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This is actually a step in the right direction. ADM Olson's remarks ring true and address a stark reality that many of us have known for some time. Put simply, we cannot execute an effective global CT/ COIN campaign from SOCOM's basement in Tampa. That authority must be powered down to the regional Combatant Commanders who, working through their Theater Special Operations Commands and apportioned SOF, can best employ the full spectrum of kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities to find, fix, and finish the threat. And believe me, it's the 'find' and 'fix' parts that are the most difficult and resource-intensive. They require a tactile feel for the area of operations---something that can only be gained by living and working in the environment 24l7, not by staring at a UAV feed six time zones away from the action. SOCOM should certainly have a role in planning, synchronizing and resourcing, but actions on the objective would be best left to others.
Just my two cents.
De Oppresso Liber
__________________
"I do not know what is true. I do not know the meaning of the universe. But in the midst of doubt, in the collapse of creeds, there is one thing I do not doubt...and that is that the faith is true and adorable which leads a soldier to throw away his life in obedience to a blindly accepted duty, in a cause he little understands, in a plan of campaign of which he has little notion, under tactics of which he does not see the use."
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
Last edited by Blueboy; 05-21-2008 at 13:54.
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