Lessons from the general

[Tigermike 3,054]

LESSONS FROM THE GENERAL

BIG RAY ODIERNO RETURNS FROM IRAQ

Ralph Peters'

March 7, 2008 -- LT. Gen. Ray Odierno looks like he could snap an NFL linebacker in half. Yet his voice is so quiet you strain to hear him across the table in an empty pub.

And the general's worth listening to.

Just back from commanding our day-to-day military operations in Iraq, he's been nominated as the Army's next vice chief of staff. He'll take the battlefield's lessons along to that post.

What did Iraq teach Odierno as a soldier? What professional tenets were reinforced by his multiple combat tours?

"First, you have to empower your subordinates. That means you have to underwrite the risks involved," to take the heat when they make mistakes. The general sees this as crucial to our 21st-century Army.

"Second, as a senior leader, you have to trust your instincts . . . you never stop learning and you have to adapt to the changing situation . . . but trust your instincts."

"Third, you have to get out and touch it, feel it, see it." You can't manage a war or a counterinsurgency effort from an office. Nothing substitutes for the sense of reality you get from walking the streets with soldiers and Marines.

So what did an old soldier like Odierno learn about our troops during his successive - and successful - tours in Iraq?

"They are compassionate. They genuinely care - not just about each other, but about Iraqis, too. I saw it again and again. They are compassionate young men and women."

Any surprises about our soldiers? "They've surprised me with their resilience. . . They continue to re-enlist, continue to perform. . . Both leaders and soldiers have shown incredible resilience in the way they've adapted" to the changing situation in Iraq. "And I realized how much we can trust our soldiers."

That certainly goes for Marines, as well. The general sees the old inter-service rivalry as a relic of the past: "In Iraq, there's only respect for capabilities between the Army and Marines. Marines command soldiers, soldiers command Marines. We're all brothers in arms."

And sisters in arms, too. Odierno stresses, proudly, that women have become so integrated into our military that "it's second nature now. I've seen female officers commanding Military Police companies in some of the toughest spots in Iraq, leading a hundred men - and Iraqis, whose culture doesn't put women in such positions. Because of their pure leadership qualities, it wasn't a problem."

The general also feels that a great untold story has been the advances in cooperation between special-operations and conventional forces - right down to the brigade and battalion levels - in just the last 18 months. In the past, the special operators and the grunts usually went their separate ways. Not anymore: "There's real synergy now."

Yet war's essence remains the same: "The principle of war of mass hasn't changed" - the piling-on that overwhelms an enemy - "but now it's a question of what you mass. It may mean massing troops. Another time, you mass aircraft or rockets." In counterinsurgency operations, "it may be money that you mass, or resources."

In the what's-new department, the Army's prospective vice chief is convinced that "We need to better understand the cyber-world piece. . . It's critical to our enemies." In that field and in our information operations, we still have to come to grips with everything from practical capabilities to laws.

"It's not just about the enemy anymore. It's about the environment . . . the population, sectarian considerations, perceptions . . . or tribal politics, as in Iraq. What kind of government do you have to deal with, for example?"

Odierno keeps returning to the theme of doing our best for our soldiers, the key mission he'll face in his new job. "What does the Army bring? We bring soldiers. How do we develop, educate, train and equip them to do their best?"

These are tough challenges at a time when there won't be enough defense dollars to replace all the materiel lost or worn out in our wars and to acquire the next-generation systems each service hopes to field. The general intends to turn a skeptical eye on promised "wonder" systems, to make sure the Army and the taxpayer get good value.

"We have to make the most of the budget we've got," he says bluntly.

So . . . what about Iraq? Do any specific incidents leap to mind from this past year? Was there an unforgettable Aha! moment?

"It was back in March and April. I went down to Ramadi, to 1-9 Infantry, who were doing the final clearance operations. I saw what they had to go through" in the brutal fighting. "Then I went back, just 30 days later, and saw an amazing difference. Once they were free of al Qaeda, the people just came back to life. They felt free.

"That's when I thought to myself, 'Yes, we can do this. We can make this happen.' "

The general was about to begin a long-overdue leave, and this interview was his final mission of the day. Anything he'd like to say directly to Post readers?

"I want to thank all the readers for the support they've given our soldiers. It means a lot to us. And I'm very proud to be a part of the Army of the United States.

"As for Iraq, we have made significant progress . . . and it's in our strategic interests to have a friendly government in Iraq. Our soldiers have sacrificed a great deal. It should not be in vain."

The general went quiet for a moment, looking inward. "It means a lot to me to finish this mission."

Ralph Peters' latest book is "Wars of Blood and Faith."

NY POST

[arnaldoabru 11]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

[Tigermike 3,054]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

You are happy in your delusion aren't you?

[arnaldoabru 11]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

You are happy in your delusion aren't you?

Maybe you should check the reality

good night

[jw 4 au 526]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

When McCain said 100 years, you didn't really think he meant we would be fighting for 100 years did you? You do know we still have a pressence in Germany even though WWII ended in 1945, right? Just wanted to point that out.

[Tigermike 3,054]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

You are happy in your delusion aren't you?

Maybe you should check the reality

good night

[arnaldoabru 11]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

When McCain said 100 years, you didn't really think he meant we would be fighting for 100 years did you? You do know we still have a pressence in Germany even though WWII ended in 1945, right? Just wanted to point that out.

Germany and Iraq are similar,how?

[jw 4 au 526]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

When McCain said 100 years, you didn't really think he meant we would be fighting for 100 years did you? You do know we still have a pressence in Germany even though WWII ended in 1945, right? Just wanted to point that out.

Germany and Iraq are similar,how?

In relation to the example I provided, they are related in that we still have our military stationed in Germany.

[CCTAU 3,346]

How many former military officers,soldier, paint a different picture of what has happened in Iraq.

Unless you are planning on staying forever,how long are we going to be there,5 years,10 years,50 years,100 years like McCain says.How many more Trillions of dollars,brave American lives,Iraqi lives.For what?Oil, Halliburton, Democracy? It didn't change the out come in Vietnam.We could of Nuked'em I guess.This is a blood fued,religious score.We are in their way.

When McCain said 100 years, you didn't really think he meant we would be fighting for 100 years did you? You do know we still have a pressence in Germany even though WWII ended in 1945, right? Just wanted to point that out.

Germany and Iraq are similar,how?

They both pissed us off...AND LOST. But we being the compassionate ones, help bring their countries back to prominence. It's what we do. We do the hard s*** that nobody else wants to do and then we follow it up with aide and compassion. Just because it hasn't worked overnight like all of the other dim proposals (?) does not mean it is a failure and we should jump ship. So vote for achmed Obama and bring the troops home. But do the rest of us a favor. Put a big red X on your house so the terrorists will know who to blow up first.

[arnaldoabru 11]

Germany, same religion,same ethnic make-up

Iraq- religious divide going back 1,000 years.No sense of country,just ethnic,clannish loyalties.

Won't happen over night,won't happen the next night, won't happen period until they decide to make it happen.

But you are right,we Dems will invite the terrorist over to help them pick out their targetsThen we will help them in theplanning,provide materials,logistics,just because we are soft on terror.By the way 180,000 contractors in Iraq.Go Haliburton.Dick Cheney is making out like Exxon.