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As a military brat living amidst the inflammatory rhetoric that's bombarding us from all sides, I'm passing this letter on simply because I believe we need to take this advice to heart and give it serious thought. A few sentences are missing, but you'll get the point.
Ronni
Dear friends and fellow Americans - 14 September, 2001
Like everyone else in this great country, I am reeling from last
week's attack on our sovereignty. But unlike some, I am not
reeling from surprise. As a career soldier and a student and teacher
of military history, I have a different perspective and I think
you should hear it.
This war will be won or lost by the American citizens, not diplomats,
politicians or soldiers. Let me briefly
explain.
In spite of what the media, and even our own government is telling
us, this act was not committed by a group of mentally
deranged fanatics. To dismiss them as such would be among the gravest
of mistakes. This attack was committed by a
ferocious, intelligent and dedicated adversary. Don't take this
the wrong way. I don't admire these men and I deplore their
tactics, but I respect their capabilities. The many parallels that
have been made with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor are
apropos. Not only because it
was a brilliant sneak attack against a complacent America, but also
because we may well be pulling our new adversaries out of
caves 30 years after we think this war is over, just like my father's
generation had to do with the formidable Japanese in the
years following WW II.
These men hate the United States with all of their being, and we must not underestimate the power of their moral commitment.
Napoleon, perhaps the world's greatest combination of soldier and
statesman, stated "the moral is to the physical as three is to
one." Patton thought the Frenchman underestimated its importance
and said moral conviction was five times more important in
battle than physical strength. Our enemies are willing - better
said "anxious" -- to give their lives for their cause. How
committed are we, America? And for how long?
In addition to demonstrating great moral conviction, the recent attack
demonstrated a mastery of some of the basic
fundamentals of warfare taught to most military officers worldwide,
namely simplicity, security and surprise. When I first heard
rumors that some of these men may have been trained at our own Air
War College, it made perfect sense to me. This was not
a random act of violence, and we can expect the same sort of military
competence to be displayed in the battle to come. This
war will escalate, with a good portion of it happening right here
in the good ol' U.S. of A.
These men will not go easily into the night. They do not fear us. We must not fear them.
In spite of our overwhelming conventional strength as the world's
only "superpower" (a truly silly term), we are the underdog in
this fight. As you listen to the carefully scripted rhetoric designed
to prepare us for the march for war, please realize that
America is not equipped or seriously trained for the battle ahead.
To be certain, our soldiers are much better than the enemy,
and we have some excellent "counter-terrorist" organizations, but
they are mostly trained for hostage rescues, airfield seizures,
or the occasional "body snatch," (which may come in handy). We will
be fighting a war of annihilation, because if their early
efforts are any indication, our enemy is ready and willing to die
to the last man. Eradicating the enemy will be costly and time
consuming. They have already deployed their forces in as many as
20 countries, and are likely living the lives of everyday
citizens. Simply put, our soldiers will be tasked with a search
and destroy mission on multiple for eign landscapes, and t
For the most part, our military is still in the process of redefining
itself and presided over by men and women who grew up with
- and were promoted because they excelled in - Cold War doctrine,
strategy and tactics. This will not be linear warfare, there
will be no clear "centers of gravity" to strike with high technology
weapons.
Our vast technological edge will certainly be
helpful, but it will not be decisive. Perhaps the perfect metaphor
for the coming battle was introduced by the terrorists
themselves aboard the hijacked aircraft -- this will be a knife
fight, and it will be won or lost by the ingenuity and will of citizens
and soldiers, not by software or smart bombs.
We must also be patient with our military leaders. Unlike Americans
who are
eager to put this messy time behind us, our adversaries have time
on their side, and they will use it. They plan to fight a battle of
attrition, hoping to drag the battle out until the American public
loses its will to fight. This might be difficult to
It is clear to me that the will of the American citizenry - you and
I - is the center of gravity the enemy has targeted. It will be the
fulcrum upon which victory or defeat will turn. He believes us to
be soft, impatient, and self-centered. He may be right, but if
so, we must change. The Prussian general Carl von Clausewitz, (the
most often quoted and least read military theorist in
history), says that there is a "remarkable trinity of war" that
is composed of the (1) will of the people, (2) the political leadership
of the government, and (3) the chance and probability that plays
out on the field of battle, in that order.
Every American citizen
was in the crosshairs of last Tuesday's attack, not just those that
were unfortunate enough to be in the World Trade Center or
Pentagon. The will of the American people will decide this war.
If we are to win, it will be because we have what it takes to
persevere through a few more hits, learn from our mistakes, improvise,
and adapt. If we can do that, we wi
Everyone I've talked to in the past few days has shared a common
frustration, saying in one form or another "I just wish I could
do something!" You are already doing it. Just keep faith in America,
and continue to support your President and military, and
the outcome is certain. If we fail to do so, the outcome is equally
certain.
God Bless America
Dr. Tony Kern, Lt Col, USAF (Ret)
Former Director of Military History, USAF Academy
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