Where did the stuff go?

Hang on, guys. I'm doing some edits. Normally we hire expensive editing staffers to do this for us, but I spent all my flight pay on shoes, purses, and copies of COL Gian P. Gentile's book on strategic bombing and its impacts on current warfare.

C'est la vie.


Word,
Doctrinatrix

Happy 237th Birthday, Army!



Army Birthday festivities at Fort Leavenworth.
First, you little fatties will run... run like your life depends upon it.
Then, you will eat cake in a decisive manner.

Today I got a lovely letter from the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army, General Raymond T. Odierno. It was very nice. I felt motivated, which was ideal because I am getting ready to something that will require a great deal of motivation, sometimes false motivation: pack all my worldly possessions in boxes to prepare for a PCS move to Leavenworth.

This is what he wrote:

“Today, we celebrate the 237th birthday of our Army.

For 237 years, our Soldiers, Civilians and Families have been the strength of our Nation in peace and at war.

Today, America's Army is engaged in nearly 150 countries around the world, on 6 of 7 continents, with over 94,000 Soldiers deployed today and 94,000 forward stationed. Our Nation depends on its Army to defend the shores of our homeland, defeat enemy forces abroad, and help with recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters.

We have the best equipped, best trained, and best led Army in history because of the 1.1 million professional Soldiers who serve in the Active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve, as well as the dedicated service of our Army Civilians. It is our Army's competence, adaptability, moral character, and resolute commitment that defines us as professionals and guarantees our long-standing sacred trust with the American people.

I'm proud of your accomplishments, your sacrifice, and your selfless dedication to our Army and to the Nation. Today, on its 237th birthday, we honor our Army and the remarkable men and women, past and present, who have embraced our Nation's call to service. Army Strong!”

I dig it. It’s got good sentiment. It’s a nice way to say “Happy Birthday” to the Army in a happy, motivational kind of way that includes all the key players in the Army. Thumbs up, sir. I would not have been able to write it without sarcasm. This is why I am not, nor will ever be, the 38th Chief of Staff of the Army. My Army birthday letter would sound something like this:

Today, we celebrate the 237th birthday of our Army. Hopefully with cake. Cake makes the threat of war an easier proposition to handle, after all.

For 237 years, our Soldiers, Civilians and Families have been fighting the righteous fight against tyrannical despots, communist oppressors, dictatorial lunatics, scallywags, mentally unbalanced nationalist socialists, ne’er do wells, dumpy little fascists, terrorists who smell like month-old camel a**, Decepticons, ruthless genocidal military leaders, and drug-pedaling warlords. To say the least, we’ve been busy.

Today, America's Army is engaged in nearly 150 countries around the world, on 6 of 7 continents. Not all of these places are fabulous. In fact, most of them are hot, dry, smelly wastelands, full of angry fanatics who would like to kill us and shutter all free thought and action. I promise in the future, we’ll start looking to some nicer locations for wars. I hear that those pesky Tahitians are getting uppity. Perhaps it’s time to lay the smack down, and celebrate with a cocktail on the beach? All in favor, put your reflective belts in the air and wave them ‘round like you just don’t care. Our Nation depends on its Army to defend the shores of our homeland, look damn sexy in a uniform, defeat enemy forces abroad, help little old ladies across busy streets, preserve the rights of humanity to live in a world without tyranny, and help with recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters and Snooki breakups.

We have the best equipped, best trained, and best led Army in history because of the 1.1 million professional Soldiers who serve in the Active Army, Army National Guard and Army Reserve, as well as the dedicated service of our Army Civilians. That’s pretty much because we spend a lot of money on things that you may or may not get to us while you’re deployed. I know, you’d really like to bust out the expensive things we bought you right before you left your base for war, but we can’t risk losing it. It’s on the property book, you see. Nevertheless, your leadership seems to make do without all the resources we promise you but never quite get to you in a timely manner. Trust me, we’re working on that. It is our Army's competence, sense of humor, adaptability, willingness to live fetid squalor, resolute commitment, and strange Infantry man-love  bromance for each other that defines us as professionals and guarantees our long-standing sacred trust with the American people. Let’s leave the American people their illusions, shall we. If they really knew that, between the stressful and often frightening combat patrols, you were dancing and singing along with your squad-mates in your threadbare, rancid tighty whities to Madonna’s Like a Virgin, they’d be a little creeped out.

We are all proud of your accomplishments, your sacrifice, and your selfless dedication to our Army and to the Nation. You do it without question or hesitation. Considering that there are 22 year old civilians who can’t seem to make it to a job interview on time, and rely on their parents to arrange contract negotiations for them, you’re actually doing okay. Today, on its 237th birthday, we honor our Army. But we’re really honoring the remarkable men and women who are just doing a job, same as every other poor slob who clocks in at the office. Our job is a little tougher at times, but we do have certain perks.

Like today. On its 237th birthday, the Army should have the perk of cake, with “Army Strong” spelled out in butter cream frosting. Just sayin’.

Happy Birthday, Army! In the words of milblogger, Carl Prine, you don’t look a day over 236.

**PS. I just found out that the gentleman in the above shown picture, who appears to be enthusiastically brandishing a k-bar, is in fact BG Skip Davis (who is up for promotion to MG shortly). This does not change my opinion about cake, which is fabulous, but it makes me happy to know that there is a GO out there who feels as passionately about cake as I do. I also wonder about the apprehensive looks of the gentlemen he's leading towards the cake. Considering that Fort Leavenworth is the home of Army doctrine, they aren't making much of an effort at combined arms maneuver. Rock on, sir. Rock on.

