Yes, Purple. That is the topic today. It is a color and in the military it stands for JOINT. Not the smoking kind, but the very cool world of Joint Operations.
Joint Operations are simply operations involving all the services (Army, Navy, AF and USMC), some of them, other Government agencies (say DOD, DOS, ATF, DEA, CIA, or FBI or any combination there of), and other countries (the Superfriends: Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, or others such as South Korea, Japan and other NATO types). While this may not sound like a major thing (hey that is how we always do things right?) it is actually a fairly new development.
Sort of.
We (the US military) have been working as a team for quite a while. Earliest examples are the Mexican War and several impressive operations in the US Civil War (see Grant's Western Campaigns along the Mississippi). But these were not doctrine, they were usually ad hoc and much depended on how well the CO's got along or what the orders from Washington said. But in the late 1980's Congress passed a neat law known as the Goldwater-Nichols Act. This act forced the services to actually work as a team by law.
For example: instead of having a fleet, an air force, and a army in an area of the world working through their branches in the rear, you had a defined theater in which their was one boss. You could have an Army General commanding Navy and AF units, or Navy commanding the same or AF (even a Marine in theory). This commander reported directly back to the SECDEF and not through the parent services. This mean you had truly one team. And to make sure everyone worked together the DOD put out Joint Doctrine to get everyone "speaking" the same language.
All of this may sound "duh", but it is a unique development in the world of warfighting. The US (and the Superfriends) are really the only countries that do this. And it shows, the US has been running Joint Operations since Panama and has had pretty much major successes in just about every one. Panama, Desert Storm, OIF all successes (yes OIF is pretty much a done deal and we have won, someone tell MSNBC). Somalia not so much, but that could be argued as a break in method (Clinton set up two task forces, not one unified command). OEF is ongoing so we will see.
Purple is the color code of all Joint Doctrine and I have been attending JOFEC (Joint Operations Fires Effects Coordinator) these last two weeks and we talk nothing but Joint. It is extremely interesting, and also a major challenge. Getting everyone synched is huge challenge and it is a complex process. We are still working the kinks out of it. But kinks or not, this makes for a incredibly successful military as well as other elements. Please note we include civilian agencies in this so we usually get a full up team effort or this with everyone more or less pulling together. It also makes the movies about the army running off and doing craziness on its own rather funny for anyone who knows about this (if you have to work together for everything how do you do things without someone else finding out and diming you out?).
As military history goes this is an exciting time to be in the military.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
War On The Western Front
Book review time. I finished this yesterday, due to paternity leave and the snow storm I had enough time to polish it off along with the book "Afghanistan". I want to review this one first as it was much more interesting.
The War On The Western Front by Dr. Gary Sheffield was focused on the soldiers and tactics used on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918 in WWI. It was very interesting and kept my attention the whole time. The first half of the book discussed a "typical" example of a French, German, British and American Soldier. Why they joined (or if they were drafted), basic training, how the training changed over time, equipment used, and so on. Food, medical treatment, life in the trenches and so on where hit on in good detail.
The second half detailed the equipment and tactics and how they evolved over time. This to me was the really fascinating part. I have become convinced that WWI is one of the most poorly understood wars of all time. I think it has suffered from "Vietnam" syndrome, which I mean that it was so politically charged for so long that you really had to have most of the people involved die off before you could have some real discussions about it. And when it came time to start having them, other things were in the way. 20 years after you had WWII, which kept everyone focused. Then 40 years after you had Vietnam, and no one wanted to look back that far. Now everyone involved is dead, so we have no more first hand accounts. There are lots of books out there on WWI, but most are pretty rare.
The part about this book that is very fascinating is the discussion on tactics. WWI is commonly viewed as a mindless bloodbath in which everyone was blundering around until one side finally caved in due to exhaustion. This is only part of the truth. WWI is a great example of technological impact on people and how difficult it can be to understand, especially if you are trying to get huge organizations and bureaucracies to work FAST. Modern staffs and organization like we have now did not exist back then, and you had commanders who thought the telephone was suspect for field use and had earned their spurs charging Arabs in the Sudan (Germans and British). People who couldn't figure out how best to use a machine gun. WWI was an example of a world (literally) trying best to figure out dozens of new ideas, concepts and machines in the worst possible conditions. Results were of course messy and very misunderstood. This book brought it out and showed that contrary to popular belief, change was constant and progress was made. And that for every new change, more work was then needed to figure out step two.
