On War

Iraq: Mission Not-So-Accomplished

By Jamie McIntyre on Wednesday, September 1st, 2010

Iraq: Mission Not-So-Accomplished

As the U.S. tries to tentatively declare victory and head home, I believe what I came to believe back 2003, namely that Iraq will be better off in the end, but will remain a mess for the foreseeable future. And the price the U.S. paid, in lives, in money, in national prestige is one we would not have paid had we known the cost going in. And after all this, I have come to believe two things about the war right now: Iraq is not ready for U.S. troops to leave. And it is time for us to go.

WikiLeaks: Whistleblowers or Info-Terrorists?

By Jamie McIntyre on Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

WikiLeaks: Whistleblowers or Info-Terrorists?

Let’s be clear: WikiLeaks is an anti-privacy, anti-secrecy group, whose primary tenet is that nothing should be kept from the world, not military secrets, not sources or methods of intelligence gathering, not even the secret rituals of fraternities and sororities. WikiLeaks seems to me to to be functioning less in the tradition of good old-fashioned muckrakers, and more like anti-privacy terrorists.

McChrystal’s “MacArthur Moment”

By Jamie McIntyre on Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

McChrystal’s “MacArthur Moment”

It’s hard to see how the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan can keep his job, given his admitted “poor judgment” in publicly airing his misgivings about his dealings with President Obama and members of his administration, while fostering a command climate in which his “profane, irreverent aides” as the Washington Post described them, mocked Vice President Joe Biden.

Afghanistan Sinking

By Jamie McIntyre on Wednesday, June 16th, 2010

Afghanistan Sinking

Here’s what the president said last night: “We will fight this … with everything we’ve got for as long as it takes.” That’s a lot different from the stated strategy for Afghanistan which is more like: “We will fight this with as much as we can spare, for a least another year.”

Clapper Claptrap

By Jamie McIntyre on Saturday, June 12th, 2010

Clapper Claptrap

I’m always amazed when really smart people think really dumb things. And I have to say that Professor Ackerman, no doubt possessed of great intellect, superior to mine, has displayed an amazing ability to overanalyze a nonproblem, and come to an illogical conclusion.

Fear the Reaper

By Jamie McIntyre on Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

Fear the Reaper

A U.S. military investigation delivered a scathingly critical assessment: showing not only how screw-ups can get innocent people killed, but also how the U.S. military really does take seriously the investigation of unintended civilian casualties. It does not simply write off the deaths of women, children, and other non-combatants as “collateral damage” –a term that has increasingly taken on an unwarranted pejorative tone, implying that U.S. forces are uncaring and unfeeling about the loss of innocent life.

Department of Redundancy Department

By Jamie McIntyre on Thursday, May 27th, 2010

Department of Redundancy Department

I generally favor redundancy. I have a Mac AND a PC. More options are good. But the reality here is the U.S. taxpayers can’t afford an extra engine for the F-35 anymore that I can afford an extra engine for my Toyota.

Exclusive: First V-22 Combat Crash Likely “Pilot Error”

By Jamie McIntyre on Tuesday, May 18th, 2010

Exclusive: First V-22 Combat Crash Likely “Pilot Error”

While there was talk last month that perhaps the crash of a V-22 in Afghanistan would validate criticism of the notorious Osprey, LoD has learned the crash was NOT due to mechanical malfunction or hostile fire. A line of departure exclusive.

Afghanistan, Whisky Tango Foxtrot?

By Jamie McIntyre on Thursday, April 29th, 2010

Afghanistan, Whisky Tango Foxtrot?

The more I hear about how much progress is being made in Afghanistan, the more concerned I become about the long-term prospects for success. So I’m looking forward to getting some firsthand insights from my partners at military​.com, who are heading to Afghanistan for a clear-eyed assessment of what’s really happening.

Upon Further Review: Collateral Murder?

By Jamie McIntyre on Thursday, April 8th, 2010

Upon Further Review: Collateral Murder?

If the Reuters photographer was shooting the war from the insurgents’ perspective, he was taking his life in his hands, and he paid dearly for it. Read the investigation, before condemning this as an act of “collateral murder.”