Where is the Doctrinatrix?

Good question. I’m in the middle of preparing to depart Mother Rucker for the Intellectual Center of Nowhere, known as Fort Leavenworth. My own version of Hell is populated by endless levy briefings where they tell me everything I don’t need to know (about how to PCS to Germany) and nothing that I really do need to know (how to arrange for household goods pick up).

Aces.

So, between the levy briefs and clearing papers and the thrill of that last push to the end of my doctrine writing days (plus an APART thrown in for good measure), I’m off the net. If it makes you feel better, imagine me tooling around Sadr City in my trusty aircraft. Or you can imagine me toiling away at my desk in the Penthouse, slaving through chapter after chapter of aviation doctrine for my ruthless task masters.

More realistically, I’ll be chilling on Irish’s porch, discussing with her and Chicago the benefits of a pair of totally awesome 4 inch stilettos from Miu Miu.

Wish me luck. I’ll be back just as soon as they turn on the light at the end of the PCS tunnel… which I imagine happens after I turn in my clearing papers.

Doctrine doesn't fix everything.

Doctrine. It is the cause of, and solution to, all of my problems. I write good doctrine, I get praised and the terrorists lose. I write bad doctrine, and the terrorists win. My boss also does that silently-staring-because-I'm-disappointed-in-you thing. That’s actually worse than terrorists winning.

Often times we fall back to criticism of existing documents and doctrine as the reason for why things didn’t quite turn out as we expected. It’s as though we want doctrine to do for us what we refuse to do for ourselves: fill the gaps in knowledge that exist because... well... sometimes there is sh*t we just don't know. Pilots and aviation leaders want a comprehensive checklist solution to certain tactical problems that will be 99% effective in ensuring mission success, a placated ground force commander, joy, happiness, satisfied aircrews, puppies for all good little boys and girls, and a loaf in every oven. Doctrine just doesn’t work that way. It really doesn’t work that way for aviation.

Take manned- unmanned operations, for instance. The process of mixing unmanned aircraft and manned helicopters in reconnaissance tasks was a heavy topic on the list things to discuss at  the Aviation Synch Conference last week. The real gripes came from staff planners. Staffers rarely find the same level of joy in talking with other staffers that pilots find in talking to each other.  

And unfortunately, that’s the point at which air ground integration (AGI) tends to break down: the staff-to-staff communication.

So, if mission analysis and staff nug work is where AGI starts (in theory)… but it doesn’t (in reality)… then we should all simply give up now and start drinking.

I know. “But, Wings, it’s only noon and you’re flying this afternoon?” Spare me your AR 40-8 quotes, and save them for your APART. I’m an aviation doctrine writer. I have an escape clause in all Army Regulations.

In reality, the work load is double for aviators supporting ground forces in a COIN environment. Aviation is required to be familiar with their own impact on the ground force’s efforts in the local area of operations. In a COIN fight, we need to step up our game and be familiar with all aspects of the ground force commander’s intent. This is especially so for attack reconnaissance pilots. You have two masters, and you must ensure equal loyalty to both… no matter how much study and leg work you face. Lives and legitimacy depend upon it. It will take away from your time playing Call of Duty while waiting for a QRF launch. Bummer.

So, when the staff fails to truly integrate during mission analysis, it triples the work load of aircrews conducting air ground integration. You are, in a sense, picking up the slack for what your planners failed to provide. 

The majority of AGI breakdowns in planning occur at the brigade and battalion level. And, yet, there are tools a’plenty located at the BCT to facilitate this. The most crucial of these tools? The Brigade Aviation Element. Okay, I admit to being historically snarky against BAEs. On the other hand, some of the best people I know have worked in the element. These are guys who have actively pursued the advancement of aviation’s integration into the planning of all ground missions, especially the ones that would benefit from aerial fires. Not all forces get aviation support. Not all missions need an attack weapons team. Not all patrols get a pair of scouts. Not all named areas of interest get a Shadow loitering overhead. Not all cargo needs to be strapped to the floor of a Chinook. Aviation is not a panacea for every ill on the battlefield, but that should not stop the aviation staff from actively dialoguing with the ground planners. It should not stop the BAE from questioning whether a mission could be made stronger by the application of the right air resources at the right time.

When aviation allows itself to be marginalized at the staff and planning levels, it marginalizes its ability to project combat power. It willingly allows itself to remain as only an enabler, and then starts a self-deprecating cycle of both allowing itself to be shelved as merely “support” and then believing the hype about being shelved for “supporting roles only.” 

The questions every brigade S-3 should ask, whether ground or air, should be:

1. Have I allowed the BAE to become the least common denominator for my aviation planning? Did I bring the myth of “BAE as an extra AMR cell” on to myself? Did I train them? Did I allow them to train themselves? Have I fostered them enough to encourage open and honest review of aviation integration? Or am I using them as extra night battle captains?

2. Have I talked with my counterpart in the air or ground TOC today? Do I know what his commander’s intent is? Have I fostered AGI with my efforts today?

3. Would my TOC drink a couple beers with the other guy’s TOC? Do they think as one team? Or are they divided by the fundamental cry of “us versus them?”

Doctrine can’t solve all problems, but just about every problem a staff might encounter is in doctrine somewhere. It’s just not always Aviation Doctrine.

The trick is not knowing where to look, it’s knowing who to talk with... which typically starts with the staff and a manual that might not always be "aviation."