The Failures of Iraq. Will it improve the military?

The answer should be Yes, but the failures of Viet Nam have provided few tangible improvements in military thinking. Oh, we think those ads about an Army of One signify something. Mostly that the military has learned about the virtues of hiring slick Madison Avenue types.

What types of changes are needed in the military?

A change in the way Generals are selected, trained, and interact with the public, the politicians, and the troops.

For some details on what the next generation of Generals, battle hardened and battle weary from the endless progress in Iraq, this lengthy story brings first hand accounts. These accounts are nothing like Ernie Pyle brought us. This is not the fox hole reporting of a man putting a human face on men living and dying as G.I. Joe.

These are classroom and seminar lessons from the real leaders of troops in Iraq.

Five captains stood up, recited their names and their units. . . One asked why the top generals failed to give political leaders full and frank advice on how many troops would be needed in Iraq. One asked whether any generals “should be held accountable” for the war’s failures. One asked if the Army should change the way it selected generals. Another said that general officers were so far removed from the fighting, they wound up “sheltered from the truth” and “don’t know what’s going on.”

“As matters stand now, a private who loses a rifle suffers far greater consequences than a general who loses a war.”