My Commute

Here's a video from a trip out to COP Destroyer, it shows what I see from my HMMWV Turret, I'm usually the rear truck gunner responsible for rear security, so I always see everything go by. I put some music over the usual sound because listening to a HMMWV engine for 10 minutes isn't that exciting. A couple things you can see: A Holstein cow in the back of a pick up truck. A herd of sheep walking down a busy street. Tractors, Donkey carts and cars. Have a look.

A Few Thoughts on "Phony Soldiers" and Blackwater

I know my next post is supposed to cover more IA Logistics, specifically how food water and ice is handled, but I wanted to write a bit about a couple of issues that have been in the news lately; Rush Limbaugh's comments about phony soldiers and the recent Blackwater incident in Baghdad.

I haven't seen or heard Rush Limbaugh's comments in full, only what has been either lambasted by democrats or defended by Fox News Pundits. I can only say that to call someone who opposes this war while fighting it phony is a dangerous premise. I'm sure that those of you who read this blog regularly can figure out that I am opposed to this war. I feel that it was wrong of us to invade Iraq. I am tired of the ever evolving change in reasons to continue this war.

• 9/11,
• WMD,
• Civil War,
• Promote Democracy
• Give Petreaus a Chance
• The Surge is Working
• I'll be Out of Office in a Year or So, Let Somebody Else Deal With It
• Don't let Iraq Become a Haven For Terrorists

I am ashamed of the way it has made our country look in the eyes of much of the world. I am disheartened by our continuous lack of social and cultural "grace" when it comes to understanding other areas of the world. I am frustrated by an unwillingness of an organization to realize that the cold war is over and no enemy will again stand toe to toe to the United States. I am saddened by the loss of too many fathers, sons, brothers, mothers, daughters and sisters.

So, does this mean I am a "phony Soldier" I'm sure by some standards it does. It is impossible to judge what happens over here from the comfortable studios of the EIB network. It is impossible to come over here and see the destruction and suffering and not have my eyes opened. Every day, I am forced to look at all the remnants of war which remain in the city. The barriers, wire, checkpoints, abandoned buildings, bullet holes in buildings, crumbled homes, all a result directly or indirectly of our invasion. In my current role, I can feel some sense that what I am doing is critical to ending this war. Soldiers do not make policy, Soldiers do not make war, a Soldier's role in war is to advise the civilian leadership of this country and to execute the decisions made by that civilian leadership. I feel that if a few more "phony Soldiers" had stood up to Cheney and Bush and Rumsfeld, this situation could have been avoided. The president has continued to surround himself with "yes" men. If your closest advisers are "yes" men, it goes without saying that they are redundant and irrelevant. I like to hear people tell me I'm right as much as the next guy, but people in leadership should be more concerned with making sound decisions than to prove that they are the "decider."

A Phony Soldier?

I just wanted to touch on the Blackwater controversy quickly to clear up what I see as misconceptions and to add my two cents. If you follow this story you will hear alot of numbers thrown around concerning contractors and their level of participation in this war. Private security companies do provide armed security on numerous operations. FOB Sykes is guarded by a Turkish security company. Don't think though that contracted security forces outnumber or even approach the numbers of Soldiers, Sailors and Airmen in country. The numbers thrown about on talk shows and other media reports include cooks, bus drivers, crane operators, etc., many of whom are from countries other than the United States. I would estimate that 80% of the contractors on FOB Sykes are from India or Pakistan. They do everything from cleaning bathrooms, hauling garbage, and driving buses, to cooking food, and maintaining HVAC equipment. A private security contractor is very well paid, earning as much around $12,000 a month. The majority of the TCNs (Third Country Nationals) earn less than $1,000 a month. Considerably less than what it would take to pay and equip a soldier to do the same work, but well above the average monthly wage of Pakistan or similar countries. To say that we are privatizing the war is simply, from my point of view, false. The majority of contractors are poorly paid (by U.S. Standards) and provide services which would seem ridiculous to have soldiers perform.

However, I feel that firms such as Blackwater, Aegis and others, are detrimental to what we are trying to accomplish over here. To allow them to continue to operate outside the law is an unfathomably bad idea. Iraqi civilians don't discriminate between contracted security officers and the Military. A violent act commited by Blackwater no doubt leads to hostile actions and feelings against the military. It is time that the State Department of the U.S. Congress takes action to change their lawless behavior.

