using a body of work that is 17 years old and that our thinking has stopped there, in 1989. In a few places that I have gone to, and these are not the only sites, Small Wars Council, ZenPundit, and Dreaming 5GW, I have found excellent cross references from which to conclude we can see the 4th Generation’s watershed, and that the 5th’s is very current, and very real. But until now, I have not seen what I believe is a real world example of this 5th Generation’s existence. But by enumerating several, and not all, of the primary elements I see as the delivery mechanisms, varying devices or munitions, the locales or targets, and the tactics or methods employed in 5th Generation Warfare taking place today, I think that you will begin to see just what I mean.

I believe that a 5GW warrior or strategist utilizes several, and sometimes all, of these elements, interchanging and combining them in a very hyper-frenetic fashion to create weapons and tactics in a dynamic, and extremely lethal, attack. This new process is the catalyst, or the dialectically qualitative change, that Mr. Lind tells us defines each watershed - our 5th Generation Warfare watershed. Just take this list in for a moment:

Information Sources

• Internet / Communications / Face-to-Face
• Battle Plans / Objectives
• SitReps / JTIDS / Sensors
• Media
• Folklore
• Factual History

Influences

• Religion / Belief System / Morality / Ethics
• Government / Rule / Politics
• Academia / Instruction / Literacy
• Economics / Resources
• Media
• Folklore
• Factual History

Geographical / Physical

• Battlefield / Theater
• Village / Town / City / Province|County / State / Country / Continent

Technological / Virtual

• Websites / Blogs / Forums / Feeds
• E-mail / Listservs
• Land line
• Radio
• TV
• Video

Current Examples

• Guerrilla / Militia / Gangs / Dictators
• Propaganda / Political Correctness / Appeasement
• Terrorism / Hijacking / Hostages
• Hysteria / Riots / Mass Killings
• Oppression / Rape / Looting & Robbery

In actuality, I believe that these are the tools or weapons with which a 5GW campaign is being executed today. I am sure, as you review these, you might begin to build your own combinations and see that there are some very clear, and cataclysmic, examples taking place today. And these combo-catalysts are reshaping and redefining the battlefield at an alarming rate, while at the same time making the battlefield more mobile and at the same time more difficult to conquer.

This new generation, the 5th Generation Warfare and Warrior, is no friggin’ goof with an SA-2, people. It is real, and it has been here already, and it is taking root in places you would never expect or imagine. I am not a conspiracy theorist or whack-nut psycho trying to get extra hits to my blog or boost ad revenue. I am a concerned, ex-USAF, US Citizen that sees a new wave that our US Military is not prepared to fight. And we need a wake-up call that is not rooted in old, stodgy, and myopic views of warfare. The new generation, the 5th GWW (generation warfare warrior), is betting you’ll keep your noses in those books, old training manuals, and stay in clearly formed columns and squads acting in concert to central commands.

They’re betting on it.

I’ll provide the entrance criteria for the 5th Generation Warfare watershed in my next post. Here’s a hint: sniff around 2003, using 1993 as a point of reference for the initial signs of change. And drop your freak-theories about wars for oil and nukes - it is simpler and more dangerous.

Have FUN!

It’s funny, but how many have that poignant Thanksgiving memory that just sticks in the back of your mind? And, it always seems to come back at the funniest of times doesn’t it?

My wife and I were watching the local news one night. During the sports segment the reporter was asking one of the 49ers what he was all about for Thanksgiving. He joked around and then mentioned Stove Top Stuffing. They cut back to the studio and the anchors were kidding around. Then, the female anchor said something to the effect of, “Well, men like Stove Top.” It was kinda a slight, but that’s not what came up from the depths of my memory banks.

I remembered one Thanksgiving very far from home. I was stationed in Germany at the time, and my Mom and Dad sent me a care package before the big day. I got a small-ish electric tea pot and some precooked turkey, can of cranberry sauce, and, yes, stuffing! I got a container of Stove Top, which was round in those days. I heated the turkey and decided to not make tea but heat water to make some, stuffing!

It tasted good. And, not because it was Stove Top but because it was from Mom and Dad. Back then we didn’t have sat-cameras for video e-mail, or well, e-mail of any kind! I had to share a phone in the barracks until I moved out on the economy - hmmm … phone calls weren’t cheap! Letters and packages were my only means of communication - except those memories and smells that triggered new memories.

