H. Thomas Hayden was formerly the President and CEO of First Communications Company (FCC), Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a joint venture between Raytheon and a Saudi Company involved in Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) Systems for the Ministry of Defense and Aviation, Saudi Arabian National Guard and Ministry of Interior. Before retiring from the US Marine Corps, assignments included Commanding Officer (CO), Headquarters and Service Bn, 1st Force Service Support Group, which deployed to the Gulf War, CO Brigade Service Support Group – 9, which deployed to Somalia and CO MAU Service Support Group – 33, which deployed to The Philippines and Korea. He was Branch Head, Headquarters Marine Corps, Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict (SO/LIC), and Special Assistant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for SO/LIC with assignments to Central America. He has participated in combat operations or contingency operations in the Republic of Vietnam, Central America, Gulf War, Somalia, and Colombia. Tom has a MBA, MA in International Relations, and a PhD candidate in Business Management. He is the author of two books and is currently writing a third: SHADOW WAR: Special Operations and Low Intensity Conflict; WARFIGHTING: Maneuver Warfare in the US Marine Corps. He has published over 40 articles and has been awarded the Navy League’s Alfred Thayer Mahan award for literary achievement.
[Have an opinion on this column? Sound off in the discussion forum.]
The "fog of war" is a term that is first thought to have been coined by Clausewitz. It means that a battle can be so confusing that a shroud of fog will often cover the battlefield.
Well, I’m having trouble with the fog of war at home.
We finally learned that Jessica Lynch was not the hero of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company, but a Sgt Donald Walters, USA, of Kansas, who was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for being the "individual" who fought to the death and saved some of his comrades.
I did not read that in the Washington, D.C. kitty litter paper or the USA Yesterday but in a copy of The Kansas City Star a friend sent me.
Some months ago I was writing that the "powers that be" should stop thinking about their "occupation" and start thinking about the "insurgency." Funny, some fog must be lifting and I see there is a major counterinsurgency program may be beginning to take place.
Also, I said the biggest blunder of L. Paul Bremmer was disbanding the 400,000-man Iraqi army. A little more fog may be lifting because I hear rumors that the policy of disbanding the army may have been a mistake. No one has admitted to the whole truth, but I hear that some Iraqi soldiers are being brought back.
I also said stopping the pension of all retired soldiers and government officials was a big mistake. A little more fog may be lifting because I hear that some former teachers and officials are being brought back or being paid their pensions.
The nincompoop Ahmed Chalabi, the Iranian stooge, still lurks behind the fog. But rumors are that he will not be part of the transitional government -- whatever that is.
Why is it that the American press can print anything it wants, but the U.S.-backed newspaper in Iraq has been censored? Oh by the way, did you hear that many of the editors and reporters at Al-Sabah, the U.S.-created newspaper, have quit over L Paul Bremmer’s interference?
CANNOT SOMEONE RID ME OF THIS MEDDLESOME PRIEST?
The real fog that is clouding my vision is the rumor that the current troop levels will remain at 138,000 through 2005. How many of us have said that troop levels have been too low since the end of the war? Another 50,000 will be required to really do the job and quash the insurgency, secure lines of communications, rebuild and protect the infrastructure, and conduct civic action projects.
When will the overly optimistic postwar planning give way to a more realistic concept of what the hell is going on?
Amid all the battles with insurgents, terrorist and criminals, all we see or hear in the news is about the U.S. criminal mistreatment of prisoners. Truly, nothing can more dramatically undermine U.S. goals and objectives. The fog of war has really clouded the news from Iraq if the reported disgusting and criminal acts is all that can make headlines.
There sure is a lot of fog on what generals knew what and when did they know it. I truly believe that President George W. Bush had the right intentions and his vision of a new Iraq was the right thing to do, but he has been poorly served by his political advisors and his administrators. My early faith in the righteousness of the overthrow of Saddam Hussein must now be weighed against the increasing ugly realities of our inability to conduct a successful counterinsurgency and rebuild the county.
