Bellum

McMaster at work. (Denver Post/CF Walker)

Brigadier General H.R. McMaster addressed a full conference room at the American Enterprise Institute earlier this afternoon, decrying the oft-discussed war between Coindistas and Cointras as “a false debate.” He argued that the lessons learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan — the importance of human intelligence, civil society efforts, liaison work with locals, understanding culture and history of the region in which you are operating, flexibility and adaptation, etc. — are lessons that apply to wars beyond counterinsurgency operations.

Have conventional skillsets atrophied? Certainly, McMaster says, but that is a challenge we can overcome with more training. He cited as examples:

• Command and control capabilities with respect to large numbers of forces on the move
• Logistical support to combat operations at a high tempo along extended lines of communication
• Entry operations other than those that depend on deep-water ports.

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