So, if you are thinking of something nice to do for all those serving right now, please, join the Soldiers’ Angels and adopt a soldier! Or, find another org or local outfit and do your part! It really is the small things from home that make life as a servicemember a big friggin’ deal!!!

And, maybe some day on the couch watching TV, someone is gonna have one of those, memories.

BE A PART!!!

I have been doing a ton of reading lately. 5GW (5th Generation Warfare) has sparked a renewed interest in all things military and the approach to warfare. OK, I never really left that path, but work with me here.

As I was working my way deeper into this subject, I have found that I deviate, severely, from what has been the most authoritative work on the generations of warfare. I cannot say that this work is the only resource. However, I can say that most folks I have chatted with regarding subject of warfare through four distinct generations, base their root analysis on Mr. Lind’s work. I’ve been working through what I see in today’s warfare, based on my experiences within the USAF and the missions I was a part, and I think I am seeing a path not well traveled.

That said, I have to say, my posts have been very few lately! I think that there are a few more things to research, but it seems from this toil there are going to be several posts dedicated to this subject.

Therefore, I’m gonna post something new, right after this post, that is a tad bit more lighthearted to get back into the bloggin’ rhythm … OK?

I listen to Greg Kihn in the morning on KFOX 98.5 here in the Bay Area. He speaks out in favor of our troops all the time. I switched to listen to him after the GWOT started, ’cause he was the ONLY local radio guy to be pro-Military - well, except KSFO that airs Rush.

Greg’s Dad fought in WWII and has talked often about how he found out more about his Dad after his Dad passed away. Greg is the main reason I listen to KFOX. Greg takes some crap from listeners that tell him to shut up about being pro-Military. He even has been right on the money when he equates this to what our parents went through during WWII. And he is so correct, and has even made a point to say this is even worse - ’cause Islamofacism is far more dangerous as it is “in the name of God/Allah” … he is soooo right on!

I sent Greg and Chris, his right-hand-guy during the morning show, a note to see if they could get some info out on the air about Soldiers’ Angels Valour-IT drive. Not sure if they got my note - it’s a web-based thing and ya just never know. Plus, they are busy producing and doing the show. I hope they can help us all out.

So, folks, get to work and think out of the box! Contact local personalities like radio shows! We gotta get to the goal and any way you can get us there is what we need!

Alright, the numbers for Team Air Force, well, flat out suck. We are so far behind that Laurie of Soldiers’ Angels NY, Buck of Exile in Portales, and I have been trying all kinds of crazy things to get our numbers up. In fact, Laurie actually did something about it and has offered up HER OWN STUFF to get the donations going!

FOLKS, SHE IS AUCTIONING OFF HER OWN MEMORABILIA!!!

She has offered to auction some US Air Force Thunderbirds memorabilia she received when she visited the team at Nellis AFB. The items are a Thunderbirds 11″ x 14″ Poster with 2006 T-Birds facsimile signatures, a Thunderbirds Safing Pin Style Key Chain embroidered on both sides, and a Thunderbirds T-Shirt with logo on front and back. Here are the photos of each item, being offered as a whole package:

So, get on over to this new auction for US Air Force Thunderbirds memorabilia, now!!!

Valour-IT Air Force Team Member CoInSide is managing the auction for Laurie, which is very nice of him. It’s great to see that we can get a few folks involved in our crazy hair-brained schemes!

Thanks to all of you, especially Laurie of Soldiers’ Angels NY, for keeping this drive going!

Well, it looks like Navy is taking the lead, and they plan on holding us all to the fire. They have secured the beachead and have dutifully maintained their Valour-IT supremacy!

Navy is about $11k over Air Force (which is now in a pitiful last place) and say, around, a comfortable $9k over the Marines and $7k over the Army. You can now see that we all are in scramble mode to find a way to, at the very least, get within $500!!!

