Military Officer - April 2008 - (Page 12) fromtheeditor The Surge Strategy The “surge” strategy in the war on terrorism was meant to combat the rise in terrorism and sectarian violence, but how is it working? Hear from top U.S. Army leaders in Iraq. T his month, we aim to update you on the war in Iraq. To do that, we go to the top soldiers on the ground — Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of the Multi-National Force — Iraq, and Army Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno, recent commander of the MultiNational Corps — Iraq. In January, from his headquarters in Baghdad, Iraq, Petraeus shared his views with Tom Philpott, a contributing editor to Military Officer. A focus of their discussion was the controversial “surge” strategy, which increased the number of U.S. soldiers and Marines on the ground in Iraq. The goal was to reverse a rise in terrorism and sectarian violence. Because of the long lead times of magazine publishing, it’s tough to report on current events. For our story, Petraeus discusses the surge strategy with the understanding that he was scheduled to testify before Congress this spring. His report at the time of the interview was still a work in progress. For that reason, we augment our print story with online coverage of Petraeus’ spring testimony. You may view it at www.moaa.org/petraeustestimony. In the end, success is a function of the quality of the men and women in America’s uniformed services. “Our sense is we have the best and most experienced military in our nation’s history,” says Petraeus. “We’ve never had a professional force that has done repetitive [combat] tours. Even in World War II, the average MILITARY OFFICER APRIL 2008 tour was not as long as most of our troopers have served, if you add up tours. And they have an understanding of this very challenging type of combat: counterinsurgency. Some people say it’s graduate-level warfare, a thinking-man’s endeavor.” Our accompanying interview is with Odierno, whose focus is on the operational side of the war in Iraq. In January, he completed his 37th month in Iraq. In February, he led III Corps units home to Fort Hood, Texas, completing their 15-month deployment. Troops leaving Iraq this time “really felt they made a difference,” says Odierno. “They could see it with their own eyes, feel it as they walked down the street.” And, speaking of quality troops, what better segue could there be to the story “Centuries of Service,” on page 72? Reserve component forces play a huge role in the war on terrorism. As Army Reserve Chief Lt. Gen. Jack Stultz notes, the reserves are no longer a strategic force, but an operational one. “The mindset has changed,” says Stultz. “We are warrior-citizens, with the emphasis on warrior.” — Col. Warren S. Lacy, USA-Ret. PHOTO: STEVE BARRETT 12 http://www.moaa.org/petraeustestimony
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