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Geenie · 09-28-2010, 07:08

Gentlemen,

today the conference kicked off; it was great.

There were many very interesting presentations on various subjects pertaining to irregular and unconventional warfare.

I was very fortunate to hear about Col. Pinto's experiences in the Philippines. A truly remarkable man, with a great sense of humor.

Also attending were Dr. Johnson from the Naval Postgraduate School, who gave a fascinating presentation on information operations and how the US strategy has, supposedly, been failing miserably in implementing successful information operations in Afghanistan. Beyond this, he also touched on the importance of stability operations before going into a COIN based strategy.

There was also a very good presentation by Mr. Rendon of the Rendon Group, based out of Washington D.C. - He did an excellent job at illustrating the fast paced and ambiguous context in which we are living and operating in today.

While the presentations were absolutely outstanding, I think the highlight of the day was actually being among and meeting so many men of high caliber. I talked to Special Forces Soldiers, Navy SEALs, an Air Force SERE specialist and many others; from enlisted men to senior officers. All of the service members I met were extremely professional and humble about their service. Furthermore, they were more than willing to sit down and talk with me about my personal aspirations.
All of this just reconfirms my high opinion of the US SOF community, and I am very, very grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference.

If anyone would like me to say hello to someone they know are attending, send me a PM.
I will provide more updates and thoughts as the conference moves along. Please feel free to reel me in and let me know if my excitement is ill expressed and these types of posts don't belong on the board.

09-28-2010, 07:08	#2
Geenie Guerrilla Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New York Posts: 158	First day Gentlemen, today the conference kicked off; it was great. There were many very interesting presentations on various subjects pertaining to irregular and unconventional warfare. I was very fortunate to hear about Col. Pinto's experiences in the Philippines. A truly remarkable man, with a great sense of humor. Also attending were Dr. Johnson from the Naval Postgraduate School, who gave a fascinating presentation on information operations and how the US strategy has, supposedly, been failing miserably in implementing successful information operations in Afghanistan. Beyond this, he also touched on the importance of stability operations before going into a COIN based strategy. There was also a very good presentation by Mr. Rendon of the Rendon Group, based out of Washington D.C. - He did an excellent job at illustrating the fast paced and ambiguous context in which we are living and operating in today. While the presentations were absolutely outstanding, I think the highlight of the day was actually being among and meeting so many men of high caliber. I talked to Special Forces Soldiers, Navy SEALs, an Air Force SERE specialist and many others; from enlisted men to senior officers. All of the service members I met were extremely professional and humble about their service. Furthermore, they were more than willing to sit down and talk with me about my personal aspirations. All of this just reconfirms my high opinion of the US SOF community, and I am very, very grateful for the opportunity to attend the conference. If anyone would like me to say hello to someone they know are attending, send me a PM. I will provide more updates and thoughts as the conference moves along. Please feel free to reel me in and let me know if my excitement is ill expressed and these types of posts don't belong on the board.
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