Alas, it seems that my team, US Air Force, is destined to stand-down and allow Navy wings to take control of the air, and keep it. I’ve tried several different ways of mustering support for our Air Force Team: sent e-mails to tons of my business colleagues, enlisted the help of LinkedInUSAF’s list of professional contacts on the LinkedIn professional networking site and their Yahoo group, sent a short request to some friends over at the the 7th SOS/ACS organization (a private group of Air Force Special Ops folks), as well as contacted the folks at my local chapter of the Air Force Association (Tennessee Ernie Ford Chapter #361). Seems I’ve got bupkiss …

I’d hoped, in this short ten days, that we could make a great showing of force and show everyone that our branch, and team, can make things happen. It is a great group of folks we have on our team, and I hope all of you have been making the rounds, touching everyone in your life, and getting support in some unlikely places - there are some. In fact, I even talked someone who has a fiancee that is a Marine give to Team Air Force! That’s not bad, eh?

Anyway, this is a great cause, so let’s keep this going and push to get the full $180,000!!!

Todays Valour-IT Team Air Force Funny from Day-By-Day!

Richard S. Lowry has offered to auction two of his books for this years Valour-IT donation drive.

Marines in the Garden of Eden

The Gulf War Chronicles

Valour-IT Air Force Team Member CoInSide is managing the auction for us. The auction ends in 8 days, so you need to get there, manage your bids, and GET THESE BOOKS!

And, let’s get this donation drive going, Air Force folks! Yesterday, it was fun to watch how we were in second place for the bulk of the day! It would be really great if we could, at the very least, hold second place to the end!

Wouldn’t it … ???

Alright, John over at Op-For is my team leader for the Valour-IT Project drive this year.

Now, he’s counting on all you US Air Force types to get in there and keep us on top - you know, ’cause the US Air Force OWNS THE SKY! And if you’ve never been in the US Air Force, but like reading the stuff I write, then, please be kind and make a donation via the link I have provided at the top of my sidebar, there on the right. If you make a donation here on my blog, the US Air Force team gets credit for your kindness!

And, well, there still is an inter-Branch rivalry! No one branch wants to be on the bottom of the heap, least of all me! And, I know that John is going into this full AB! So are the other folks I have seen so far on our team roster. Here is our squadron of US Air Force Milbloggers so far:

• OPFOR
• Euphoric Reality
• THIRDWAVEDAVE
• richardlowry
• Cold Fury
• My Weekly Thoughts
• The Adventures of RV-6 N466PG
• Stop The ACLU
• iowahawk
• Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler
• Soldiers’ Angels New York
• Dude Where’s The Beach
• Spec Ops Angels
• Fix 4 RSO
• Exile in Portales
• Radio Patriots
• MURDOC ONLINE
• Defense Tech
• Right on the Right
• No Angst Zone
• Banter In Atlanter
• Townhall Blog
• Bill’s Bites
• Gateway Pundit
• Mudville Gazette
• Seraphic Secret
• CoInside
• The Splatter Zone
• Air Force Pundit
• Conservative Thinking
• VodkaPundit
• LinkedInUSAF
• Gazing at the Flag
• Michelle Malkin
• Kowabunga
• Blogger News Network
• Mind in the Qatar
• If Laura Petrie Married General Patton
• corsair the rational pirate
• Townhall Blog
• James Hudnall - Hud’s Blog-O-Rama
• CascadeExposures
• Dazed and Confuzed from Here
• Lemonade Made Daily
• One Happy Dog Speaks
• The Happy Homefront
• Watchman’s Soap Box
• Ironic Surrealism
• Anchored by Grace
• Ron’s Musings
• Diary of the Mad Pigeon
• Mean Ol’ Meany
• Rude1’s Rampage
• Pixie Dust Productions, Inc.
• Thunder And Roses
• GOP and College
• Defense Tech
• ArmyAirForces.com

I’ll continue to update the list as they are updated on the Valour-IT Project site.

Let’s keep getting people involved! This is a GREAT cause and something we all can work on to help our brave men and women defending our freedoms!

God Speed!

I had not heard that the terrorists who have their own snipers, that filmed a video (albeit which has been on the net), was played on CNN today. I’ll spare ya the link, ’cause it disgusts me and isn’t worth my time. I learned of this current ploy (yes, I choose that word purposefully) from Cop The Truth, then Op-For, and finally Black Five … and oh my, the comments vary, as well as the graphic reactions to this, stupid attempt at journalism.

I’m not a journalist, I only play one in the blogosphere.