A very good book, I highly recommend it.
The War On The Western Front by Dr. Gary Sheffield was focused on the soldiers and tactics used on the Western Front from 1914 to 1918 in WWI. It was very interesting and kept my attention the whole time. The first half of the book discussed a "typical" example of a French, German, British and American Soldier. Why they joined (or if they were drafted), basic training, how the training changed over time, equipment used, and so on. Food, medical treatment, life in the trenches and so on where hit on in good detail.
The second half detailed the equipment and tactics and how they evolved over time. This to me was the really fascinating part. I have become convinced that WWI is one of the most poorly understood wars of all time. I think it has suffered from "Vietnam" syndrome, which I mean that it was so politically charged for so long that you really had to have most of the people involved die off before you could have some real discussions about it. And when it came time to start having them, other things were in the way. 20 years after you had WWII, which kept everyone focused. Then 40 years after you had Vietnam, and no one wanted to look back that far. Now everyone involved is dead, so we have no more first hand accounts. There are lots of books out there on WWI, but most are pretty rare.
The part about this book that is very fascinating is the discussion on tactics. WWI is commonly viewed as a mindless bloodbath in which everyone was blundering around until one side finally caved in due to exhaustion. This is only part of the truth. WWI is a great example of technological impact on people and how difficult it can be to understand, especially if you are trying to get huge organizations and bureaucracies to work FAST. Modern staffs and organization like we have now did not exist back then, and you had commanders who thought the telephone was suspect for field use and had earned their spurs charging Arabs in the Sudan (Germans and British). People who couldn't figure out how best to use a machine gun. WWI was an example of a world (literally) trying best to figure out dozens of new ideas, concepts and machines in the worst possible conditions. Results were of course messy and very misunderstood. This book brought it out and showed that contrary to popular belief, change was constant and progress was made. And that for every new change, more work was then needed to figure out step two.
A very good book, I highly recommend it.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Victoria Maria Eason
Here is my baby girl, born 31 January 2010 at 1949 hours. She weighs in a 7 pounds and 10 ounces, had her mother's eyes (brown), 21 inches long, and according to everyone asked she has her father's toes (I have no idea how that topic came up, but there you are).
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Day 3
As punishment for posting an AAR the power died at 2200 Thursday and has not come back on yet. So we have been on generator power ever since. Yesterday I had to go to Lawton for gas and the drive was scary. Every tree in the area has been coated in ice and most have broken in half. The temperatures have not gone above freezing yet so no ice has melted except on the roads. All the power and phone lines are sagging nearly to the ground.
But we are ok. My 4400 watt generator is running like a clock. It produces 3500 watts regular with surge capacity of 4400. After reading the guide and some experimentation we have figured out our setup.
One tank of gas (4 gals) gives us ten hours. We can power one space heater, two floor lamps, tv and dvd. We can use our G Foreman grill/hotplate with either the heater or lamp. So we had noodles and vension stew and borscht for supper. We use the garage as the fridge. We also discovered that our hot water heater is well insulated and we have hot water (well warm this morning) so we have able to take short showers too.
I have I'd'd a couple of changes I think I will put in. One, I need to have some items with easier access for plugging in (aka the fridge). Two, I should get the fuzebox modified so I can plug directly into the house instead of running cords. I also need the switch to prevent returning power from blowing up the fuzebox (you turn the house from grid to generator and back). Three, a bigger generator may be in order. 4400/3500 watts does ok, but I can barely use 2 space heaters on this one. A 5500 watt would be able to handle a bigger load so we could use more of the house (more heaters).
The generator is use is a PowerMax 4400. Its made in China originally for RV power and its pretty good. It cost me 450 dollars through Amazon. It was one of their top ten recommended choices and it was a good buy. It was several hundred dollars cheaper than compable models. It is a pull start but it has started on the first pull each time. You can get these models with an electric start and I may do that for my wife's sake next time. PowerMax also makes 5500 models and that will be my next step up.
But we are ok. My 4400 watt generator is running like a clock. It produces 3500 watts regular with surge capacity of 4400. After reading the guide and some experimentation we have figured out our setup.
