Sunday, October 22, 2006

Advising Iraq

From the Wall Street Journal of October 18:
"In my 28 years of military service I have never seen such an appalling approach to training", Lt. Colonel Nick Demas.

"By the time the training was finished, soldiers were demoralized, motivation was non-existent and the team motto came from the Jo Dee Messina lyric, 'my give-a-damn'sbeen busted'", Lt. Colonel James Goodwillie.
The training both refer to is that given the soldiers who are charged with getting the Iraqi army to 'stand up as we stand down'. Finally, after more than two years of senior officers complaining and the difficulties experienced in getting the Iraqis to stand up, the Army has decided to do something about training the advisers. No more will the advisers be untrained, inexperienced troops. Now, three years and more into this war the Army says it will do better.

Some people are slow learners. Usually it does not result in unnecessary deaths.

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