Posted on 01/11/2024 8:02:08 AM PST by Starman417
This week, my daughter drove me down to Virginia to a book signing. It was hosted by the American Legion Post 250 and organized by former Deputy CIA Director Mike Morell for former CIA Director General David Petraeus. It was well worth the pilgrimage to little Middleburg, VA. Over 200 people were in attendance, and they were perhaps the friendliest crowd I’ve ever met.
We were lucky enough to have a few minutes with Mike Morell, and I found him to be a very nice guy in person. The same is true for his wife and all the people who arranged the event. Gary, the head of the post was remarkably warm, and it was fun to watch him try to tell a retired 3-star general that he couldn’t sweep the floor (lol, yes, the general got his way and got his broom).
Unfortunately, I didn’t get to spend time with General Petraeus. For the price of a $40 hardcover, I got a smile, a handshake, and a really quick picture. He did, however, speak for over an hour about his book. I’ve always admired the general, and he didn’t disappoint. I found him to be a person of maximum intelligence, and wisdom, and a man with great communication skills. In a room filled with hundreds of people who made careers out of speaking Pentagon-Acronym as a second language, not once did he resort to abbreviations. That took some effort. He was acutely aware of everyone in the room, and sure as the Sun was going to rise, he shot me a look the one time I kind of half rolled my eye at something. It’s probably not something a 4-star CIA Director gets to see in an audience often. I liked the man before the evening, and now I’m more than a little humbled as I see him as an important character in the volumes of American history.
The book is called, “Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Ukraine” By General Petraeus and Andrew Roberts. It’s a fantastic book. It’s well worth the price. I gave it a 5-star review on Amazon, and I suggest everyone get a copy for their bookshelf as a reference. It starts with the Chinese Communist Revolution and then lists most of the wars from all over the globe to the drone/trench warfare of the Ukraine today. The book has a lot of good information about tactics and strategies from squad levels through to the top strategic commander level.
This strategic commander level is the focus of the story, and it should be. Some people make great soldiers. Some great soldiers make good platoon leaders. Some good platoon leaders can lead companies, and some company commanders might make good division leaders. General Petraeus is one of the few of the few of the few and so on who was all of those, AND he became an excellent strategic commander. It is no secret to the American people and our enemies that the Pentagon is filled with good company commanders who have politically made it to strategic levels without matching capabilities to higher ranks and roles. One need look no further than the morons who abandoned Afghanistan but remain in positions of leadership and supreme management despite having neither.
In addition to the list of criteria that all strategic commanders need to face, the book reiterates that post-WWII military conflicts do not succeed with just a focus on military operations. There has to be an equal or even greater effort at providing security for the civil population, and an effort toward civil reconstruction and construction that makes life better for the civilian population; civil/military/security.
Why did I roll my eyes? The book also repeats something else, but they don’t highlight it. Whether it’s the Communist Chinese in the first real post-WWII conflict, Malaysian rebels, or the Korean War, Vietnam, Iraq, or Afghanistan, General Petraeus ends almost all the stories the same way. He explains why one force succeeded or failed, then states something akin to ‘facing strong popular opposition at home’ or ‘without the support of the population’, and then he states “XYZ” war was lost. They see it, and they state it, and then the writers ignore it: even more important than the civilian/military/security triad, there has got to be support from home.
(Excerpt) Read more at floppingaces.net...
Marking. May give it a read.
I went to a book-signing with General Paul Tibbets. He saw my motorcycle helmet and asked me what I rode.
I told him a Harley 93FXR.
“So where is it?” he asked.
“In the parking lot.” I replied.
“Well, let’s go see it.” he said.
With that, he got up from the book table and went outside with me.
“Nice Ride.” he said.
Then he went back into the hangar and began signing books.
I have never gotten over that. It was like a bizarre dream. Nobody believes me, but it DID happen.
Petraeus is a great general.
But his politics place him squarely in opposition to the will and desires of the American people.
He is an internationalist first. And supports the state as the center of power.
Intelligence Matters
Petraeus is a great general.
———-
A disgraced, political hack…..morally corrupt, screwing around with his news “ reporter” what’s her name….just another war cheerleader who contributed to our 20 year Iraq/ Afghanistan defeat.
He ranks right up there with twinkle toes Milley.
> even more important than the civilian/military/security triad, there has got to be support from home <
I can’t tell if Petraeus is complaining about that, or if he’s just stating a fact. If he’s complaining about it, then he is totally wrong. The American public is, by and large, not very aware. But eventually they’ll recognize foreign adventurism for what it is.
If your war does not have the support of the American public, then it’s a bad war.
“The book has a lot of good information about tactics and strategies from squad levels through to the top strategic commander level.”
I wonder if he covers the part where strategic commanders can use their sex drive to achieve battlefield success??? Definitely eye-rolling time in the presentation when he skips that part.
I can’t judge Petreus’ generalship, but the author certainly described a man who was an excellent politician - smart, glib, good in a crowd, makes you feel important.
I assume THAT is how one rises through Washington DC’s massive and bloated bureaucracies.
Petraeus has never explained his secret visits to Turkey in 2012. Reporters thought it had to do with Syria (Global Research, Sept 4, 2012). In fact, it had everything to do with Hillary Clinton and Libya, and the monumental screw-up of which he was partnered.
The organizer of the 51 signatory lie from former defense officials? Yea, nice guy.
Mike Morell, “nice guy”?? He not only signed, but played a role in starting the infamous “Hunter laptop is Russian disinformation”. It wasn’t a misjudgment on his part - he KNEW what he was signing was false - and has stated he did it to help Biden. That’s not my definition of “nice” - it’s the definition of “scum”
👍
Paul Warfield Tibbets Jr. (23 February 1915 – 1 November 2007) was a brigadier general in the United States Air Force. He is best known as the aircraft captain who flew the B-29 Superfortress known as the Enola Gay (named after his mother) when it dropped a Little Boy, the first of two atomic bombs.
And I was totally HONORED to meet him. :-)
I guess you were, especially when he was honored you by going to see your ride. 🙂 👍
I had my picture taken with him too, but widowhood, brief homelessness, and several interstate moves swallowed up most of my photographs. (sigh). Oh well, I have my memories and Free Republic so I’m good.
Very well said and true!
Glad you are still with us on FR. 🙂 👍
Yep.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.