Being an outgoing Marine Corps Commandant gives you a hell of a lot more leeway in calling it like you see it. Short timer CMC Gen. James Conway has been one of the most vocal opponents of the Obama administration’s push to repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Today, the typically (and now, with his post-retirement fishing hole in sight, even more so) blunt spoken Conway took aim at the administration’s Afghanistan policy, saying the July 2011 withdrawal deadline may be boosting Taliban morale. “In some ways, we think right now, its probably giving our enemy sustenance… we’ve intercepted communications that say, “Hey we only have to hold out for so long.”
Yet, the enemy is getting tired, Conway said, recent interrogations of Taliban prisoners show a level of exhaustion and frustration with the endless fighting, “they’re getting hammered.” U.S. and NATO troops have wrenched the initiative from the Taliban, he said, constant strikes against Taliban supply lines have made it harder for them to move bomb making materials to the battlefield.
The 2011 withdrawal date really doesn’t mean much to his Marines fighting in southern Helmand province, Conway said, as they’re not going anywhere for years to come. It will be years before the conditions on the ground in Afghanistan will allow the Marines to turn over security to Afghan troops. The CMC’s message was meant for his Marines as much as anybody else, saying they must adjust their “mindset” for a prolonged stay in Afghanistan.
Conway said fighting in the pivotal town of Marja continues, with insurgents operating mostly in the shadows to intimidate local Afghans. The clear part of the “clear, hold, build” approach went well there, he said. The Taliban are unwilling to admit defeat, however, and are determined to prevent the Marines in Marja from declaring victory. He guessed there were around a “couple hundred” insurgents in Marja.
Conway added that the Marines don’t have a problem with the often contentious and highly restrictive rules of engagement.
– Greg Grant
{ 74 comments… read them below or add one }
Yea a “a hell of a lot more leeway” to whitewash your record so that the debacle can be blamed on the next guy. Conway is full of ****. The facts on the ground show that the Taliban are running the show and the marines are wondering when they will leave – the Taliban know they are staying forever already. Meanwhile the Marja farce continues – ‘clearing went well’ – except that the taliban remain is the successful bit just tells you what a cluster**** the rest of the operation has been.
wow ur definatly wrong, ive done 2 tours and marines know exactly what theyre doing, unless your some kind of expert in this field and btw the marines run the show in afganistan, theyre afraid of us and make no mistake, if they werent scared then they would fight us open field, but of course u know it all from CNN. have a nice day
The German Shepherd in that picture actually blends in pretty well with the terrain.
Soon to be replaced with Multicam.
No way! The Marines chose the right cammo the first time!
The Army with its UCP, on the other hand…..
Wow, right-wing nutcases are in full-force again!
At least the Commandant is staying honest in his evaluation of the situation…but they cannot screw him out of his retirement check. Seriously, I think we have latched onto the legendary "Tar-Baby" with Afghanistan. Every day, it seems more and more Vietnam with sand…
Oh yeah, I totally get the comparison, because in Vietnam we lost close to 60,000 troops, with double that number wounded, not to mention the huge psychological toll on those who made it out 'unscathed'. Apples to apples ;)
I think he's referring more to the parallel of us winning militarily, but our politicians not having the balls to stick it out, because they'd rather they remain in power(and keep making that easy money) than actually try to help anybody else.
Seriously, let's stop with the Vietnam comparisons. For people of a certain age, it has some cache but as a useful point of debate among educated people, it has none.
have to agree with nam thing, we will be there years to come, probly longer than nam. maybe we should pull another cambodia on there ass's, oh yea that didn't happen
Bob,
What is the color of the sky in your world? Name one promise Mr. Obama hs kept? His multiple promises to televise all of healthcare deliberations? His promise to extend the space shuttle program? His promises to build a missle defense system in Poland and the Czech Republic? Obama is pathologic liar, Bob, and no one trusts hm. No one
It's a shame this site is being taken over by racist Republican Extreme Right-Wing nutcases! Sure, Obama has his flaws, but why resort to racist name-calling?
What happened to the Republican Party of Lincoln and Eisenhower?!
