A co-worker’s spouse is a young officer in a large, SoCal based infantry unit. He, along with everyone that they collectively know, have been ordered to deploy to Afghanistan in a relatively short period of time. Which is, in this young officer’s case, fully two years before his scheduled deployment. Units that had deployed on a rotational basis are now to deploy concurrently.
Clearly a decision has finally been made and communicated to those who will bear the burden of it. One wonders how long it will take to communicate it to the American people.
As for my young co-worker, it is a familiar tale: Her young man is excited to get going on his first combat deployment, and she is quietly devastated.
It was ever thus.
I’m no expert in logistics, but moving a planned deployment that is two years out to a mere matter of months takes a logistical/training miracle, yes?
I’d think if anyone could do it, it’s the short-tail Marines, but still… wow.
Just talked to a very-well-connected retired Marine friend who pointed out that perhaps this could be the flag leadership saying “We expect a decision from the President soon, and we are guessing X, so let’s make sure we’re ready to move when we get the signal.” Interesting take on it…
either way, so much for OPSEC….. not that any would exist after Ear Leader held his press conference.
Not to be the contrarian, but my I MEF LCpl son said his company commander had them all huddle up last week. He said, “Look, man to man, I don’t have any f***ing idea when we are deploying, my boss doesn’t have any idea, and his boss doesn’t have any idea. The only person that seems to know is Secretary Gates, and he ain’t talkin’. So as soon as I know more, I will tell you.”
Planned rotation 1 March, now TBD.
Lex – in the bldg now.
Standby…
I tend to agree with FbL. I think this is the Military leadership “leaning forward.” They know that IF the decision comes to surge, that the faster they can do it, the better it will work and lower the overall casualties will be. Always easier to stand down than to gear up.
It was ever thus.
And ever shall be.
There’s all sorts of behind the scenes shuffling and whatnot taking place here too. Outcome TBD. *sigh* Patience is a virtue, yes?
“I’m no expert in logistics, but moving a planned deployment that is two years out to a mere matter of months takes a logistical/training miracle, yes?”
Not really. 82nd and 101st airborne are supposed to be able to deploy anywhere in the world in 36 hours.
Good point. I’d forgotten about them. What about units who aren’t set up to do that, or do most units has contingency plans for rapid deployment?
FbL,
I was until recently in the business. It took far longer to spool up an active duty unit for a pending deployment. Reserve Squadrons needed 90 days notice of mobilization and then 60 days or so of super high intensity training to get them through the Fleet certification wicket and then deploy. Active duty units needed much much longer to make it through the wicket.
Planned or no, getting the forces into the theater was never more than a 90 day problem when it came to forecasting. I don’t believe it is much different for army formations. Give us 3 months and we’ll give you the field forces.
The navy has been tapping Involuntary Augmentees with instantaneous notice followed by NIAC followed by deployment for ages now. Those of us who are pushing through their 17th rotation have it down pat. We tried to play fair when I was there and stay within the guidelines but we did, irregardless, try damned hard to make sure that the squadrons had as much lead notification of deployment as we could give them. We were shooting for 2 years lead notification.
When one is ‘rotating’ forces, OPSEC is the most bogus concern of all. We call it a RIP TOA for a reason and so long as we’re relieving units in place, there’s no OPSEC nonsense.
The 101st can’t deploy within 36 hours. They can send troops, but the majority of their equipment will have to follow later. The 101st is pretty loaded in that regard. Their major equipment consists of a very large number of choppers. The Blackhawk can self deploy to an extent, but they are flying gas cans and can carry little else. The Apache, to my knowledge can not. The Army could get 5 Cobras on a C-5, I don’t know how many Apaches can be loaded on either a C-5 or C-17.
The “Puking Buzzards” are actually air mobile and no longer an Airborne division.
Our son-in-law expects to deploy to Afghan next June; he’s assigned as Chaplain to MP Battlalion in Army. I’ll keep all advised at the earliest.
That f@cking son of a b@tch that is our current CIC… “He will make his decision shortly”… Yeah, we will all wait while our sons, daughters, husbands and wives die.
I hate this man and his administration.
And BTW, I am all for pulling out right now because it isn’t worth one more American life. Apparently, Mr Obama thinks it is worth a few more American lives for his political future.
Did I mention that I hate this man?
Don’t ever try to fight a war that you don’t intend to win. That is apparently what our current administration intends to do.