I will say that this seems to me to be, a “blast from the past” of sorts. I’ll say just two words, and you tell me if this sorta fits: Hanoi Jane.

Now, she and Ted are divorced. But, they’re both socialists, and Hanoi Jane already has proven this sort of thing is just what she likes to see. I believe that she and Ted love the way that they, and CNN, presented this footage. In fact, even though I have not checked yet, I’m sure those left-wing socialist blogs that think Bush manipulates oil prices, are the same sites that just love this sort of thing.

Obviously, that’s just me … hey, this is a friggin’ blog, people!

But, if you take a moment to “follow the money” or in this case “follow the vote”, this does begin to ring true. For those that relish the “cut-N-run option”, showing the way a terrorist sniper had the hand up is a way to get those on the fence to vote for a Democrat - like Murtha. However, if you are on the fence, and say want to see someone like Diana Irey win, what would this footage do to you? Would it make you sit up? Would it wake you up to the reality that we are also fighting this fight FROM WITHIN!!!

Hanoi Jane has experience, I assure you.

If you don’t think that it is time to take the gloves off, you’re wrong. If you think that you’ll just sit this one election out ’cause some stupid RINO has pissed you off, you’re lost. And if you actually believe that Liberal Democrats are going to actually do the right thing for this country, wow, Katie Bar the Door!

Ya know, I think there really are some folks just wakin’ up and smellin’ the coffee.

Now, get out there and vote for a Republican!!!

My previous post set a general theme. Let’s continue with a few questions that have been rattling around in my cranium after that post:

• Why does the Republican Leadership (?) keep sticking their hand out to help Liberals and Democrats?
• Why does the entire party let swindlers like the Gang of 14 get away with their slick and destructive tactics?
• What is it that makes Republicans in charge allow speeches on the floor support the rights of terrorists - rights that only apply to citizens of the United States of America?
• What’s the deal with making every effort to hide the fact that it really is amnesty, and we out here are not idiots, so stop bending over?
• Where did Republicans like Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan happen to go?
• How did we end up with such lily-livered sap-suckers in the Republican party!?

Let’s be honest, the “Gang of 14″ are actually Liberals and should have to register as such.

It’s October again and you can hear the talking heads portending the Republican loss of the Senate and House. Fox News, of all places, and our local CBS or ABC News stations (even our independent Channel 2) have been spinning the trouncing of the Republicans this season. The baseless attacks that are allowed to be waged can make anyone launch their cookies! Where is the counter-offensive? Am I smokin’ crack here expecting some form of strength coming from the “Party of Lincoln”?

Or, maybe the new way of winning is keeping your message safe and middle of the road to keep your seat … ??? If that is the new way of maintaining power, then why have the Republicans been losing ground? For me, I see some very glaring examples of a lack of leadership: soft on their political opponents, immigration issues and laws, handling terrorists and prosecuting the Global War on Terror (GWOT), and listening to the United Nations. In every one of these cases there is an influence that has made Republicans they way they are today. Let me take a moment and use my last posts chronological look at Presidential show of power to answer your, as well as my own, questions and concerns.

This country has a long and proud history of taking it to their opponents. The reason that the rest of the world doesn’t like us is because when we go “all in”, there is nothing left but a US victory. It is hard to imagine what it must feel like to be handed a defeat such as those proffered by the United States Military. A sound victory is only achieved when the whole, and that means everyone, is working together to a common goal - going “all in”. Taking the fight to the enemy used to be the standard of the Republican party as we were always the first to stand up to defend Old Glory! And I might add, 100 years ago, that even used to be the Democrat party! But Democrat Presidents in the last five decades have been fostering a simplistic and myopic approach to how the United States deals with her enemy combatants, and leaving us all to less than stellar victories if not completely disastrous outcomes.

When we need to handle our combatants, and how we extract information from those combatants, we are the ones that think before we act. Think back, when the British were attacking us during our revolution, as well as during the War of 1812, do you HONESTLY believe we did not extract information from our combatants? AND, just remember, our people (US MILITARY and SECRET SERVICE) were extracting information from our VERY CLOSE BROTHERS of only 10-50 years past. We do not engage in acts that come anywhere close to how, say, the Islamofascists handle their captives. We use manipulation and psychological tactics to get information, they just chop off the head of their captive and put the whole thing on TV. The United States would never go to that extreme, and pundits and leaders are doing us all a disservice by alluding to such a thing - just to win an election.