Conway can say whatever he wants. He is not the one making the decision as to when to go. Mr. Obama has said we will be on our way out of there sometime next fall. This President is the CinC. Generals don't argue with him. If they know what is good for them, they salute and say Yes Sir. We have a leader that commands and keeps his promises regarding troop withdrawals.
Bob, take another sip of Barak's purple coolaid
You forgot the fried chicken and something else…
Ya Bob totally right! They should listen to Obama after all hes got SO much war experience right? What do the generals know hes Barack Hussain Obama!
Funny, I don't remember democrats saying the same thing about Bush during the lead up to the Iraq War.
Obama has already started to spin his promises regarding Afghan troop withdrawals. He has said he will start the troop withdrawals in the summer of 2011, but has said nothing about when the last US forces leave. Obama said the number of forces to leave will be determined at a review of the Afghan war situation in December. He could remove the 30,000 surge forces and claim to have kept his promise.
You really have to try to ignore plain English in order to believe that we will be on our way out next fall. Even at the time of the original speech regarding the Afghan "surge", President Obama hedged his withdrawal talk in terms of "conditions on the ground" etc.
I think the CinC will do everything in his power to withdraw as many troops as possible from both Afganistan and Iraq. He does not like to see the American military killing muslims and in occupation of muslim land.
Bob, it is mostly muslims killing muslims in afghanistan and it is mostly americans trying to prevent those killings. leaving afghanistan to soon will undoubtly lead to more muslims suffering, not less. Besides all that, it is not in our nations interests to leave afghanistan before achieving our goals and that should be paramount in President Obama's rationale, not any concern for the citizens of Afghanistan.
I agree it is too soon to make a decision on when or how many are coming home. We can say that they will start pulling the troops out nxt fall, but when next fall comes the war might get heavy again and they will cancel the withdrawal. It all depends on what is happening at that time.
I guess you voted for the fool right. Well I hope you enjoy what that fool is doing to this great nation.
PICS OR IT DIDN'T HAPPEN
That is the new general issue multicam war dog.
Between Petraeus' and Conway's comments they are backing the president into a corner that he will find difficult to exit gracefully. They are simply stating the obvious, unless Barry O simply decides to walk away and snatch defeat from a long term project with some potential for success.But eventually, the light bulb has to want to change. That is the real issue.
Corruption, dope dealing, a 14th century mentality all are extremely difficult behaviors to change.
Exactly. These comments by Conway (and the prior ones by Petraeus) demonstrate the military's determination to achieve success in a very precarious situation. If what Conway says is true (that the enemy is exhausted and in a state of disarray, which has also been reported previously in regards to the Predator air campaign in Pakistan), then the end to major operations in Afghanistan in within sight.
…can peace with honor be far away !
Ah, the infamous "light at the end of the tunnel" in Vietnam(Gen Westmoreland, 1968). Seen also by the French in Indochina around 1953. There is a sense of "Back to the Future" in Afghanistan.
I don't think it's similar to those two conflicts Leo. I'd agree with you if we had a different general running this theater of operations, but Petraeus understands what went wrong and rectified what hindered success in those conflicts.
Also, the Brookings Institute released a report that concurs with Conway: http://www.brookings.edu/articles/2010/0825_afgha…
im shocked really – has it really been so long since the 4th reich was born and is republican? hey look at mccains campaign recently – all thats missing is the leather coat and jack boots
People lets get back on topic (and leave our opinions of Barry out of the discussion). The Iraqi "withdrawal" with 50 000 combat troops remaining show that a withdrawal does not mean total abandonment a la Saigon. As Gen Conway correctly states there will be US forces (and NATO allied forces) in A-Stan for many years to come. But the bulk of the US/allied combat elements will probably start drawing down in 2011, leaving special & elite forces, etc to continue the fight and stand-up the ANA/ANP. But A-stan is a long-term international commitement, no doubt about that.
"We have a leader that commands and keeps his promises regarding troop withdrawals".
That may sound good but the 50,000 troops in Iraq are combat troops. They still get combat pay. They still carry loaded weapons. They still send bullets, bombs, mortars and artillery down range. So, Obama can call them what ever he wants but every one knows the truth.
How about keeping the promise of closing down Gitmo in a year. No that didn't happen. He says we are going to draw down next year for pure political reasons. He has no idea on the psychology of winning a war or he does and does not care about winning in Afghan.
