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April 20, 2009
At War with General Jack Keane
National Review TV's Uncommon Knowledge has a must-watch series of interviews with General Jack Keane (Ret.), Vice-Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army at the time Operation Iraqi Freedom was initiated in March of 2003. Having retired later that same year, as a civilian he was instrumental in convincing President Bush to initiate what has become known as the "surge" plan, which saved Iraq from a brutal insurgency.
In the Fall of 2006, I started to follow events in Iraq in much more detail, and became very concerned that we were badly off course. I was much relieved when it became known that a new plan was in the works, and as such blogged about it fairly extensively. Listed at the bottom of this post are some of my initial posts on the surge plan, or just see Iraq under Categories at right. The Wikipedia listing for Keane and the surge plan seem fairly accurate too.
Keane does not whitewash our bad assumptions, initial failures, or his role in them. Given his role in turning things around, it's a shame that he is not more widely known.
You'll have to follow the links to view the five interview segments, as unlike YouTube there's no way to post them here. Each is only 7-8 minutes long, but there will add to your understanding of our war in Iraq.
Without further ado, here are the interview segments, preceded by a short bio posted on NRO:
"During his 37 years in the U.S. Army, Jack Keane earned four stars. Beginning his career as a paratrooper in Vietnam, he rose to command both the 101st Airborne Division and the XVIII Airborne Corps. In his final post he served as the Army's vice chief of staff. Gen. Keane retired from active duty in 2003. In 2006, he and military historian Frederick Kagan helped to develop a new approach to the Iraq War which would become known as "the surge." In 2007, Gen. Keane served as an informal advisor to his Army colleague Gen. David Petraeus, as Petraeus put the surge into effect."
At War with Gen. Jack Keane: Chapter 1 of 5
Retired Gen. Jack Keane outlines the origins of the surge in Iraq -- the successful military strategy he helped design.
At War with Gen. Jack Keane: Chapter 2 of 5
Jack Keane describes why changing the U.S. war strategy in Iraq was such a difficult process.
Me - how did a small group of civilians succeed in changing U.S. strategy where the entire military establishment had failed?
At War with Gen. Jack Keane: Chapter 3 of 5
Jack Keane says President Obama's plan to draw down U.S. troops in Iraq is a good one. And was the war in Iraq worth it? Keane says, "Absolutely, yes."
At War with Gen. Jack Keane: Chapter 4 of 5
Can the U.S. military win in Afghanistan, just as it is winning in Iraq? Jack Keane is optimistic -- strategy depending.
Me - Obama still will not use the word "victory" with regard to Afghanistan. Keane isn't bothered by this.
At War with Gen. Jack Keane: Chapter 5 of 5
Jack Keane discusses the multiple challenges facing the U.S. military, the prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran, and more.
Me- Keane says that we should be able to fight both counterinsurgency and traditional war, but our Army cannot because our ground forces are still too small. We have mortgaged the future of the Air Force and Navy to pay for Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite this, morale in today's military is "sky high."
Another Interview
This June 2007 interview with Gen. Keane is also a must-watch. He admits that the insurgency came as a total surprise
Initial Surge Plan Posts
Choosing Victory: A Plan for Success in Iraq - Phase II Report
The New Plan for Iraq - AEI Update I
New Plan for Iraq VI
New Play for Iraq V
New Plan for Iraq IV
New Plan for Iraq III
New Plan for Iraq II
Here's the New Plan for Iraq
Posted by Tom at April 20, 2009 9:15 PM
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