http://www.stratfor.com/geopolitical_diary/geopolitical_diary_decision_time_south_ossetia#top

I think the Navy issues with folks who have been to Iraq and Afghanistan are unique to the Navy and have more to do with the fact that the “preferred customers” get opted out of being in the gene pool for IA’s because they are having to meet the requirements of command at sea /Joint to make the wickets for the next higher command. As a result the folks that get sent into the IA pool at higher pay grades are those that are no longer part of the “beautiful people” ( with some exceptions). Now units that havbe done ILO (in Lieu of) deployments, their personnel have faired no better or worse than anyone else in their respective communities. Some communities just make more flags-twas always thus.

A URL officer still has to make the milestones required by his particular community and the Navy should not have to apologize for that. Guys have to do their time at sea.

The real issue it seems to me-is whether because of the timeline to a particular career event that either makes you a preferred customer or not (e.g. Squadron Command Screen in aviation) if the Navy is trying to stuff too much into one sock…..and perhaps just perhaps, it needs to allow more time to do all that is expected these days.

Fair enough – and I gind as a scholar that it is challenging to try to think through what it means to be in a post Cold War situation (and Vlad is making it awful hard to stay with that perception esp. with blasts from the pasts such as… http://www.themoscowtimes.com/article/600/42/369557.htm ). I get the idea of bureaucratic rut, and especially that in the military it is necessary to fast track the achievers in combat. And it is not that I feel any nostalgia for the CW at all, but I simply am concerned that the GWOT not become THE model of how we think about the mission of the armed forces.

You hardly ever fight the war you’ve prepared for – it’s the force that can quickly adapt to the fight they’re actually in that will win, all other things being equal. OODA, and all that.

Of course we shouldn’t “fight the last war”, but we are allowed to learn from it. And it seems to me that Americans have a very dangerous susceptibility to both historical amnesia and tunnel vision that sees what is happening NOW as the next big thing. Along that path lies many nasty surprises.

ps: And by the way Skippy – six of so months back I took umbrage at something you said and stated something to the effect that I didn’t think engaging in discussion with you would be worthwhile – I want to apologize for that. I spoke wrongly and rashly. I’ve spent some time in the real blogg void over at the Atlantic and realize that whatever disagreements I might have with you are as nothing compared with some on the loony-toons/troll brigade left.