It may turn out that the best solution to keeping Al-Qaeda in check was the small foot print that Rumsfield tried to get us to stick too.
small footprint didn't make the afghan army or police grow a pair. Which is why a trickle of American troops will continue to come home with a triangle folded American flag.
Small footprint was absolutely the wrong strategy for a nation-building mission in Iraq, and is absolutely the correct strategy for Afghanistan. Small-scale SOCOM-centric operations with reasonable expectations in the intermediate term.
ooh–rah
We have to trust our CinC to run the wars. Being a strong CinC of the military is partly why he was elected by a strong majority of the American voters. They liked his style where the military is concerned. He is the Boss.
Why do we have to trust our commander in chief? If he continually proves himself incompetent you would be a fool to trust him. Furthermore I would hardly call 52% of the popular vote a "strong majority". As far as people "liking his style where the military is concerned is bunk as well. Exit polls on election day showed the economy was the top concern for 62% of voters. I would say thanks to the surge the mojority of americans felt they could elect a chump of a Commander in Chief because the war in iraq was in hand.
Since He has yet to show any strength at all in international relations or Military operations your point lays a great big ZERO. Gitmo still open, Iran and N. Korea still headed to Nuke weapons, soviet expansion in the Caucus and Venezuela going full bore. His biggest military problem is how to get progressive to think he is tough on DADT. If you had stayed here on Earth the last year and a half instead of jetting off to Planet Bizarro you might have noticed this. You just gave me and most of the world our laugh of the year.
I don't know where you get your "facts" from, it seems to me your out of touch with what is really going on there and missed Conways statement as to the talk of withdrawl is giving the enemy hope and strength to hold out. Bad tactics. We do what we are told, cause we were willing to raise our hand vs. those who won't and have the balls to talk of what military men and women are supposed to do. The CinC is what he is and a great military leader was not the grounds for wich he was elected on. We still have free will and an opinion, we're not robots. Invent the robot soldier and you can have your perfect world.
So i guess the Marines mission has changed now and they are turning into a full time land force just as the Army is?, why?. I think the Marines should be pulled out and let the Army expand so the Marines can get back to the roll for which they are intended for, being a leg of the Navy and able to go to any part of the globe to strike at a moments notice and kick some butt like they always do. Being land locked is not a good idea for the Marines who's mission was designed for something much different.
The role for which the Marines were intende was to keep the sailors in line on ship, and provide the muscle for ship to ship boarding actions, also to snipe enemy officers from the crows nest during naval battles, and finally assisting sailors in land actions in enemy harbors. That is the role they generally perfored until WWI. In WWI the USMC fought under a Army general as part of an Army division. Between WWs the Marines performed COIN opperations in various bannana republics sourth of the border.
I agree the Corps need to be cut drastically and go back to being the Navy's shipboard policemen.
Bob, your fingers betray your idiocy and the fact that you have no understanding of the past or current mission of the Marine Corps.
Johnny C. & Bob: Doesn't sound like you were Marines & understand their missions. But, it does sound like you learned your history from the History Channel & a few books. The Corps can do things other services can't. Just as Army Rangers or Airborn can do things others can't. The Corps has had NO problem doing it's assigned mission & with less men & equipment per square mile than anyone else. Wear green for a while & you might understand.
I’m going to agree w/ dirtydog’s assesment that neither of you were Marines. Furthermore, I’m going to assume that neither of you has been in the service… at least for some time.
The way we fight these unorthodox battles is constantly changing. It has to in order for us to remain a valid threat. You can especially see it in SOCOM missions. Army Rangers, Berets, Navy SEALs, AF combat controllers, etc.; all branches have their “elite”, and these elite soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines have been working and fighting together for some time now. Each branch’s “mission” is important, however when you ask a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine what there mission is on the battlefield, I guarantee it won’t be some highly polished mission statement. It will likely be something closer to, “We’re transporting supplies to a FOB west from here and trying to make sure everything and everyone gets there in one piece.”
My point with all of this is that the services are blending so much in this era that saying something like, “I guess the Marine mission has changed now,” to anyone in uniform is going to be met with a “Thank you Captain Obvious!” look. The mission any troop is really concerned with is the one that is put in front of them in the morning. If that’s escorting civilians/supplies through a hostile province, patrolling a town, or even being a desk jockey making sure that those outside the wire are going to be taken care of when they get back, it all boils down to mission accomplishment.