Fast forward from the War of 1812 to the last five decades. You can see that how we, the United States of America, handle all threats and foreign aggression can affect situations happening in the very near future. The “information age” has propelled the entire world into a nearly instantaneous cause and effect maelstrom. The fact that we have been projecting a cyclic “force then weakness” approach to world affairs, anyone outside our borders has got to be scratching their heads, in real time! You’d think “the clapper” was plugged in to this country somewhere - clap on, clap off, clap on, clap off! It is this on-again off-again type of leadership that has brought about a cataclysmic effect so few had seen coming.

In my last post, I provided the backdrop to how al-Qa’ida has been able to wage such an effective campaign and strike us at home. The plan was building for a very long time, born from a few Presidents overwhelmed by their own “governing law of inaction”. After Ronald Reagan left office, we really left the door open to those wishing to harm us. And September 11th, 2001, all came about because the Democrat run House and Senate forced the Bush Administration (George H.W. Bush) to pull out of Iraq and Kuwait - oh, and to raise taxes, a HUGE No-No from a Republican worth his salt. I believe that those actions alone emboldened Islamofascists to say, “Hey, we can win against these guys if we put pressure on Democrats and the media! With those two snakes wrapped together, striking out on a daily basis, the American people will just lay down and take it!”

Once Clinton stepped in, it was a brand new day - for Islamofascists.

You see, the “Gang of 14″ have it all wrong. If we continue to follow the example of so many failed Democrat Presidents, the enemies of the United States of America will have a clear shot at our flank. In a world where force is the only moderator, and be honest with yourself this is a self-evident truth, why would anyone step into the fray armed for a pillow fight?

First, show them you mean business and bring your force to bear. Second, by and through leadership, bring compassion and structure to support growth. Finally, keep your word and honor this new friendship by staying by their side, even when things look grim and all just might be lost.

When has the United States Military EVER slacked off when things looked grim?!

Iwo Jima, Bataan, Valley Forge, Midway, Lexington, and Tarawa.

We’ll never stop fighting to keep Old Glory flying free!!!

If only those in Washington DC had the same, mettle …

UPDATE: Wow, hadn’t read Investor’s Business Daily in some time. Found this article with the same thread as this post - different take is the Editor utilizes Democrat Presidents at the outset whereas I posit all Democrat Presidents were “governed by the law of inaction”.

Thanks Cao for the OTBP there at Cao’s Blog!

Truman, JFK, LBJ, Carter … and yes William Jefferson Clinton. These men are the true impetus to the difficulties we now wrestle with in today’s Global War on Terror (GWOT). The progression to today’s current state of affairs is clear if one steps back to see where this country began to fall apart, and who pulled the strings - or failed to, actually.

Inaction is just as bad, if not worse, than any miscalculated action. Mistakes are commonplace when one leads. But mistakes do not have to end in disaster. Disaster is the result of a leader that compounds a mistake with inaction, and another mistake, or more inaction, as the leader thrashes to regain control - by not doing anything at all. Any leader worth his or her salt knows that the “governing law of inaction” is the fulcrum from which peace is quickly uprooted and propels the leader on a course of devolving into an irreparable state of chaos.

The following is not an exact record of history, but a look at the broader picture of influences that now plague the GWOT, and the current administration’s leadership. It is not, I submit, the leadership that is at fault, but the forces at work to construct a fulcrum from which chaos can take root. It is sad that those working to put this into action are focused on a political gain (political gains of all shapes and sizes) ignoring the fact that chaos hurts us all, no matter your party and no matter your religion.

We are all infidels, and the wave does not discriminate. It had used the “governing law of inaction” to benefit it’s cause. Today it faces not inaction but conviction, commitment, and a force that takes this battle seriously - that force is leadership.

After World War II, the United States was in a period of understanding and alignment with the USSR. We were, as a nation, focused on repelling any encroachment on our freedoms and especially those countries and political systems that threatened our survival. Even though we had great differences with the USSR we both fought the terrorism of that day, Adolph Hitler’s fascism. We both knew that Hitler envisioned a fascism that was not going to allow the US and USSR to be sovereign, ever. That great fulcrum would have plunged us all into a form of chaos that no one wanted, and we all fought to the death to prevent.

