Strategic Failure in Afghanistan & the End of Operational Art

Over the past several days, I’ve been asked by many about the current situation in Afghanistan, and why we're seeing those tragic events unfold so rapidly. If you'd like the short version, what we're now witnessing is an abject failure of both operational and strategic leadership in Afghanistan, Brussels, and in Washington.

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It's obvious that we haven't learned much since Somalia, let alone Vietnam.

Conflict Management in Perspective

There was a time when wars were decided largely by applying overwhelming force and maneuver to defeat an enemy...think World War I, World War II…Desert Storm...even the Cold War. As a nation, we tend to prefer those types of conflicts because victory is largely achieved through dominance. But today, the ways, means and ends of winning wars are more complex, deadly, and often far more unconventional than we'd like.

The Crisis Management Cycle

A Kitchen-Table Schematic of the Author's Crisis Resolution Cycle

One of the primary responsibilities of operational and strategic l

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Battle of Saint-LĂ´ 75th Anniversary Commemoration

Luke and I had the opportunity to attend the Battle of Saint-Lô 75th Anniversary Commemoration at the Atlantic Arch of the WWII Memorial today. Our good friend, Jan Scruggs MC’d the event.

We had the opportunity to meet 94 year old WWII Veteran Harold Radish, who was captured and held in a Nazi POW camp. Realizing his imminent capture, he told us he immediately “understood the situation I was in.” ...“I’m Jewish!” he exclaimed. “So I quickly threw my dog tags away!”

We also spoke to WWII (Korean War and Vietnam War) Veteran Retired Army Colonel Frederick Clinton who joined the Army at 16 years of age.

We spoke to Ms. Judy Davis, daughter of Arthur John Curry who fought in the Battle of Saint-Lô. He was a member of the 70th Tank Battalion, that landed on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 in the first wave of tanks at 0630. He was killed August 27, 1944 in the vicinity of Clichy-Sur-Boisy in northeast Paris. He’s buried at Normandy American Cemetery at Normandy, Plot A, Row 15 Grav

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The Dick Winters Leadership Monument in Normandy, France

 

Whenever I'm in Normandy, I always make a point to visit the Dick Winter's Leadership Monument.  You can't miss it.  It's right off the causeway on your way to Utah Beach.  In many ways, I believe it represents all of the values and principles of leadership that should be recognized during any visit here, and in any study of D-Day and the Battle for Normandy.  Here's a quick video from that monument to the young leaders who fought and won this monumental battle.



Paratroopers from 2d Battalion, 506th PIR loading for their Albany mission,
intended to jump on the DZ "C" in Hiesville at 0120 hours.

This photo was taken on Upottery airfield in Devon on the evening of June 5, 1944.
The aircraft is a C-47 (#42-93004 from 94th Squadron - 439th Troop Carrier Group -
Chalk number # 78 - serial # 12). The pilot (back) is 2nd Lt. Martin N. Neill.
2nd Lt. Carl E. George (co-pilot) helps the paratroopers to board.


William G. Olanie, Frank D. Griffin, Robert J. Noody, Lester T. Hegland

The 506th PI...
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