Ask those Marines if they feel like they are doing a mission they aren’t “designed” to do. They’ll probably just tell you that you’re in their line of fire.
OORAH!!!
Just like the Marines mandate in Haiti in the early 19 teens. they held the country as a military govenorship in an attempt to quell the tribal and out and out murder of each other only to give up after 17 years. Afghanistan and that whole area has never been brought to anything but tribal stifes even without outside influence, and this has been true as long a history has been written about that area, back to a before Alexander the Great
I'm all for bring troops back home, but we also need to be able to feel like we accomplished something in Afghanistan before we can leave. These soldiers would have to live the rest of their lives thinking that they spent all that time, energy, stress, trauma, loss of friends, etc for nothing if we leave Afghanistan in a state ready to collapse like Vietnam did. Unlike Iraq, we know that Al Queda was stationed in Afghanistan during the time it planned its US attacks in the '90s and 2001. Now we have a chance to destroy Al Queda and bring stability to a country that has been repressed for decades by internal conflicts.
Obama promised to pull out the troops, but its also irresponsible to leave this country to whither and die and to dishonor the sacrifices our military has made their for legitimate reasons. We should instead be proud of Obama's new understanding of military and foreign policy rather than his blind need to meet campaign promises made when he was still very inexperienced (and campaigning for votes from similarly naive Democratic voters).
That man will never get it. I don't care about what Obama has to say. He is worthless as a leader and as a person.
Hypothetical: if he were to recite a GWB State of the Union address, would you still not care what he has to say? I feel like you're painting yourself into a corner here.
Also, worthless as a person? I'm pretty sure he makes a few hundred thousand. Wikipedia could be wrong though.
When did Conway start setting policy? If we stay in Afganistan any longer our economy will fall. Public dissention will grow rampant.
Citations.
Yup time to light up the bong, grow our hair and burn those draft cards! The economy is not tied to Afghanistan it's an ebb and flow just like global warming. We had it good in the 90's and early 00's and now we pay the price.
My dear friend. What about those of us who followed orders in Viet Nam. What did we get out of the deal. Flashbacks, homeless. we got **** while the politicians got rich. F–K the Afgans. Bring the troops home and leave them to their own fate. we cannot win. Hell we are still in South Korea 50 years after the fact.
For years? If that is the case, they need Barracks, station commanding post, bankers, a lot of machine guns, snipers and a lot of Afghan on the front line, post, recon mission.
Roland, you make less and less sense with every post on DefenseTech.
Deadline is not meant for Taliban morale. It will end the war and help the economy. What we needed is just catch Osama and Al-Sawari still on the loose.
Obama, will never get it, and he will never understand what it takes to win a war. This commanding officer knows what is takes to defeat the Taliban, I hope he keeps up the fight and never gives in. We need strong people who are willing to do the right thing.
Also Hotpockets can be delicious.
For the record this is not a war that can be "won". we are not just fighting the taliban or al queada it is a war on terrorism. it is a war on an idea as well as a method of fighting. the only way to win that war is to wipe out everyone who beleaves that ideal and erase it from history otherwise any wanna be extremist revolutionary will use the same tactics to achieve thier goals.
Thats the whole idea behind the name "war on terror". No matter how many insurgents you kill, you wont ever win because you are fighting an ideaology and not a specific group of people. After the Soviet Union Collapsed America needed a new enemy to rally against, which is when islamic extremism came into the spotlight and they became the perfect enemy to target cause they can be everywhere so we have to be on high alert everywhere, all of the time.
This kind of common enemy is what allows you to quite easily control the unwashed masses and its especially good if its an enemy that can never be entirely destroyed.
Notice for instance the war on drugs is still not over…
If we remember it right our first mission after 9-11 is to catch those responsible and get Osama before the Taliban becomes an enemy. The more casualties and distruction we made, the more new enemies we create. Remember these are not westeners. Afghanistan is comprised of a variety of ethnic groups called Afghans, the overwhelming majority of whom are Muslim, usually either followers of Sunni or Shia Islam. The people of Afghanistan are related to many of the ethnic groups in Iran, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan; the borders drawn between these groups are arbitrary. And they may view us as different and probably infidels.