One tank of gas (4 gals) gives us ten hours. We can power one space heater, two floor lamps, tv and dvd. We can use our G Foreman grill/hotplate with either the heater or lamp. So we had noodles and vension stew and borscht for supper. We use the garage as the fridge. We also discovered that our hot water heater is well insulated and we have hot water (well warm this morning) so we have able to take short showers too.
I have I'd'd a couple of changes I think I will put in. One, I need to have some items with easier access for plugging in (aka the fridge). Two, I should get the fuzebox modified so I can plug directly into the house instead of running cords. I also need the switch to prevent returning power from blowing up the fuzebox (you turn the house from grid to generator and back). Three, a bigger generator may be in order. 4400/3500 watts does ok, but I can barely use 2 space heaters on this one. A 5500 watt would be able to handle a bigger load so we could use more of the house (more heaters).
The generator is use is a PowerMax 4400. Its made in China originally for RV power and its pretty good. It cost me 450 dollars through Amazon. It was one of their top ten recommended choices and it was a good buy. It was several hundred dollars cheaper than compable models. It is a pull start but it has started on the first pull each time. You can get these models with an electric start and I may do that for my wife's sake next time. PowerMax also makes 5500 models and that will be my next step up.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Being Prepared
Well, I got my fill of being justified today. I have always been someone who believed that if you do something "just in case" then it usually doesn't happen. And if it does, then you are ready for it. However this does tend to make me have a bunch of stuff that usually just sits around gathering dust waiting for that "just in case" moment.
We had that moment starting at 1100 today when the Ice Storm hit Fort Sill. WE have just finally dug out from the huge snow storm and everyone was thinking we were ready for this one. But it occurred to me that this was an ICE storm, not snow, and that is a world of difference.
Good thing I was thinking ahead a bit. Part of my JIC stockpile is a propane camp heater, two lanterns (one battery and one hand crank), and a generator with all necessary items to provide heat, light, coolness (a fan really), power to charge cell phones and even allow me to watch TV should I be bored. I even have a small gas tank (15 gallons). But since we are moving I had drained it and no gas. But I had a bad feeling about the coming storm and took some lunch time to fill a 5 gallon can.
We were released from Sill at 1300 (I left at 1400 due to an emergency in the unit), and the drive home was really making me nervous. Ever tree was coated in 1/2 inch thick ice and many had snapped off or snapped in half. Power lines were also coated. Being from where I am from, I knew this storm was going to screw up the power royally. When I got home I pull out the emergency locker and got ready.
At 1500 our power went out and it stayed off till about 2100 tonight. The power company couldn't give me a definite time so I got to break out the gear. My wife, who tends to give me grief for some of this stuff, has repeatedly stated that she married correctly after I got everything going. My generator worked fine, we had lights and heat and comfort.
What I learned:
1. Know your gear. I initially tried to used a smaller electric generator (think a big car battery with a built in plug set) to power the heater and figured out that it didn't pack nearly enough juice to do anything. However it was great for cell phones and small stuff. I am still needing to figure out how much stuff I can really use on my generator, but it worked great for the basics.
2. Have your stuff set up. My gear was mostly ready to use, but I had to re-arrange my garage in order to get the generator into a workable place (can't keep it indoors due to exhaust), and get the power cords strung. Spent about 30 minutes outside in an ice storm due to this, not fun.
3. Test gear prior to use. I violated this twice, I hadn't tested my generator or my propane heater. Both worked well, but what if?
4. Back up to the back up. I had several light sources ready if the generator didn't work, and two heaters (well, one heater and the other was a small cook stove but in a pinch it could provide some heat).
5. Have the plan ready. I had already figured out how to use what I had for best effect. In this case, one floor lamp and one space heater in the master bedroom with the rest of the house closed off. Heat is trapped in one area, and the floor lamp gives tons of light. Plus I was able to counteract the loss of heat due to having to crack a door for the power cord by running under several other doors which "sealed the leak" in a manner of speaking.
6. Know you emergency. Figure out what are likely problems in your geographical area for preparing. And then figure out what MAY happen and be ready for that too (ICE in Ok? Who would have thought THAT?). This isn't so hard actually, when you boil it down, most emergencies end up needing the same stuff (food, water, medical supplies, power, commo, tools) so in preparing for one, you can in many case prepare for all.
We were able to be warm and do a lot of stuff (I read some important stuff for my next assignment and Tamara worked on some accountancy paperwork) while some other folks were having to stay in their cars for warmth. And being that my wife is pregnant, I don't like the idea of my wife and baby being in an unheated house should this storm linger. So I have some serious piece of mind.
