Team

I like the team dynamic we have. Took a little while to settle in but it's nice now. As you can imagine, I'm one of the younger guys here. I was discussing something with some folks and it reminded them of an older operation. At first I talked about how my ROTC instructors told us about it, and then went all out and said my grandfather told me tales of his time there (not true, my grandfather's service was over many many years before this particular mission). One guy acted particularly offended. Then another guy said that it's OK, their so cute and eager when their that age, and look, unlike you (the annoyed guy), this kid shaves his head for looks rather than to hide the lack of it. I was saved. Until next time anyway. Good times.

Me being me, I feel compelled to add some apolitical (I'll try anyway) political commentary. These issues with passing a funding bill do cause havoc. Pasing a two month funding bill would be little better--anybody who has had to do major budget planning should understand that. I'm actually surprised to see the unintended effects this has. Due to the confusion regarding when moneys will be available scheduled trainings, personnel moves, maintenance, and other vital things are being put on hold to ensure that money is available to continue combat operations. This isn't posturing. Really. They need to figure it out and stop using us has pawns, screwing with us in the name of trying to show who supports us more.
That goes out to both parties.
We are at war. Like it or not, it is a fact. I don't care about the pretenses, true or false, that got us here. We are where we are. Elected leaders, and I unfortunately use that term way too loosely, deal with the situation we have.
If you want to end it, then man up and try to end it. Tell me how you intend to do it and how you intend to deal with the consequences. Show me that your posturing is about more than throwing red vegan meat to your blowhard moveon.org friends and trying to make up for having supported this at the beginning when it seemed politically expedient. Read Profiles in Courage. Dig deep.
If you support the war, explain way. The American people need to understand. They are smarter than you think and are tired of jingoism and fear mongering. Explain the costs, explain the sacrifices, and explain why they are necessary. Say the hard things. If ads featuring two retired (note retired, not resigned in public protest at the risk of retiring at lower rank) scare you, then quit now.
Everyone is looking to Gen Petraus to give them political cover. Sad.
I know most people reading this will assume I'm speaking solely about Iraq and may even guess that I'm in Iraq. Regardless of how they started, I see Iraq, Afghanistan, and countless other efforts as closely tied campaigns in a networked global insurgency. I came to that conclusion before I got to the mysterious "here," but it has since been confirmed.
There is a difference between operational success and strategic level success. Unfortunately, institutionally we are slowly learning that. But we are learning.

I saw an article today that said no one from Commerce wanted to go overseas to support reconstruction and development work. To me that says our civil service is more broken than our military. Maybe a little harsh, but the vaunted political elements need an influx of technocratic advisors.
My mom asks me often about success. I think it will look a little like the British leaving India. Hardly ideal, but a functional central government with lots of local authorities, and a mostly functioning infrastructure. I hope we'll leave these various places on better terms than the Brits left India and without the India/Pakistan-type splits, but I do think our leaving will be a rather unceremonius request for us to skedaddle by a local government confident enough to assert it's identity by telling us to go. It's an imperfect analogy and we have no intent to colonize these places. There is better real estate elsewhere. I reread it and it is an incredibly bad comparison with some terrible implications, but want to go to sleep now so it will stay.