The Taliban could be recruiting foriegn arab recruits w/c could make the war more complicated.
Based on the majority of comments it boils down to a NIMBY mentality. For all the families that lost love ones over the past 30+ years due to a weak USA responses to terrorist acts our enemies get stronger. They see America as weak, with no staying power. I served several combat tours in Vietnam and in the end America withdrew and left 58K Americans dead, and untold Disabled Veterans. We left weapons, equipment, and technology behind. Our enemies had the benefit of the "Lessons Learned" from that experience to attack us throughout the world. Today Obama has crippled our economy and offers an olive branch to people whose only goal is to destroy us all. I learned in combat that the enemy respects those willing to fight and die for their cause. Trust me not all of the Viet Cong and NVA were willing to die at the hands of a U.S. Marine. We need to stay the course and punish anyone who is foolish enough to attack us any where. Negotiations ended when our boots hit the ground and we're not finished! When negotiations became a consideration it will be on America's terms and WINNERS on the Battleground. SEMPER FIDELIS
Sgt. R. W. GONZALES
USMC/DISABLED VIETNAM VETERAN
The USMC (and, to a lesser extent, the rest of the military) is completely BA. Are you saying that 8 years of the Marines kicking A and taking Ns isn't punishment? There's no WAY you're a former marine if you think that the USMC can't do that kind of damage.
Whoa? A different William C. My name is a bit too common I guess.
We need to formulate a faster way to win this war on terroriam in Afghanistan and Pakistan. We have all the equipment and manpower. I was scraching my head why this war was taking so long. Remember this is a third world country.
One way I can think if is start from the root of the problem before this war begun and after 9-11 and that is look for Osama Bin Ladin and Al-Sawari.
Thank you for your service to our fine country, Sgt Gonzales. We, as a nation have to support out soldiers, who have been there, and done that. You are right, not every enemy is ready to die for their country, and they certainly fear those that are willing to lay down their lives for their friends. and if neccesary, their country. I have learned, that when a Marine speaks, you had better listen; and having known more than a few, I must say you won't meet better people.
God bless our soldiers, airmen, Navy, and special forces, anyone who lays their life on the line for God and Country. God bless the Marine Corps.
Everyone keeps talking about Obama as a strong CinC. Everyone contemplates "is it a good idea to pull out of Afghanistan or not?" Here's what I have to say about that: First off has Obama ever been to war? Has he had to put his life on the line in a combat zone? I think not. He has never had to be there fighting along side the rest of us. How can he make a decision about leaving when he has the CMC Gen. Conway and Gen. Petraus saying that it is not a wise decision. s much as I don't like being there, it is not a wise decision to leave. If we leave, all that will be left is a breeding ground for terrorists. There will still be poor Afghan's who need money. Just like when the Russians finally left. And like when the Russians left the populace will say "What did the U.S. do other than destroying our villages and angering the insurgency? They did nothing but cause hell on earth for us." So unless we want to have to fight another war where the insurgency has had time to rebuild and refit, the U.S. needs to see this war through to an end. yes we have been there for almost a decade now, however all equipment and money and force went to Iraq while we left Afghanistan on the side. If we go in and do a push and see this through, Afghanistan and the U.S. will be safer in the long run.
SGT. GONZALES USMC !!!!!!!!!, right on brother!!!!!!!! funny how this bozo president is just like another limp wristed president of the past who projected weakness and held out the olive branch only to be spit in the face. You know jimmy carter all over again except worse!. Voting time is coming!!!!!
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Thanks Yorgos and Johnny C.
Being a grunt whether your Army/Navy/Marine/Air Force has the same common elements:
Constantly wet from sweat and or rain
Always fatigued, exhausted and tired
Never get enough rest or sleep
No One ever ask for your opinion
If you give one, your told to “Shut UP”!
When you think your humping back to an outpost, your actually mounting out to rescue some other unit in deep ****
Remember when you get re-supplied in the field, it means your headed for a fight
ADVICE:
Document everything you do and see. You’ll need it for your VA Claim.
GOD BLESS YOU ALL
SEMPER FIDELIS
SGT. GONZALES USMC
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