We had that moment starting at 1100 today when the Ice Storm hit Fort Sill. WE have just finally dug out from the huge snow storm and everyone was thinking we were ready for this one. But it occurred to me that this was an ICE storm, not snow, and that is a world of difference.
Good thing I was thinking ahead a bit. Part of my JIC stockpile is a propane camp heater, two lanterns (one battery and one hand crank), and a generator with all necessary items to provide heat, light, coolness (a fan really), power to charge cell phones and even allow me to watch TV should I be bored. I even have a small gas tank (15 gallons). But since we are moving I had drained it and no gas. But I had a bad feeling about the coming storm and took some lunch time to fill a 5 gallon can.
We were released from Sill at 1300 (I left at 1400 due to an emergency in the unit), and the drive home was really making me nervous. Ever tree was coated in 1/2 inch thick ice and many had snapped off or snapped in half. Power lines were also coated. Being from where I am from, I knew this storm was going to screw up the power royally. When I got home I pull out the emergency locker and got ready.
At 1500 our power went out and it stayed off till about 2100 tonight. The power company couldn't give me a definite time so I got to break out the gear. My wife, who tends to give me grief for some of this stuff, has repeatedly stated that she married correctly after I got everything going. My generator worked fine, we had lights and heat and comfort.
What I learned:
1. Know your gear. I initially tried to used a smaller electric generator (think a big car battery with a built in plug set) to power the heater and figured out that it didn't pack nearly enough juice to do anything. However it was great for cell phones and small stuff. I am still needing to figure out how much stuff I can really use on my generator, but it worked great for the basics.
2. Have your stuff set up. My gear was mostly ready to use, but I had to re-arrange my garage in order to get the generator into a workable place (can't keep it indoors due to exhaust), and get the power cords strung. Spent about 30 minutes outside in an ice storm due to this, not fun.
3. Test gear prior to use. I violated this twice, I hadn't tested my generator or my propane heater. Both worked well, but what if?
4. Back up to the back up. I had several light sources ready if the generator didn't work, and two heaters (well, one heater and the other was a small cook stove but in a pinch it could provide some heat).
5. Have the plan ready. I had already figured out how to use what I had for best effect. In this case, one floor lamp and one space heater in the master bedroom with the rest of the house closed off. Heat is trapped in one area, and the floor lamp gives tons of light. Plus I was able to counteract the loss of heat due to having to crack a door for the power cord by running under several other doors which "sealed the leak" in a manner of speaking.
6. Know you emergency. Figure out what are likely problems in your geographical area for preparing. And then figure out what MAY happen and be ready for that too (ICE in Ok? Who would have thought THAT?). This isn't so hard actually, when you boil it down, most emergencies end up needing the same stuff (food, water, medical supplies, power, commo, tools) so in preparing for one, you can in many case prepare for all.
We were able to be warm and do a lot of stuff (I read some important stuff for my next assignment and Tamara worked on some accountancy paperwork) while some other folks were having to stay in their cars for warmth. And being that my wife is pregnant, I don't like the idea of my wife and baby being in an unheated house should this storm linger. So I have some serious piece of mind.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
We Win
Just in case you missed it (and since it certainly didn't make MSM I am sure you did). Yesterday the USMC pulled out its final unit in Iraq and handed it's areas of responsiblity over the the US Army and Iraq Military.
Area of Responsibility? Anbar, part of the Sunni Triangle and most heavily fought over area in Iraq (aside from some areas in Baghdad). No explosions, no attacks, no nothing bugged the ceremony. Which was unlike the one we had for FOB Danger, when we had a rocket attack during the handover (missed of course, but a PR coup for the insurgents).
No more Marines in Iraq and the Army will be down to 50,000 troops by summer's end. Hmmm, sounds like victory to me.
Area of Responsibility? Anbar, part of the Sunni Triangle and most heavily fought over area in Iraq (aside from some areas in Baghdad). No explosions, no attacks, no nothing bugged the ceremony. Which was unlike the one we had for FOB Danger, when we had a rocket attack during the handover (missed of course, but a PR coup for the insurgents).
No more Marines in Iraq and the Army will be down to 50,000 troops by summer's end. Hmmm, sounds like victory to me.
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