Pentagon poised to approve a sweeping new directive (NYT)

[kpete]

Pentagon to Raise Importance of 'Stability' Efforts in War

By THOM SHANKER and DAVID S. CLOUD
Published: November 20, 2005
WASHINGTON, Nov. 19 - The Pentagon's leadership, recognizing that it was caught off guard by difficulties in pacifying Iraq after the invasion, is poised to approve a sweeping directive that will elevate what it calls "stability operations" to a core military mission comparable to full-scale combat.

Forum: The Transition in Iraq
The new order could significantly influence how the military is structured, as well as the specialties it emphasizes and the equipment it buys.

The directive has been the subject of intense negotiations in the Pentagon policy office and throughout the military; the deliberations included the State Department and other civilian agencies, as the order aims to push the entire government to work in greater unison to plan and carry out postcombat operations.

The directive also envisions sending abroad more civilian officials, including State Department personnel, to help the military establish the peace and rebuild after combat.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/20/international/middleeast/20military.html?ex=1290142800&en=74b463afe82a51e1&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

[Uben]

1. In other words.....

... we are gonna start spending our asses off before the Dems get us kicked out of Iraq!

[MADem]

2. Holy SHIT--"Stability Operations????????"

Sounds a lot like NATION BUILDING to me!!! Remember when the Monkey criticized Clinton for his comparatively minor efforts at nation building? I mean, damn, READ THIS--

The newest draft of the document, delivered in recent days to the acting deputy secretary of defense, Gordon R. England, for final approval, states, "Stability operations are a core U.S. military mission that the Department of Defense shall be prepared to conduct and support."

The stability operations carried out by the Department of Defense "shall be given priority comparable to combat operations and be explicitly addressed and integrated across all D.O.D. activities," the draft says. ...

Congress has criticized the Bush administration, and the Pentagon, for not devising effective plans to stabilize and rebuild Iraq after the swift capture of Baghdad. Many lawmakers have accused the administration of utterly failing to coordinate its postcombat efforts across the executive branch.

Even in Afghanistan, where reconstruction and democratization is progressing more successfully, the effort is stymied by the lack of government personnel from departments other than the Pentagon to work in developing the economy, building public service infrastructure, battling the narcotics trade and developing democratic political institutions. Although the military is stretched by its current missions, the number of Americans in uniform is vastly larger than the civilian force in the State Department and other agencies assigned to reconstruction tasks.

Jesus, sounds like Rummy wants to take over the world!!!!!

[PDJane]

3. This is news?

Rummy and the PNAC jerks have always wanted to take over the world.....they just don't have a clue about history. They think they'll be exempt.

[MADem]

5. This goes against the Monkey's Nation Building promise during the 00

debates. Completely, totallly. They've moved the fucking goalposts yet AGAIN. They were too cheap to do Powell's overwhelming force doctrine, they ignored his pottery barn admonition, so now, they are acting like the real difficulty was that they did not have a "Department of Nation Building" at the ready! Fucking MOXIE!!!

[Catrina]

4. So all the money already spent

over 250 billion, was for what?? Weren't Halliburton, KB&R and all those other contractors supposed to be rebuilding and restoring water and electricity and weren't there many, many complaints that none of this was done? That Iraqis still only have sporadic power, the water is still polluted and the bombed out buildings and all the other reconstruction was abandoned?

So, what did they spend our tax dollars on? NOW, they are going to start all over again? Who is going to pay for all this? What happened to the Iraqi oil money, the 9 billion that Bremer 'lost'? When is there going to be some accountability for all that money?

Are they KIDDING?? I thought this is what they WERE doing over there?

Have they finally decided that killing and torturing people is not the way to 'stabilize' a country? I think it's a little too late for that ~ the Iraqi people WANTED to rebuild their own country. When they demonstrated in Fallujah against the loss of their jobs, they were shot at. That's what started the whole Fallujah mess, as I recall.

I hope Congress will absolutely refuse to hand out one more dollar to rebuild that country. Take if from the profits that Halliburton et al have made ~ it's now their responsibility. We have deprived American citizens of basic needs, including veterans to fund this disaster. No more money for this should be even considered. What a scam on the American people this has been ~ in every way.

[MADem]

6. Yep, it is beyond fucking belief!

Wouldn't surprise me at all if they call up all the old geezers and fatties, and "detail" them to other government agencies...makes it easier to get the "not up to par" types into the mix.

This is disgusting...

[kansasblue]

7. or.... they could have just listened to the Department of State.

the state dept wanted to be in control of Iraq after the invasion.

[fooj]

8. Have the rat bastards located the 9 BILLION they "lost"...

You know---the money that went missing while Bremer was "in charge"!!
Fucking thieves! I thought they were supposed to have the power and water restored by now. Lying SOB's!!!

Peace.

[RazzleDazzle]

9. Importnat

This article describes a plan already moving thru Congress that will militarize certain civilian parts of government, and funnel even more money into our military operations -- all of which any clever fascist empire would want to do.