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The Challenge: Logistics

CPT Doll in a Russian Kroz

"An Army marches on its Stomach" This famous quote is attributed to Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous Frenchman who recognized that logistics is often more important than tactics in winning a war. Perhaps the single greatest factor in the world-wide dominance of the United States Armed Forces is our ability to project our power across the globe. This would not be possible without our mature, robust and unprecedented logistics system. As a transportation officer, I have the ability to track a part from its production in a factory until it is delivered to the user on the battlefield, utilizing numerous computer systems and the world wide web. I have the ability to communicate directly with the operator of the vehicle which is carrying the part in case it needs to be diverted or is no longer needed. As a country, we have spent billions of dollars on technology and systems which enable us to get the right part to the right place at the right time. Some claim that "Amateurs study tactics, professionals study logistics." So, it is with great frustration and often disbelief that I have been exposed to "The Iraqi Logistics System." The motto of the Transportation Corps, corny as it may be is "Nothing happens until something moves" The motto of the Iraqi Logistics system could be "Nothing happens until some general in Baghdad says its o.k., but he's probably on leave, so you need to wait a week." I figure the most logical way to explain what we are dealing with is to cover the overarching problems which factor in to all logistical operations, then, in another post, I'll cover the "eaches" by going through each class of supply and explain our challenges. As the logistics adviser, I am directly responsible for developing and improving the logistics leaders in our IA Battalion. Thus far, it has taken me almost 4 months of being on the ground just to wrap my head around how things are supposed to work and how they are in fact working.

Maintenance Training at Cop Destroyer

• An Immature System: When we dismantled the Iraqi Army after the invasion, (against Bush's Orders...he thinks, its hard to remember) the entire Army was summarily dismissed. As we realized that we were facing an insurgency, and the Army would need to be rebuilt, we began by building from the smallest level. First squads, then platoons, then companies, battalions brigades and so on. The Ministry of Defense wasn't even an Idea. I have a colleague here who was a Tank Platoon Leader in OIF II, (we're now in OIF VI) who remembers as the ICDC (Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, a precursor to what is now the Iraqi Army) was being formed, he would be tasked to take Iraqi Security Forces on patrol with him, he would stop by their compound in his tank and pick up three or four, and they would ride out into the city with him on patrols. I tell this story to tell you this, for the first 3 years of Iraqi Security Forces, coalition units provided them with all of their logistics support. We bought their AK-47's, Pistols, and Ammo. We provided them with fuel, barriers, uniforms, everything. While this was effective in establishing them as a fighting force, it only contributed to their logistical dependence on Coalition Forces. Since then, its been an constant uphill battle. In each division there is a logistics company called the Motor Transport Regiment or MTR.

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Destroyed Russian UAZ vehicles sit at Al Kisik

By design they are supposed to provide maintenance and transportation support to the three Brigades in the division. This unit has received its vehicles and theoretically should be capable of executing its mission. However, they have yet to complete a convoy to the National Depot in Taji, and are barely capable of getting even one truck to leave their post and deliver anything. Their maintenance company only last month submitted the list of parts that they need to stock, and they have yet to fix a single truck.

Russian Kroz Trucks at Al Kisik

• Centralized Control: In order for anything to get accomplished in the Iraqi Army, be it tactical operations, promotions, and is seems especially logistics, an Iraqi Officer must be ordered from higher. Initiative and innovation are not rewarded as they are in many cultures. This leads to huge headaches when trying to get supplies such as ammunition etc. Just a quick example which I'll probably reiterate when I discuss Class V: Here's the flow just to receive ammunition, keep in mind that there are millions of rounds in a warehouse not 30 minutes drive outside of Tal Afar where our Battalion operates. Also, IGFC (Iraqi Ground Forces Command) and MOD (Ministry of Defense), are located in Baghdad. A parallel system in the U.S. Army would involve a request for ammunition being approved by two bureaucracies within the Pentagon. Absolutely ridiculous, and the most frustrating part is that it is this way with nearly all supplies. I've attached a power point slide I created to brief my MiTT Team Chief on why our Battlion was struggling so much logistically.

Iraqi Ammunition Resupply Process

Next Time: Class I; Food Water and Ice