Six Steps to Victory

Posted By Blackfive

USAFR Major Eric Egland stopped by my house a month ago to discuss his ideas around six steps to victory in Iraq.  I thought they were very sound.  Eric is a good friend, but he wasn't seeking my approval as much as wanting to get as much feedback as possible, more from our readers on the ground than from me. 

His plan has been vetted at various levels, but I know he would really appreciate hearing from the troops in Iraq about this.  While no plan survives the battlefield, he'd like to bullet proof it as much as possible.  His draft plan is now an article in the Weekly Standard:

Six Steps to Victory
The bottom-up plan to defeat the insurgency.
by Eric Egland
11/16/2006 12:00:00 AM

IN THIS POLITICAL season, the debate about Iraq has become almost completely backward looking. It has degenerated into finger pointing and partisan sniping--stuck between a false choice of "cut and run" versus "more of the same."

Failure in Iraq is not an option, because it would spell disaster for U.S. national security and foreign policy credibility, not to mention military morale. Our mission in Iraq continues to move forward, and U.S. forces have successfully defeated the insurgents in several areas, yet the enemy has proven resilient and effective. Thus, we must succeed in Iraq by changing the status quo.

The plans for victory so far have fallen short. They have come, top-down, from the Pentagon or the palaces-turned-coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Now, American leaders, especially the nominee for secretary of defense, should consider a bottom-up plan to win that taps the collective grass-roots wisdom of successful battlefield innovators. In particular, there are six course corrections that can be taken almost immediately...

At the end of the article, Eric asks for your help and provides an email address to send feedback.  Please distribute to those on the ground to get their reactions.

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Six Steps to Victory

USAFR Major Eric Egland stopped by my house a month ago to discuss his ideas around six steps to victory in Iraq.  I thought they were very sound.  Eric is a good friend, but he wasn't seeking my approval as much as wanting to get as much feedback as possible, more from our readers on the ground than from me. 

His plan has been vetted at various levels, but I know he would really appreciate hearing from the troops in Iraq about this.  While no plan survives the battlefield, he'd like to bullet proof it as much as possible.  His draft plan is now an article in the Weekly Standard:

Six Steps to Victory
The bottom-up plan to defeat the insurgency.
by Eric Egland
11/16/2006 12:00:00 AM

IN THIS POLITICAL season, the debate about Iraq has become almost completely backward looking. It has degenerated into finger pointing and partisan sniping--stuck between a false choice of "cut and run" versus "more of the same."

Failure in Iraq is not an option, because it would spell disaster for U.S. national security and foreign policy credibility, not to mention military morale. Our mission in Iraq continues to move forward, and U.S. forces have successfully defeated the insurgents in several areas, yet the enemy has proven resilient and effective. Thus, we must succeed in Iraq by changing the status quo.

The plans for victory so far have fallen short. They have come, top-down, from the Pentagon or the palaces-turned-coalition headquarters in Baghdad. Now, American leaders, especially the nominee for secretary of defense, should consider a bottom-up plan to win that taps the collective grass-roots wisdom of successful battlefield innovators. In particular, there are six course corrections that can be taken almost immediately...

At the end of the article, Eric asks for your help and provides an email address to send feedback.  Please distribute to those on the ground to get their reactions.

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Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Six Steps to Victory:

» The Mideast, 209 (November 16, 2006) Six Steps To Victory In Iraq from Pajamas Media
Six Steps To Victory in Iraq--An example: "Accept the realities of warfare in the media age by decentralizing the sharing of information with both the Iraqi and the American public." (Eric Egland, Major, USAFR @ Weekly Standard; HT: Blackfive)... [Read More]