Counterinsurgency Leadership: In Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond    

 

Edited by Nicholas Schlosser and James M. Caiella, Marine Corps University Press, Quantico, VA (2011) 204 pp.

   

Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, USN (Ret.)

Schlosser and Caiella have assembled and edited a series of presentations at a Marine Corps University symposium in 2009, which carried the same title as this book. While the focus of the conference was on counterinsurgency ("COIN") leadership, other aspects of such operations were discussed as well. The participants were eight senior Marine and Army officers and twelve civilians with high-level government/academic experience, three of whom are retired Army officers, a lieutenant general and two colonels.

While the review included brigade, regiment, and battalion leadership, the most intensive focus was on the squad and company level. The most heavily emphasized conclusion of the participants was that adaptive junior officers are crucial to successful COIN operations because they have immediate, direct control over the interaction between the local population, insurgents, and the US military. Effective, sustained COIN can only be successfully accomplished when area non-combatants do not fear harm at the hands of American forces, and see their lives improved by ongoing actions that permanently eliminate insurgents from the region. These innovative lieutenants and captains need maximum flexibility to operate and the full support of their superior officers at higher levels to do so. Micromanagement and rigid adherence to standard combat doctrines that are not working will cause these officers to fail. Another interesting thought put forth was that command relief should be exercised more often but without the career-ending consequences that usually accompany such action. Not every commander has the knowledge and experience necessary to solve every problem correctly the first time - in other words, sometimes it is necessary to transfer an officer who is having trouble, without necessarily labeling him as incompetent and incapable of correction or improvement.

The sadly flawed results of the 2009 Afghanistan elections were fresh in the minds of the conferees, and they looked at this episode as "lessons learned." A corrupt government, elected or appointed, will undo much of the US COIN operations.

A lengthy chapter is devoted solely to a presentation by General Petraeus, loaded with data and important observations about the Middle East and the Horn of Africa. The general also answers questions from the audience and there are many good ones. As one would expect, this chapter has much more to do with the overall long term strategies than the preceding ones.

While this was a quite interesting book on a current hot topic, it has several significant limitations. First, with the exception of the General Petraeus' chapter, the other chapters appear to be condensations of what the conferees presented, but do not include any exchanges and comments by audience members that one would have hoped to see. Second, commentary on two critical issues is altogether lacking, such as the religious component of the insurgencies - Islamists label all Westerners as infidels, likening our military to the invading crusaders of the Middle Ages. By failing to refute or deal with this topic objectively and resolutely, the enemy has been ceded a valuable psychological warfare tool. The other significant matter that goes unaddressed is the questionable staying power of the US in prolonged wars. In every extended conflict since World War II, US congressional support for such expeditions has been progressively growing more fractious, as the result of a shift in political power toward progressives who object to almost any US military intervention. While it is understandable that it would be difficult to include such highly sensitive political issues in a neutral government venue, their importance is not diminished by their sensitivity, and their omission leaves a large gap in the otherwise thorough and excellent reasoning that marks the analyses and conclusions reached.

Captain Jones is a frequent contributor to Naval History Book Reviews

SEALs: The US Navy's Elite Fighting Force  

 

By Mir Bahmanyar with Chris Osman, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, UK (2008), 256 pp

Reviewed by Captain Roger F. Jones, USN. (Ret.)

SEALs bills itself as the ultimate book about how Navy SEALs train and fight, and it is certainly the most comprehensive and interesting one on this topic that this reviewer has ever read. Written from a first-hand perspective, it explains how World War II "frogmen" evolved into today's elite special warfare teams. Even before the recent successful operation against Osama bin-Ladin, Navy SEALs have clearly earned a reputation as the definitive special warfare warriors, operating in every environment: water, air, and land. Their training is described in detail, starting with "BUD/S" (Basic Underwater Demolition/ SEAL), a punishing six-month high-intensity program. Its purpose is to train each individual in the specific requirements of special warfare operations, and in its progression, to weed out those who lack sufficient self-motivation and drive to serve under the incredibly demanding conditions that are the hallmark of SEALs' missions. The sixth week in BUD/S is "Hell Week," when students are subject to a series of exhausting exercises throughout both day and night - typically, students get only five hours of sleep during this week. Surprisingly, few students wash out during "Hell Week," but over the full six months, usually only 30% of those starting the course will graduate. More specialized training follows for the BUD/S graduates and these are described in somewhat less detail. A complete listing of the SEALs' table of organization and locations are included, as well as extensive references.

The bulk of the book presents a series of missions as seen through the eyes of one or more SEALs in the invasion of Panama (1989), drug interdiction in Bolivia (1991), then operations in the Balkans (1999, 2003), Iraq and Afghanistan (2003-2007). These mission action details are accompanied by many illustrations (of outstanding quality) of the terrain and the SEALs involved (with appropriate blurring of their faces!). The writing is very well done, capturing a genuine "feel" of being there, including how the units had to deal with underway mission changes necessitated by stale intelligence, as well as when things went unexpectedly easily. Bahmanyar is actually a former Army Ranger but did most of the writing, based on information provided by Osman and another SEAL, Marcus Luttrell; these latter two also furnished most of the photos. Someone who has never served or worked in the military may be put off by the constant use of abbreviations (e.g., GOPLAT, ARSTDV, etc.) but otherwise, this is a book that is hard to put down.   

Captain Jones is a frequent contributor to Naval History Book Reviews  

And for those needing a break from historical reality!  

Signed, SEALd and Delivered: A Jack Kane Thriller (Fiction)    

 

by Sam Ginder, Red Lead Press, Paperback, 339 pages

Reviewed by Vice Adm. Robert F. Dunn, USN, (Ret.)

