This is Part 3 of a 3 part article discussing US Special Operations Command's civil affairs mission, its role in Civil-Military Operations, and the need
for this mission in our war against terror. And let there be no misunderstanding...we are at war.

"No group or nation should mistake America's intentions: We will not rest until terrorist groups of global reach have been found, have been stopped, and have been defeated."

President George W. Bush, November 6, 2001

Part 3 of 3 - Learning to Live in A Democracy

One issue that will soon haunt Jay Garner is the employment of former Baath Party members in the management of public infrastructure assets. As more services are brought on line and greater order is restored to the public utilities process, the clamor for Iraqi civilian control of these critical components of civil order will grow. The short, yet very clear guidance, provided on war time CA operations is right on target. It allows the flexibility needed to handle the problem of civil servants with technical skill and experience in public infrastructure management and who were also Baathist Party members in their prior employment. Again, I turn to John Hersey to illustrate my point. After Major Joppolo arrives in Adano and sets up his office in the old Mayor's office, Zito, the old usher, appears to reclaim his old job:

Chapter 1, pp. 10-11
Joppolo: "Why did you work for the Fascists if you hated them?"
Zito: "I have hated them many years, I am well known as anti-Fascist, I have
lived under a great suspicion."
Joppolo: "Usher [Zito], I love the truth, you will find that out. If you lie
to me, you will be in very serious trouble. Do not lie to me. If you were a
Fascist, you were a Fascist. There is no need to lie."
Zito: "One had to eat, one had to earn a living. I have six children." Joppolo: "So you were a Fascist. Now you will have to learn to live in a democracy. You will be my usher."

Jay Garner's field commanders will be faced with many Zitos. Many of them with have critical skills needed to run public utility plants. Their loyalty to the new government, respect for human rights, and support of the rule of law must be established by CA soldiers before the infrastructure can be turned over to them to manage. This process of determining who is a Zito and who is not will be time consuming. An entire army of enemy soldiers has disappeared into the civilian populace. We can not afford to leave early and allow the enemy to reconstitute under a new despot. We must take the time it takes to do the job right the first time. The freedom-loving people of Iraq are depending on it...the people of America are, too.

President Bush, in his National Strategy for Combating Terrorism published in February 2003, reminds us of the reason that we must take the time to do this job right the first time. He said:

The enemy is not one person. It is not a single political regime. Certainly it is not a religion. The enemy is terrorism - premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents. Those who employ terrorism, regardless of their specific secular or religious objectives, strive to subvert the rule of law and effect change through violence and fear. These terrorists also share the misguided belief that killing, kidnapping, extorting, robbing, and wreaking havoc to terrorize people are legitimate forms of political action.

There will be no quick or easy end to this conflict. At the same time, the United States, will not allow itself to be held hostage by terrorists. Combating terrorism and securing the U.S. homeland from future attacks are our top priorities.

It is this strategy that makes our post-conflict CM operations in Iraq critical to the success of our war effort. Without establishing a government capable of administering the rule of law and establishing respect for human rights, leaving Iraq for the Iraqis to sort out would not be in our best interests. For anyone who saw the movie Lawrence of Arabia, remember the scene near the end of the movie where all the tribal leaders had gathered at a "victory meeting" to discuss the problems associated with their inability to run the respective utilities they had under their control. In the end, the meeting deteriorated into a name-calling tribal brawl that Lawrence lamented as a lost cause. Chaos ensued. And while the movie was a fictional account of Lawrence's life and times in the middle east, it was a fair rendition of Arabic culture of the day.

The CMO environment within which Jay Garner is operating has more complexity that anything he has faced in the past, but in a lot of ways it mirrors the problems faced by Lawrence in his dealings with his Arab allies. Unlike Lawrence, Jay Garner has a budget, good staff members, and most importantly, the support of a joint force commander. Interservice rivalry will not be a problem, but inter-Arab rivalry will be. Support for the CA mission will flow from many different agencies...and all of it will be needed if we are going to convince the different groups living in Iraq to respect and tolerate the others. I'm going back to John Hersey one last time for a little symbolism:

Chapter 36, Pg. 246
At about 9:30 in the morning, a U.S. Navy truck pulled up in front of the Palazzo. A Chief Petty Officer and five men unloaded a crate from it onto the sidewalk, and the Chief went inside and delivered a note for Major Victor Joppolo.

Major Joppolo was busy at his desk, and had not noticed the truck. He opened

the note and read:

"Dear Major:
The U.S. Navy is delighted to be able to do the U.S. Army a favor. Here is your bell..."

Victor Joppolo was fired before he saw the bell hung in its tower, but on his way out of town, he heard it ring. Somewhere out there among the not-so willing coalition members and muslim nations of the middle east, there is a bell destined for Baghdad and Jay Garner's name is on it. It will take a big effort to get it to ring...but most of all, it will take steadfast resolution from America.

To read Part 1 see: http://www.gulf1.com/columns/rip/0423.htm
To read Part 2 see: http://www.gulf1.com/columns/rip/0430a.htm

What do you think about this subject?
Write a letter to the editor at: http://www.bulletinboards.com/view.cfm?comcode=gulf1msw

Rip Kirby

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