COIN in the news

The New York Times revealed today a 2004 blanket order was signed by President Bush allowing secret covert action pretty much wherever the Pentagon wants, and in some cases, without his express permission. This shines a little light on the recent operations in Syria, but military attacks on sovereign countries, without specific Presidential permission to do so, are not what God, Clausewitz, or the Constitution intended!

Accountability is fundamental in a democracy, including ours! It is not acceptable for the Commander in Chief of the world’s most expensive military to delegate the most important statecraft decision! What is Bush thinking? Where is the outrage? Oh wait, right here…

It seems especially odd that such measures are allowed as US forces are already "innovating" on their own. Case in point? Task Force ODIN is heading to Afghanistan. 

ODIN, also the Norse god of war and death, stands for “Observe, Detect, Identify, Neutralize.” This entity, a Bob Gates creation developed for Iraqi COIN, is a unit of approximately 400 people. Equipped with monitoring aircraft, analysts, and quick attack forces, ODIN specializes in detecting IEDs along the road, and has been responsible for neutralizing over 3,000 insurgents. The measure of their success in Iraq seems to be much more effective than secretive air strikes that rely on dubious intelligence and kill more than a few civilians.

The intention is for Task Force ODIN in Afghanistan is to protect the nearly complete “Ring Road," which connects the major cities and is crucial for commerce, development, and general security. This represents an interesting evolution of the usual strictly hierarchically structured American military, which was designed to take on the Soviet Union in the Fulda Gap. ODIN is flexible and fast, much like the enemy coalition forces face.  

When the Taliban can jack a NATO convoy in Pakistan and move scot-free into Afghanistan, it's obvious the tribal belt is pretty lawless.  Scary stuff for sure, but it seems that it will be ODIN, not the propensity of the US military to ignore borders, that will get these guys and their new toy.