Gee, Babs, I wish you’d make up your mind how you really feel about this guy. BTW, does his approach to Afghanistan remind you at all about the way Johnson tied our hands in Vietnam? As a matter of fact, there are many who would argue that we actually won… until Walter Cronkite declared that we’d lost.
Best…
Why not go back to what worked? Recall we took Kabul in about 65 days with;
- a few hundred Special Forces boots on the ground, and
- nearly immediate CAS (from incredible distance).
Now that we have in country airfields, part 2 ought to be easy. Conventional forces are just targets.
Walter Cronkite came up from his grave and declared this war lost Peter…
Every man in the Af is lost as far as I am concerned. The American people no longer have the will to win this thing.
Of course it reminds me of Johnson.
I hate our current SOB as much as I hated Johnson.
Pack it up and move it out because we can’t win this in the current political climate.
[...] Lex says he hears of movement, Patterico is wondering also. [...]
Got a phone call from my son on Saturday. All packed and headed to the flight line for to spend a year in Afghanistan.
His brigade (173rd Airborne) is now in place in indian country. I knew he was going, but he couldn’t say exactly when. This is his unit’s 3rd deployment there.
Anyway, if anyone would care to add Sean to their prayer list(s), I’d be appreciative. He’s an infantryman (airborne) and as well trained and led as any could be. Still and all, I sure they could all use an extra thought now and then.
I probably am just feeling the way my own father felt, and his father before him, and his father before him. But it’s one thing to read about the folks at home, and another to be one. Would that I could be there too.
Sigh
Tim – count on it. I think of our warriors everyday, hoping that wherever they are – they remain safe and secure. And that their families welcome them home as planned.
Most definitely praying for Sean, Tim.
I cannot be prouder of the fine men and women serving our country, and their families, bearing the burdens on the battlefront and the homefront. THey are doing all we ask of them, and more, and they deserve our support in every way possible.
I too question the President’s plan (whatever it might be, if he ever gets done dithering and makes a decision). What is his goal?
If he spells out a plausible goal, I am sure that our military leaders and the paramilitary CIA assets will figure the best way to achieve it. IF THE #&%*! POLITICIANS GET THE #*^! OUT OF THE WAY AND LET THE GENERALS RUN THE WAR!
However, I think we can just as easily declare victory and leave, and allow the native warlords and mullahs to revert to their 7th Century ways. So sorry, too bad, if women’s rights are trampled and the revert to chattel status, and no one in the country goes to school, or gets medical care or anything else. It is not the “crusaders’” burden to civilize the entire world. Let them decide and live with the consequences. Let the Moslem countries provide whatever help they want to, and let us not judge if it is insufficient by our standards.
After all, we had an election and elections do have consequences. I just hope we do not revert back to much more primitive than mid 20th Century standards.
Once again I am reminded of Rome burning – with Obama cast as Caesar with his precious fiddle.
If it is true that our military leaders are just anticipating something, how horrible to put all our warriors and their families into limbo like this.
Then again, I’m speaking about Obama. Just exactly what did we expect from the empty suit…
The Af is a sideshow for him.. he certainly doesn’t want to spend any political capital on it.. thus drag it out as long as possible and try not to make decisions until he is forced. His real front-burner battle is the expansion of the federal government into healthcare. Once all the borrowing capacity is drained, then funding of the military will die on the vine anyway and his agenda in that respect accomplished as well.. We’d damn well better stand up and be counted now.
Everybody should read “Kite Runner” and “A Thousand Spendid Suns” while you are thinking about Afghanistan.
Did the readers here know that General Chuck Yeager was the U.S. Govt’s ranking military official in that region as his last official post? His biography and the books above give some good descriptions of life there, the people, culture and insight to a way of life we cannot begin to understand unless we go oursleves.
Frankly, I think there is more harm in pulling out.
AW1
My best friend’s son went to Iraq as Artillery degunned and used as Infantry.
He said “You wake up, say your prayers, go through your day, get ready for bed, say your prayers, and trust in the Lord,
because that’s all you can do”. Tough duty. What he didn’t say, but did, was be unchanged to his other kids, and the people who knew him, despite “the fox gnawing” at his guts. His lady knew and worried about him, and he about her, and they about their son.
Who came home, after many dangers, trials, and adventures, safe and whole and decorated and promoted. Going to school on the GI Bill. Getting married this May, to a fine young woman.
May you and yours have the same good fortune. You are in our prayers.