Obama asked the Military for a Plan to Protect Civilians in Combat: Here's One
Chris Kolenda
Strategic Leadership Consultant | Speaker & Author | Courageous leaders deserve consequential business success.
President Barack Obama last week issued an executive order directing the military to improve the protection of civilians in combat zones. As veterans who have commanded American forces in combat, we [David Petraeus and Christopher Kolenda] urge the Department of Defense to consider hard-won lessons from recent conflicts when implementing the order.
The military teaches its leaders to balance the needs of the mission with protection of the force. In some cases, this balance can present a difficult trade-off. The best leaders accomplish both to the greatest extent possible.
Today’s wars that are typically fought among the people often result in a third critical task – protection of the civilian populace. In the wars of the post-9/11 era, balancing the need to protect our force while minimizing civilian casualties has become increasingly difficult – and increasingly consequential to successful accomplishment of the mission.
F.ASME, F.NSPE, DFE, Int.PE
8yWell considered. It is a start.
There is no doubt that this will be a very challenging task, especially when the enemy's main battle strategy is to hide amongst the civilian population and use them as human shields to protect themselves and thereby increasing the propaganda value of their cause and to gain sympathy and support from the locals. In so doing any good, that you may do now or in the future will always be overshadowed by the civilian casualties you have caused.
CEO/Founder, Humanitarian Resource Institute: H-II OPSEC Expeditionary Operations, Director, Global Special Operations Network, War Crimes Committee, International Bar Association, Ordained Licensed Ministry Chaplain
8yAfter cut and run in Iraq and Afghanistan, facilitating a spiral that has now transitioned Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Libya and Afghanistan to 5 Somalia level failed states (looking at the same spiral in Continental Africa), one can only shake their head in disbelief, at such an important civil affairs question. Meanwhile, NATO gets to watch the impoverished African American cities, rally across America under the banner of Black Lives Matter, with a call to 33,000 gangs to rise up and target federal, state and local law enforcement for assassination.
CEO/Founder, Humanitarian Resource Institute: H-II OPSEC Expeditionary Operations, Director, Global Special Operations Network, War Crimes Committee, International Bar Association, Ordained Licensed Ministry Chaplain
8yIt is frequently critical that we and our host nation partners gain the support of the people. Their active support is needed for host nations to win; by contrast, their passive or active support of our adversaries enables insurgencies to endure. Legitimacy in the eyes of the population is essential for success.