Lions Lead By Lambs: Washington’s Special Operations Power Grab

SEAL 76 is on to something maybe bring these politicians in for some fun and games Spec Ops style.. Do a little force on force with simunition until they are a mass of purple bruises. Then get em in the sand for SEAL fun and games...Then they can all go home and cry to momma about how mean you are and how they will never play with you again..Hell with any luck they may not show up for work for a month or 3

WTF? Where does this bitch get off telling congress or anyone else how SpecOps forces are best utilized. God, please keep the experts away from our troops. Congressional oversight crippled the CIA. If they get a hold of SpcOps we are doomed. When Big Army etc. gets involved with SpecOps the funding may increase but interference increases exponentially. Save us from f'ing bureaucrats. Maybe they'll design a new camo outfit for representatives, senators and bureaucrats so they can accompany our men into the field. Hunter orange might be nice.

There is nothing more disconcerting than political people and their pet projects.    If there is important work to be done, why must clowns appear out of the woodwork to "facilitate" solutions by creating drama and getting everyone to polish their  apple.  Real problem solverers  know that their work can be very unglamorous, tedious and unappreciated (mush less rewarded or even noticed),   There really is no place for parties, Powerpoint diversions or Abe Lincoln speeches.  Los Angeles is on the brink of financial collapse and what do the politicians do?  They ban plastic shopping bags.  Rome is burning.......Let's consider Al Gore: he managed to completely discredit the Global Warming movement with his buffoonish political presence and now who knows what is true?  Don't forget his bored housewife, Tipper.  She tried to save  our kids from rap lyrics. Did we ask the Gore's for help?  Incredibly the character shortcomings of some of our leaders would preclude them from serving in the military units they see fit to ruin.  

I wonder how the politicians would react if every shooter in SOCOM/JSOC decided they'd had enough of the idiots on the hill being jackasses and went on strike.(I know we're not allowed too, but damn I'm sure the freak out session on the hill would be hilarious)

hey i have read all the Dick Couch books and Red Circle and American Sniper,plus a few others.. CAN I BE IN CHARGE. Politicians make me sick sometimes.. But really I will read every book just let me be in charge

This is SOP for Washington. This woman is a dynamo who has mastered the obscure language of the think tanks and the language that generals and flag officers like to have written for them. Look at who she has "advised" and where she lecturers and holds seminars:

"Ms. Robinson was senior adviser to U.S. Central Command's Afghanistan-Pakistan Center and has provided strategic analysis, studies and concepts on defense, diplomacy, and counterinsurgency as an expert consultant. She is serving a three-year appointment to the U.S. Army War College Board of Visitors and is a frequent lecturer domestically and internationally at civilian and military educational institutions and policy conferences."

She has done what so many commenters have said. She is a brilliant straphanger who has listened to what operators and staffers have said and compiled these interviews and observations into both books and studies. She has mastered Washington speak and snows those who also have no direct experience in or knowledge of the subject. Ironically, many of the things that she advocates have merit; but the language she uses is off-puting to those who actually practice the art.

But we had better be careful because she is not going away and she is advocating a centralized command structure with lines to both the Congress and the Executive Branch in DC. Well, we already have people like her in the White House (of any party) and in the Pentagon who insert themselves into the decision-making process. Tchnology makes this possible. You want to take a shot or support a tactic General Dostum wants to employ, well wait a minute or an hour while civilians and underemployed colonels on one staff or another agonize over it. But don't worry, they can see exactly what the situation is by looking at the drone pictures on their computer screens. And you can forget about OPSEC.

There was a time when you were inserted into Laos and you only checked-in weekly or monthly. Your commo was often restricted to resupply requests and SITREPS and you weren't seeking permission for each action. Of course, you also weren't getting the benefit of national intelligence. assets. Those days are gone and Washington is looking over your shoulder. This is after you gave your PowerPoint 33 slide pre-mission presentation seeking approval for a direct action mission.which report to regional conventional commands and/or SOCOM. She is advocating more general officer billets - oh goody! And, she is seeking more money for SOF in a constrained budget environment. Meanwhile, people like Odierno are trying to marry conventional and SOF forces on missions so that these conventional forces can retain their funding.

