Big Red Car here on a lovely Sunday morning in the ATX where it is going to be 75F and sunny later this afternoon. On Earth as it is in Texas, y’all.
Time for YOU to consider moving to Texas. I’ll take care of all the immigration admin if you want me to.
So The Boss is talking to a couple of his military buddies. Guys who served, as did The Boss, in elite military units and know which end of a rifle the bayonet goes on.
They have a very low opinion of the military prowess of ISIS.
The Modern Battlefield
The modern battle space is a combined arms battle space in which the infantry is still supported by the artillery, armor, air power, and intelligence. Terrain is still held by men with bayonets.
It is still a fundamental exercise in finding, fixing, and killing our enemies.
In the instance of ISIS, this is a very simple proposition.
We know where they are. This is the “finding” element.
We can cut them off and prevent them from maneuvering against our forces as they occupy land, terrain, cities, crossroads, and have financial infrastructure they must protect. This the caliphate that the Caliph has declared. Let’s disappear it for them. This is the “fixing” element.
Now, it is a simple matter of killing them.
Building a Winning Army
ISIS is not really an army. It is a rabble with guns.
They do not have a TOE (table of organization and equipment) which is able to project combat power in an organized and focused manner. They cannot run a big fight. They cannot replace combat personnel losses — soldiers, KIAs, WIAs — on the run. They cannot resupply units in contact. They are not an army; they are a rabble with guns.
The American Army (and the Marines) have two hundred years of development of leadership, company grade combat leaders with combat experience, combat experienced NCOs (non-commissioned officers), arms, doctrine, tactics, education, and intelligence.
We have a place called The War College. We send promising Captains and Majors to the Command & General Staff College. Our raw material, our finished product is better than any other military in the world. We should be using that advantage.
Our Army and Marines are professional, skillful, accomplished, trained, and as blood thirsty as we let them be.
We have a professional, deadly military capability and ISIS is 40,000 thugs with guns.
This would be the West Austin Youth Association ten and under football team v the Crimson Tide on a very good day. Roll Tide!
What would it take, Big Red Car?
Two American divisions (my personal favorites would be the 82nd Airborne Division and the First Cavalry Division) with appropriate support from the Air Force and the Navy. I would also throw in the First Marine Division who could do the job by themselves if we’d let them.
Paratroopers are used to fighting when surrounded.
The Cav is used to moving great distances and arriving unannounced. A great skill set for the battlefield in Syria and Iraq.
The Marines are the freakin’ Marines and they will engage and kill anything in front of them.
We have the right resources.
What it would take, dear reader, is a man in the White House who is capable of committing overwhelming force against ISIS and who is committed to eliminating these terrorists from the face of the earth.
A man who is willing to fight the social media war with a pyramid of skulls. A man who is willing to make the world safer through deeds and not words.
Unfortunately, right now, that is our weakness. We do not have a Commander in Chief who is willing to be a Commander in Chief.
We will, however, have a speech tonight and like all things, it will be infinitely better when he is done speechifying.
Bottom line it, Big Red Car
Here it is — ISIS continues to breathe only as long as President Obama lets them breathe. They would not make a month’s work for the units I have identified above.
Bottom line — until we act, they exist. When we act, they no longer exist.
This is exactly whey we have such a powerful military. Use it. Now.
Remember the vaunted Iraqi Republican Guard? Yeah, well nobody else does either because we wiped them out.
But, hey, what the Hell do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car.
