Once More, with Feeling
While it is hardly news to anyone who reads this blog, this quote from Gen. Mattis neatly sums up the argument against the position that we need to reset ourselves for high-intensity war after Iraq (from Barnett’s op-ed today).
The fight over whether Iraq was a “one-off” aberration like Vietnam has been going on for a while already. Remember that.Listen to Marine Corps Gen. James Mattis decry, already in late 2005 following a command tour in Iraq, the strategic mindset that suggests: ” ‘Let’s hold our breath and get through this, then we get back to proper soldiering by planning for China 20 years from now.’ ”
Going on: “If we fight China in the future, we will also find IEDs and people using the Internet. If we go to Pyongyang and we’re fighting there six months from now against a mechanized unit, 100,000 Special Forces would be running around doing what they’re doing to our rear area now. So guess what? This is the best training ground in the world. For the German troops it was Spain, right? Well, Iraq is ours.”