In the end, it is all about money and centralized control in pursuit of national policy - of course. Oh, and don't forget to expand your forces by lowering standards.

Did she stay at a Holiday Inn Express?  It is always good to preface what I call  academic" knowledge vs. real knowledge to make sure everyone knows the academic knowledge is learned, but not necessarily correct.  To do a task is to know a task.  Academic knowledge can provide insight into an issue, but in the end is nothing more than an assumption.  Congress always thinks they know everyone's job better than the people doing it.  They're not going to ask they real experts, because you're not going to tell them what they want to hear.  So they get a author to talk to them, pretty much like network news shows.  They're going to ride on your back to the top, or stab you in the back and crawl over you to get where they want to be.  I see it all they time with elected officials sponsoring stuff that's not really useful, but gets passed through here anyway for evaluation.  Except most of the stuff won't (directly) get you guys killed.

It;s pretty sad that people do NOT understand the concept that it will take at least 10,000 hours DOING a specific task before you're considered an expert. Reading books, reports etc makes you knowledgeable on topics that REAL experts (hopefully) have decided to share. Anything you get out of that is interpretation of these facts.

The only thing that makes this lady "special" is that she should be riding a short bus to these hearings...

Theoretically at least, the military is still answerable to "we the people." I'm not opposed to the theory. Still trying to decide what role the notorious CFR has in determining overall military strategy and - if it does play a role - why are journalists being allowed access to such. Ultimately, though, our marching orders (sans the specifics) are approved or disapproved by politicians representing the people. Always been that way, as it should be. As "rogue" as SF likes to see itself, it isn't. But that doesn't mean SF is for public consumption either. I believe the biggest challenges to date are the upwardly-mobile, politically-motivated hacks at the Pentagon.

Robinson's CV isn't a "bad" one necessarily.

http://www.cfr.org/experts/national-security-middle-east-south-asia-special-operations/linda-robinson/b2140

The future of Special operations is going to be the same as it's always been. The only difference will be with the spotlight comes more bureaucracy. Politicians have always piggybacked on the backs of special operations men and women when things go right. Those are the "MY boys went in and kicked ass..." comments that make sofrep readers go purple when they're said on the nightly news. Then they always been the first to grab the torches and rope to hang somebody if something goes wrong, "It's HIS fault!" which again pisses most of us off to no end. What this whole system of being special operations minded is going to do is throw big army politics on top of the most experienced operators in the world. Result of that, mass exodus of anyone who knows what the hell their doing. Result of that exodus, the special operations mission is corrupted. Special ops will be misused just like the Rangers were in 2006(ish) in Afghanistan. Not wanting to step on any Rangers toes there, just saying Rangers aren't supposed to be policemen.

The whole situation is just plain FUBAR.

Or maybe I'm just wrong.

Totally predictable isnt it. Pols want to ride on the coat tails of a special group of peoples hard work, blood and sweat. They love it when they can associate themselves with anything SO, especially after Geronimo with its still photos of Politicians and their theatrical reactions, and worse for days after every Pol on the Armed Services Com giving us the take on it. My gosh would Overlord even be possible today?

Look at the Navys Submarine fleet as an example. Those badboys are cutting edge high tech. We can use them in a variety of ways. We can let them be seen momentarily off your coast and then they disappear, but you got the message. We dont say where they are and keep everyone guessing. We use them for SIGINT of the highest degrees. They bring the ultimate hammer to someones backyard and park, you want to play the MAD game? Didnt think so. They can transport SEALs silently in the night. Now in no way am I saying its the same thing, boots on the ground is what ultimately does it, But the Navy never talks Subs for OPSEC, the Pols dont talk about all the Intel grabs Subs have done,the major intimidation factor, they arent sexy, they dont get voters attention and there is no cool underwater video graphics to show on the 24/7 news cycle. So the public knows nothing about the Sub fleet, theres no political market for it.

