I think a different set of incentives is in order for our military brass. Here is what I have in mind.
This would apply to any retiring Flag Officer who has served at the Pentagon or in a theater during an armed conflict.
If that conflict has not been decisively won (*) by the United States during the Officer’s service, the following procedure would automatically apply:
- The General/Admiral would be reduced in rank to O2
- His retirement and benefit package would be restructured to reflect that of a retiring O2 grade officer
- He would be prohibited from being employed by any branch of the United States Government, as well as from joining any Corporate Board of Directors within the jurisdiction of the United States, for the duration of 5 years
If the conflict is decisively won by the United States after the Officer’s retirement, he can petition to have his rank/benefits reinstated at the highest grade served, provided he can prove that he had materially contributed to the win.
(*) A conflict can be declared decisively won if a General Officer in question would be willing to send his grandchildren shopping at a local market without any security escort.
5 replies on “A Modest Proposal”
Don’t be surprised if general Austin and Milley are lying to get the Taliban into a huge open ground battle north of Kabul.
Trump and his people wanted to replace Ashraf Ghani with Amrullah Saleh. That has effectively happened with Ghani fleeing, vice President Saleh becomes President. He moved his government to the northern alliance stronghold of the Panjshir Valley. The Soviets and the Taliban never conquered that valley. He has a trusted army there that can fight and they have already retaken all the valleys and towns north of Bagram. They are 50 km 30 miles from Badgam. 80 km 49 miles from Kabul. That distance is an hours drive but about 4 days hard fighting.
We were told the whole country had fallen to the Taliban. We now know some provinces never fell and about half the cities have been re-taken without a shot and with no apparent prisoners. We are told that the Taliban completely control Kabul yet the US and British report that Afghan army was engaged today at a check point in Kabul with one fatality and several injured. The Taliban that attacked them was wiped out. There was no second Taliban attack.
Two days ago Bagram was in Taliban hands and weapons had fallen to Taliban units. We saw lots of photos of Taliban troops and flags at that location. We know some of those weapons were distributed to Taliban units staging into Kabul. Now Bagram is in NATO control, with afghan army support and there were no major troop movements. Did someone stage those photos with Afghan Army troops in Taliban uniform?
The Biden administration say they are negotiation with the Taliban leadership but the Taliban in Kabul say nobodies talking to them. Are there two Taliban leaderships? Is it factionalized or is one fake.
The region is commanded by Centcom General, Kenneth F. McKenzie Jr, a Trump appointee. The joint chiefs of staff are an adversary body only. Also with NATO at Bagram the war is now no longer in Biden’s control. if Biden gave orders to surrender the American positions then its clear those orders were not being obeyed. With Ghani gone and Saleh in charge of the Afghan army, having gotten rid of all the army handers on and double agents, a coherent Northern Alliance fightback.
It looks like the operation is to get the Taliban focused on the Americans but do nothing with them that might provoke. While that’s working NATO has secured Kabul and Bagram airports. There are others we are not hearing from elsewhere in the country. Significant air assets have been evacuated to Uzbekistan. Saleh’s Northern Alliance forces roll south with little effective resistance. The Taliban’s main source of intelligence is the main stream media: Reuters, al Jazeera and CNN. None are covering the battles in the north and west.
While the Taliban in Kabul meet with tribal leaders who bow and beg and pledge to the Taliban flags President Saleh is building a leadership. If he wins a war he can rule without the tribal leaders. They are defeated with the Taliban.
Saleh is pro west but willing to talk with Russia. Its anti-Pakistan with lines of supply from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. The old soviets era airbases and rail hubs they once fought now link them to the world. One is now a US airbase under Centcom. Saleh is very anti Biden and pro Trump. If next month we have a big legal challenge to Biden’s presidency, all of the US allies will side with Trump at least at the Parliamentary level. The ballot Audits in multiple states may force Biden and Harris out.
I think the Taliban will be forced to a major open country battle in the valley either side of Bagram. Here the Taliban with loose all their guerilla advantages. They will be fighting with captured weapons ad equipment that they will be unfamiliar with. They will be wearing gear that looks like their old foe. In the heat of battle you fire not on the badge but on the uniform and the sound of the enemy weapons. This switch of gear creates a big friendly fire risk for the Talibs. There is a good chance that while they have the advance systems, that on the 15th of August the batteries and cooling units may not have been sent or may have been pulled out.
Worst still I have a suspicion that a Gun Walker scheme may be in play. Remember Holders scandal when he took the trackers out of guns used in the ATF sting. It would be a sweet irony if Centcom has done a gun walker operation on the Taliban. Today the chips are tiny and can be tracked from orbit. What happens when you know where every enemy unit is and you have air power.
We also can’t rule out that the tons of ammo captured by the Taliban is manufactured in the factory to fail, jam, miss fire or blow the weapon up. Some have suggested that tactic. Trump would love it.
I expect the main battle to be around the 30th/ 31st. It will not be in Kabul where the Taliban have cover. It will be similar to the battle line east of Raffa in Syria that took out most of ISIS. If the Taliban try to flee the capital in convoy south and east it will be sitting ducks for air and commando ambushes. Most of the “missing American contractors” know how to fight and ambush a convoy.
The Northern Alliance will not use US troops or Pashtun troops in occupation of final conquest. I suspect they will take few prisoners. This would have been set up months ago incase Trump or Biden’s troop evacuation goes wrong. That was guaranteed when Biden was sworn in.
Remember Churchills statement; the truth must be surrounded with a body guard of lies. Don’t tell the Taliban.
I guess we have not won many conflicts at “war zones” in the US as sending grandchildren to a local market there without a security escort is not a good idea.😬 Otherwise a good idea.
No reason not to apply the same approach to police brass domestically.
Just my point exactly. Only exception would be if brass quits/is fired for not obeying “stand down” or other harmful orders.
I have offered just such an amendment to my plan elsewhere. That referred to the military, but is of course applicable to LE:
I am willing to amend my Proposal to spare generals/admirals who resign if they find their hands tied by the civilian “leadership.” Then, if their stated (and documented) reasons for resignation end up being validated by the events, they get to be reinstated to their highest grade-served.