What a terrific escape from the routine and mundane is this book! A sitting United States Senator hires a hard-hitting former Navy SEAL to track down the Senator's missing daughter, a beautiful and charming twenty-something. At a breathtaking pace the story takes the reader from Washington and Georgetown to Coronado, Tijuana, Cabo San Lucas and back to Washington with a side trip to Baltimore. There are encounters and narrow escapes with luck and mental and physical combat coming often into play. They came into play simultaneously when the SEAL, Jack Kane, is forcefully detained by a powerful and unscrupulous drug lord who is also a world renowned ichthyologist. This gives him license to keep live specimens in huge viewable glass walled tanks on his estate in Cabo where, "In the interest of science," his larger specimens are sometimes fed those he wants to get rid of. Kane is lucky indeed to escape Cabo San Lucas and the fish tanks.  

Before that encounter Kane had found the girl in Tijuana and discovered at the same time that, while not only did she not seem to be kidnapped and was not hurt, she appeared to be enjoying herself. He suspected she might be involved in some mysterious way with the highest levels of movers and shakers in the Mexican drug trade and he had to pursue the possibilities. Solving the puzzle despite the maze of competitiveness in the trade makes the story timely. Thugs, slick hucksters, smooth operators, sophisticated business men, police, intercontinental travel and, of course, that beautiful young woman, are all part of the huge kaleidoscope of a world only suspected by most Americans but painted in clear words by author Sam Ginder.

To help him in his quest, Kane recruits former SEAL friends and enlists the help of a District of Columbia policeman who, in turn, brings in a Baltimore policeman when the story moves to that city. As for venues, many Washington Area citizens will relate to such well-known places as a Senate office building on Capitol Hill, Connecticut Avenue and several of its bars, prestigious Washington and Georgetown restaurants, the Watergate and the Baltimore waterfront. Those familiar with Coronado will recognize the Hotel del Coronado, the Hog's Breath Saloon on Orange Avenue, a rendezvous for Seals not far from the Hotel Del. The short distance from Coronado to the Mexican border used to make for a simple crossing, but not so easy anymore; however, guided by his Mexican born SEAL shipmate Kane slips across to Tijuana and onto a bullfight starring a magnificent young Mexican matador lending much color to the otherwise stark surroundings of Tijuana. There, at the bullfight, he finds the blond, sitting in the most prestigious box in the arena enjoying herself with assorted Mexican drug overlords.

Hesitating to try and corral the girl and take her home before the drug connection, if any, is solved he follows leads from Tijuana to Cabo San Lucas and the luxury of the Playa Grande Resort. The luxury doesn't last long, however; he's kidnapped by a drug lord, gets a lecture in minding his own business and witnesses those chilling fish tanks. Yet, he can't leave it alone.

Returning to Coronado and back again to Tijuana, still not having solved the drug connection, he and some colleagues manage to kidnap the senator's daughter and squire her back to Washington. She is not pleased, but the senator is. 

Back in his office on Connecticut Avenue Kane, with the unsolved drug problem and the girl's possible involvement still not settled, he discovers his mission is not quite finished. During a routine parcel pickup for an anonymous client he discovers that the package contains a crude Central American statuette of no apparent value. Being naturally inquisitive he discovers the statuette contains a coded message. Deciphering it with the help of an American University professor it identifies the schedule for a major drug pickup on the Baltimore docks. At that point a District of Columbia detective and his Baltimore colleague are brought in. A Baltimore narcotics squad is ready to intercept the shipment when the thugs who are to receive it are surprised by a rival gang showing up at the same time. An old fashioned Wild West shootout ensues. Nine bad guys die and the rest are captured by the Baltimore police.

There's more, much more, and the girl and the ichthyologist do re-enter the story and so does a mole in the D.C. police department; but then to tell more would be to give it away.

Signed, SEALd and Delivered, despite its awkward title, is a smoothly written tale of mystery and action set in real-world places all wrapped in one fairly small package. I recommend you take a look.

Naval Historical Foundation President Vice Admiral Dunn frequently contributes history reviews to The Washington Times.  

Books Currently Available for Review    

We have a number of books here in our offices that are available to be reviewed. If you are interested, please contact Dr. Dave Winkler at [email protected] .

Horrible Shipwreck! Andrew C.A. Jampoler, Naval Institute Press, 2010, 294 pages.

The Untold Experiences of a Navy Corpsman: A US Navy Hospital Corpsman with a US Marine Corps Reconnaissance Patrol Team in the 1950's on covert Korean missions. C. Gilbert Lowery, Authorhouse, 2011, 167 pages. 

Italian Battleships of World War II. Mark Stille (illustrations by Paul Wright), Osprey Publishing, 2011, 48 pages. 

No Ordinary Summer. David T. Lindgren. Authorhouse, 2010, 275 pages. (fiction) 

The Captain Who Burned His Ships: Captain Thomas Tingey, USN, 1750-1829. Gordon S. Brown, Naval Institute Press, 2011, 200 pages. 

The Day the World was Shocked: The Lusitania Disaster and Its Influence on the Course of World War I. John Protasio, Casemate Publishers, 2011, 239 pages. 

My Heroes. Jack Ferrell (edited by Megan Burns), Waldenhouse Publishers, Inc., 2010, 432 pages. 

John Paul Jones: Father of the United States Navy. Wallace Bruce, Writers Club Press, 2002, 287 pages. (historical fiction)

Normandy Crucible: The Decisive Battle That Shaped World War II in Europe. John Prados, NAL Caliber, 2011, 320 pages.  

Among Heroes: A Marine Corps Rifle Company on Peleliu. First Sergeant Jack R. Ainsworth (edited by Ambassador Laurence Pope), preview copy, 83 pages. 

JOIN OUR MAILING LIST