Only person I want to see on the Hill talking capabilities and future METL is Gen Stan. If someone like McChrystal talks, I'll listen, otherwise save your "full spectrum" BS, STFU and stay out.

Not shocking - politicians love the limelight. What should be happening is the political class should be setting the broad requirements - say go neutralize this threat, within this said amount of time...let the experts run the details. Can't wait to see SOCOM do earned value charts every month - this ties right into Jack's article about increased grad rates. That was sarcasm - sadly this is the creep when bean-counters get involved in the minutia of programs, it has ruined many a good company and will ruin SF unless it is crushed. Central detail control does not work.

Mr. Webb, I feel you hit the nail on the head when you said:

  "I don’t care how many hours you stand alongside a doctor in the operating room, it doesn’t make you a doctor and comes nowhere near experiencing what it’s like to hold life and death and the responsibility of it all in your own hands."

I read Master's of Chaos when I was 13 going on 14 and it got me interested in SF and the SOF community as whole. However, the fact that she spent her career talking to experts of a certain field doesn't make her one herself and this is rampant with almost all 'journalists' in the MSM. The fact that so many reporters portray themselves as subject matter experts of what ever the subject matter is they're reporting on speaks to how poorly read and dellusional they are as a 'profession'. The sad thing is these ignorant fucks are the ones driving the political discussions in this country and everyone wonders why our society is so goddamn dysfunctional and rife with partisanship...

Well pardon me, your worshipfulness, but we don't need you to make a lousy attempt at padding your résumé.

Standard M.O. for politicians and most people love their 15 minutes of fame.  Color me surprised on this.

As others have said, this just sucks..

Sorry to say I saw this coming. Fricking politicians just love to gloom on to something that is hugely successful and that the public loves,aka SEALS/SPECIAL FORCES. As a guy you has never been there done that,I have a problem with Non Spec Operators making decisions that cost YOUR LIVES.. Like the line in Dogs of War,"you coming along ?then you don't need to know"..Since you guys are the Military Surgical Scalpel ,then it should be in the hands of Special Operations. I am sorry but Politicians seem to F up everything they touch.So for them to have anything to do with Special Operations besides an occasional photo op.. plain SUCKS.Some of these political hacks cant spell SPEC OPS

im guessing that she hasnt spent a day in the military and hasnt participated in a special operations op. all these "experts" are books worms that never have held a gun. all politicians are the same they send young men to war without knowing the true consequences of war.

Hence the need for a few more good SOCOM people in the star ranks - really, it should be them testifying before Congress on this sort of information and not some random whiz kid.  Seems like the way things are done in DC though, in spite of the fact that the Pentagon is a stone's throw away.

"Special Operations is the new conventional force in the 21st century". Not likely. Conventional military is the conventional force of the 21st century.

This is a systemic problem throughout the military.  Congress thinks any problem can be solved with SEAL Team 6 nowdays, so you knew this was coming.  It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

Your final statements are something that I have been thinking of a lot lately too. Politicians need to pay attention to the fact that this is no longer the 20th century. The chances of the US fighting a "typical" war are getting slimmer by the day. Our enemies have been learning since the early 60s that the way to "defeating" us or at least making us leave is by being patient. Guerrilla warfare is the way of the future. They no longer fight by the rules that our politicians still hold our military accountable for. Politicians handcuffing our troops so publicly will lead to nothing good. To me the only countries that still follow the rules set forth by the Geneva Convention are the US/Canada/Britain/etc. This is just my opinion of course by major players such as Russia and China don't follow these rules and neither do many smaller countries and especially not terrorist organizations. At some point our rules get to a stage where we will become ineffective militarily because our politicians don't let the military do their jobs.

Feel free to comment. Sorry these thoughts aren't in a real order or deeply thought out. They are just my opinions.

"I can’t stand people who use “look at me” vocabulary words"

So would you say that you eschew obfuscation? LOL Excellent points, sir!

Thankfully in this case, Congressional hearings are pretty toothless themselves.  I agree that this is coming though.  Politicians are going to want to piggyback of SOCOM success stories.  Frankly, they don't have any choice, it's the only institution of government that seems to work and has public support.