Reparations, political restructuring, and repatriation were the specials of the day which fostered a complacency that was slight, but still very much present. While the world wrestled with these huge responsibilities, taking their eye off the ball by building the United Nations, and cleaving two worlds with the use of “The Wall”, a greater power was beginning to emerge. “The Red Menace” began to spread across the great land masses and wastelands due to the vacuum of a missing war machine and the ravages of WWII.

Shift the stage and we move forward to 1950, and Harry S. Truman. Truman has been President for about 5 years and has been overseeing the signing of the armistice with Japan, he made the Berlin Airlift happen to bring comfort to the West Berliners, and he thrust free nations into the development of NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization). However, what was looming in the background was “The Red Menace” on the move and manipulating actions in North Korea. When North Korea attacked South Korea, Truman wrote that there was:

“complete, almost unspoken acceptance on the part of everyone that whatever had to be done to meet this aggression had to be done. There was no suggestion from anyone that either the United Nations or the United States could back away from it.”

While that level of conviction and action resulted in the signing of an armistice between North and South Korea, Truman was plagued with a softer side, though not complete inaction. Even the White House Past Presidents biography of Truman shows:

“A long, discouraging struggle ensued as U.N. forces held a line above the old boundary of South Korea. Truman kept the war a limited one, rather than risk a major conflict with China and perhaps Russia.”

Enter Dwight D. Eisenhower, a true man of conviction and action. A show of force was the rule of the day, and that “governing law of inaction” not in Eisenhower’s lexicon. After Stalin died, tensions were high but lightened as Eisenhower pushed hard with power and acted as a leader. No second guessing. However, “The Red Menace” was at it again, building another fulcrum, and by the time Eisenhower left office there were 900 advisers in South Vietnam. It was beginning …

John F. Kennedy was dead set on fighting “The Red Menace”. This new “Red Menace” was a newer form derived from a burgeoning USSR that was being spread thin on an ever dwindling war chest. In the first 9 months of JFK’s presidency, the advisers in South Vietnam had grown to 2,000. Our presence was felt, but we were not committed - a slight inaction allowing for a larger fulcrum. The USSR was sensing a new, shift, in the United States - one that she could exploit to her ultimate gain. Cuba, then Vietnam, were to bring this to a head until a sniper’s bullet ended John F. Kennedy’s life on that ill fated day of 22 November, 1963. On the same day, Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as the Thirty-Sixth President of the United States of America.

By the end of 1963, there are 15,000 advisers in South Vietnam. Do you see a pattern? As these past Presidents are quick to demonstrate, except Eisenhower, inaction or the fear of risking a major conflict is beginning to rear itself and provide purchase for a new fulcrum - one no one sees just yet.

Lyndon B. Johnson assumed command of the fight against “The Red Menace” in the Southeast Asian Theater. LBJ’s administration was bent on continuing the situation in Vietnam, but finishing the job was an illusive achievement due to conflicting orders and overall theater mismanagement. Leadership is not left to the officer corps alone, it begins and ends in the White House, with the CinC (Commander in Chief). The failure of inaction in Vietnam took time.

The failure was aided by a grassroots groundswell of anti-military, anti-US sentiments fomented on US soil in our university campuses. To buttress that groundswell was another campaign being waged by daily reports served up from a media schooled in those very universities. This is where the soft underbelly of inaction began to show. It was being lifted up for all to see by the fulcrum constructed by academia and elitists afraid of doing their duty and serving their country (last sentence is my strong opinion, obviously). LBJ continued to be jerked back and forth by external forces, thereby succumbing to the “governing law of inaction”. The USSR lies in wait - but she shall soon be eclipsed by a far worse harbinger of chaos.

The USSR had dipped her toe into waters that were taxing her to great lengths and she was beginning to waiver. It was not overt, but her power was beginning to fracture. There were glimpses afforded to the entire world, even though the USSR was successful in North Korea and ultimately becoming so in North Vietnam.

Richard M. Nixon, again not a man of inaction, took control of a world theater in near chaos. By taking charge and going to China, President Nixon bega