2-star general to oversee assessment in Iraq

**The Reaper** · 06-26-2014, 20:46

Obviously, adding conventional leadership to a FID / COIN mission should ensure our success.

I seriously hope he can live up to the expectations.

TR

2-star general to oversee assessment in Iraq, a sign of task's sensitivity

By Nancy A. Youssef

McClatchy Washington Bureau
Published: June 26, 2014

http://www.stripes.com/news/army/2-s...ivity-1.290862

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military named a two-star general to head up the teams that have been sent to Iraq to determine what U.S. military assistance might help halt the advance of radical Islamist insurgents who have seized control of much of the country in the past two weeks.

Army Maj. Gen. Dana J.H. Pittard, the deputy commanding general of operations for the 3rd Army, based in Kuwait, will direct the work of the 300 or so advisers President Barack Obama has said will be assigned to Iraq to help the government in Baghdad repulse the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. ISIL fighters in the past two weeks have seized Mosul, the country's second largest city; Tikrit, the hometown of the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein; and are threatening the Iraqi government's hold on the country's largest oil refinery at Baiji.

About 180 of those advisers are now in Iraq, including 50 who arrived on Thursday, the Pentagon said.

The assignment of a two-star general to lead just 300 troops underscores the unusual nature of the current crisis in Iraq, where one of the first tasks will be to fill an intelligence gap that U.S. officials said has existed about conditions in Iraq since the United States withdrew the last of its troops in 2011.

Pittard, who will lead the Iraq Joint Forces Land Component Command, also likely will work as a quasi-diplomat to Iraqi commanders, experts said. Pittard, however, will answer to U.S. Central Command, the military unit that has responsibility for American military activities in the Middle East.

"Having a two-star there will indicate his role will be, in part, political engagement," said Jessica Lewis, research director of the Washington-based Institute for the Study of the War.

Pittard will find a complex situation in the Iraq assignment. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also has asked for assistance from Iran, which reportedly has sent its own advisers, and on Thursday he welcomed airstrikes against ISIL forces by the Syrian air force. Both Iran and Syria are bitter rivals of the United States in the Middle East.

Al-Maliki has asked the United States to conduct airstrikes against ISIL forces, but the Obama administration has so far declined to undertake them. Al-Maliki also is seeking Russian-made fighter aircraft amid frustration that the first delivery of U.S. F-16s won't arrive in Iraq until September.

One of the first tasks Pittard is expected to undertake is determining why the U.S.-trained Iraqi military simply melted away in Mosul when confronted with ISIL forces June 10. The abandonment of their positions in Mosul set off a rout that saw ISIL come within two hours of Baghdad before the advance slowed and allowed Kurdish militiamen to seize control of the long disputed oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

The U.S. advisers are expected to quiz lower-level soldiers on why the retreat took place, and they are likely to get more information than what can be learned from senior Iraqi officials. "There is a broader question of evaluating the security forces," Lewis said, "and I am not sure that can be answered at the ministerial level."

A U.S. Military Academy graduate, Pittard served in the 1991 Gulf War and was part of the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His last Iraq assignment was commander of the Iraqi Assistance Group, which was designed to mentor Iraq's nascent security forces. He also served as commander of Fort Bliss in Texas.

Scimitar · 06-26-2014, 22:53

This guy's career is all Armour, with a stint at Admission at West Point and 4 years as Military Aide to Clinton. So not sure about that fitting into this situation.

However, he has mainly worked around the S3 field, and has carried his weight in OIF a couple of times, and his last stint was commanding Iraq Assistance Group, so I guess he does seem like a good choice from a "interacting with the Iraqi" point of view. But operationally what SOF does he have by his ear? And how much will he listen?

S

**Box** · 06-27-2014, 00:46

I have noticed that lately every single issue in the news can be approached thusly....

"What difference, at this point does it make"

How much rank do we need in Iraq? 1-Star, 2-Star, 3-Star?
"What difference, at this point does it make"

should the GO in charge of the low intensity conflict in Iraq be from an Armor, MI, Infantry, Adjutant General, or Quartermaster background?
"What difference, at this point does it make"

Are we going to pay the troops deploying to Iraq HFP?
"What difference, at this point does it make"

Are we going to try and recover the gazillions of dollars in US military hardware that has been captured by ISIS ???
"What difference, at this point does it make"

Don't you gent's see how easy it is?

JJ_BPK · 06-27-2014, 04:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scimitar

and his last stint was commanding Iraq Assistance Group, so I guess he does seem like a good choice from a "interacting with the Iraqi" point of view.

S

Did you forget to use the pint font??

I see this choice as FAIL...

What difference does it make??

Snaquebite · 06-27-2014, 05:25

OK...We're sending a CONVENTIONAL 2 Star General to command a 300 man battalion size Special Operations mission (something a good SF LTC should be in charge of), who reportedly did not work well with Special Forces previously, is an Armor officer, was in charge of Admissions at West Point, did 4 years as Military Aide to Clinton, and reportedly has political aspirations, Sounds like the perfect set-up for failure and more lives lost.

Scimitar · 06-27-2014, 05:37

My hope is he's the political front, he's got the relationships, the political experience, and the stars.

There's got to be a LTC who's stayed at a Holiday Inn recently there with him, let's just hope our 2 star here has been instructed to listen.

S

Richard · 06-27-2014, 08:26

IDK - seems like he has a lot of experience in the region, in post-regional studies and doctrinal development/implementation, and someone who woulld have a lot of direct personal contacts within the Iraqi military and government. Knowing how/when to use SOF effectively in FID/COIN doesn't necessarily mean you have to have been SF qualified or served in SF, and I would think a lot of any level of success in this goat rope will rest upon the 18's who will be advising him on how, when, and where to use their ropes.

I'd wait and see on this one.

https://www.bliss.army.mil/Leaders/MGPittardBio.pdf

Richard

tunanut · 06-27-2014, 08:27

Well he is Ranger qualified.

**Box** · 06-27-2014, 09:44

POlitically motivated GO postings worked out so well during the first 10 years in Iraq...
...why mess with success.

It begs the question though, do we NOT have a GO from Special Forces that could handle that job?

Old Dog New Trick · 06-27-2014, 21:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Billy L-bach

POlitically motivated GO postings worked out so well during the first 10 years in Iraq...
...why mess with success.

It begs the question though, do we NOT have a GO from Special Forces that could handle that job?

Garrison, departed after the last political foray into uncharted territory.

At this point, what difference does it make?

**Box** · 06-27-2014, 22:15

...maybe the Army should hire a cav scout to be the next regimental commander for SF

11Ber · 06-28-2014, 06:38

Maybe he could finally get us in line with tattoo policy and SHARP training.

blacksmoke · 06-28-2014, 10:20

I dont care how special these guys might be. If this force doesn't have the discipline to wear their acu jacket and ach to get to the porta poddy 10m from their hooch, how are they going to win this thing? We need a guy who's going in there to get the job done.

**The Reaper** · 06-28-2014, 11:15

Sad to say, I believe that the decisionmakers went with the commander they have the greatest confidence in.

TR

**Box** · 06-28-2014, 12:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Reaper

Sad to say, I believe that the decisionmakers went with the commander they have the greatest confidence in.

That would be a kick in the nuts, but I don't know what other reason there is for it. One day I will understand why our GO's get treated like shit by the same people that come to them begging for troops to fix one fiasco after another.