We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2007 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html Sun, 03 Aug 2008 16:06:55 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2008 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification [Posted by FbL. Update: Part II is up] Last Friday I had the pleasure of spending about half an hour interviewing Colonel Mark McKnight, 3rd Infantry Division Chief of Staff, currently deployed to Iraq. Topics included security for Ashura, CLCs, the media, and challenges ahead. Unfortunately I didn't have the capacity to record our phone conversation, but I was able to quickly type many of his statements as I listened. Most of his answers weren't exactly terse, but he was rather succinct, so we were able to cover a lot of ground. Soldiers of 3ID (Task Force Marne) have been... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:31:18 -0600 Dialing 100 in Jalalabad provides quick access to emergency responders 24 hours a day. Sorry. Wrong number]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69132 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69132 Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:44:26 -0600 Korean Service Corps sounds good, but they don't have the work ethic of Koreans. CLC's ought to make good Ruff Puffs, though. Meanwhile, over in Afghanistan, Kabul and CSTC-A would just as soon the citizens call 911.]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69099 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69099 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 08:05:27 -0600 I imagine that, for all the hooping and hollering about possible escalation of war with Iran, the Iranians took us very seriously when some folks started beating the war drums. Odierno and others were very specific about Iranian involvement and the multiple captured IRGC agents in Iraq was actually grounds for war, if we'd wanted to. Not to mention the very bad mistake of taking the Brit Sailors hostage. Their actions made them persona non gratas. Then there was that little visit by Putin that lots of folks thought was Putin showing support for Iran, but may have included the "hey, knock it off or I can't protect you in the UN" message. Add to that that, with the Anbar Awakening and decrease in AQI capabilities, the Mahdi Army and Muqtada came back into our cross hairs. They didn't fair very well in Najaf in 2004 and their actions in Karbala late last year put them right on the edge of contempt even by the Shia. Sistani was getting tired of protecting him and many were pointing to his "Iranian" connections. Keeping in mind the long Iraq-Iran war in the 80's, wherein many Shia actually fought the Iranians and considered other Shia who sided with them to be traitors, that had some bad connotations for ol' Mookie and the Mahdi. He didn't have any choice but to call certain parts of his organization "rogue" and allow us to take them out. He's much weaker now. He played his last card withdrawing from the government and maliki simply replaced him. He found out that Maliki was strong enough without his support and he only existed at our liesure. All that makes running EFPs into Iraq and blowing up Americans, et al a very bad idea. Not that the Iranians aren't still trying to influence politics by providing material and monetary support to various political parties. Even those who are nominally "allies" of the Maliki government and the US. Just that Ahmedinejad is under siege in Iran, they have some serious political and economic problems, plus the various demonstrations by dissidents and other dissatisfied Iranians. all things told, they really couldn't afford to keep messing around in Iraq like they were. But, don't worry, somebody in Iran is still running EFPs into AFghanistan on a much smaller scale. They haven't given up being a pain in our buttocks yet. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69094 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69094 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 03:46:56 -0600 Thanks, Ledger. I probably should've followed up on that. What I've understood from news reports it that there was a gradual reduction last fall and a sudden uptick the first two weeks of January (which has since fallen back off). News reports say the border with Iran is becoming less porous, so perhaps that is part of the drop. This up-and-down aspect is why I asked about EFPs. I was thrown by the "nothing" response, which is probably why I didn't think to follow up with "Why?" And I think it may be notable that I simply asked about incidences of EFPs, but he immediately came back with the statement of seeing no Iranian involvement of any kind in their AO. According to an interview of MG Lynch I heard, 3ID's AO includes part of the Iraq-Iran border, so perhaps he mentioned that because they've been working hard at shutting down the border to Iranian activity and they're feeling good about their success rate. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69086 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69086 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:21:08 -0600 Good work! COL McKnight comment about EFPs: "no indication of Iranian involvement" within their AO. Its good news but why the sudden reduction in Iranian involvement. Have the Iranians suddenly turned all peaceful? http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69084 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/01/talking_to_3rd.html#comment-69084 Mon, 28 Jan 2008 01:05:59 -0600