Brigadier General Weidly assures us (and presumably DC) that he has things under control.

"On Friday, Brig. Gen. Thomas Weidly, the chief of staff of the Operation Inherent Resolve, insisted repeatedly to reporters at the Pentagon that overall, ISIS is on the defensive.

"We will see episodic successes," Weidly said. "But again, these typically don't materialize into long-term gains."

Weidly said that since fighting began in Anbar over a year and a half ago there have been similar attacks on Ramadi that Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) have been able to repel.

"And we see this one being similar to those, where the ISF will eventually take back terrain that's been lost at this point," he said."  abcnews

-------------------

 I'll bet Weidly is not fun to be around.  He looks to be a man on the make.  One of the marines here will correct me if that is not true.  That's a great command picture.  I really think he ought to make a personal recon out to Anbar so that we can be sure that he has the right spin on this. 

The Iraqis say they have lost the city but Weidly knows better.  Hmmm...

Well, pilgrims, if he is right this will be worth another star or two.    pl  

http://abcnews.go.com/International/terrible-day-isis-claims-iraqi-city-ramadi/story?id=31109881

https://www.mcu.usmc.mil/Pages/director_pages/Thomas-Weidley.aspx

Comments

[blue]

This bloke's eyes look too close together.

[confusedponderer]

blue,
he's a liar. Close-set eyes - they're always liars.

Ah, Harvey, if I ever went mad I'd want to end up like Elroy.

[Jose]

Wait you all are aware that the Naval War College is the most prestigious of all the Senior Service Colleges? All Army FA59's (Strategists) want to go there and the Harvard Strategist program...lol

[Ulenspiegel]

Most obvious explanation: It is John Oliver who poses as general of the USMC. Suddenly, everything makes perfect sense, we see high quality Realsatire. The sad aspect is of course, the USMC missed a great business opportunity. :-)

[Larry Mitchell]

Maybe the general wants to be the new Iraqi Information Minister. He's off to a good start.

[ex-PFC Chuck]

Question from the peanut gallery: In President Eisenhower's late-in-life book "At Ease," he described at considerable length the pivotal role played in his career development by his commanding officer when he served under Gen. Fox Connor in the Canal Zone in the 1920s. IIRC (it's decades since I read the book) since there wasn't much to do at the then sleepy post, Connor took Ike under his wing and gave him a one-to-one tutorial in strategy, tactics and history. Does this type of relationship occur any more in today's armed forces?

[William R. Cumming]

A Marine out to sea?

[William R. Cumming]

Yes Flag Ranks in USA Armed Forces often fortune tellers now.

[William R. Cumming]

Haig fully briefed on where he stood in Presidential succession by FEMA COG officialdom [Continuity of Government] but he still got it wrong after the assassination attempt by Hinkley on President Reagan he proudly announced to all that "he was in charge" when he was definitely not in charge.

BTW there is a statute in the US Code on Presidential succession. Once a FEMA COG minion came to me asking a question about Presidential succession. I took him to the FEMA law library and opened the Code Title containing the language. He said to me you left this classified information out in the open?
I said yes and that the entirety of the US Code was not classified. IMO there is NO SECRET LAW but that notion has some defenders and will have until SCOTUS rules specifically on that issue. But skill, competence, and bravery, and good lawyering in short supply on SCOTUS. So SCOTUS continues to dodge and weave Natioanl Security legal issues.

Proof IMO! June 1st 2015 expiration of so-called Patriot Act without a single sentence ruled on by SCOTUS as to its Constitutionality.

Where do we get such men and women?

[William R. Cumming]

Dr. Silverman! With all due respect! Has the production of "masters degrees" by various DoD entities now exceeded the total production of the 7000 profit-making colleges and universities in the USA or the 3000 non-profit colleges and universities in the USA?

And note the bankruptcy filing of Corinithan College one of the largest profit making entities.

And who pays the room and board for these degrees in DoD entities?

[confusedponderer]

Don't know if that is technically possible, to the extent the supernatural concerns itself with that, given that Baghdad Bob was last seen 2014 terminally ill in a UAE hospital. If he is still alive, how can his ghost enter into msomebody else?

My theory is that of an independent spirit - not so much the ghost of Baghdad Bob but a djinn, which took posssession of Baghdad Bob, then jumped ship when everything went down the drain in Baghdadad in 2003, taking possession of Lord Bremer of Baghdad, only to leave him too and who, to make a long story short, may right now reside with the good general.

These djinns ... only mischief on their minds.

[oofda]

He is an Marine pilot- a helo guy. The Marine Corps used to be the service that was the most frugal in giving out personal awards. No longer. I recall that after a pretty successfu tour in a picked field-grade billet, I recevied a Letter of Commendation. And the command and I thought that was fine. Things have changed.

[turcopolier]

oofda

I have admired the sea services for their frugality in making awards. I am sorry to learn that is changed. I was joking with FB Ali last night about medals. Anyone who knows the truth understands that it is a matter of positioning and politics as to who gets what. It is true that the 525th MI Group in Vietnam downgraded awards to me a couple of times. These had been recommended by the 1st Cav. division and the MACV Advisory team I lived with in 1968-69. 525 went to the USARV awards board and said that an intel officer should not have been doing what I was cited for. In retrospect I can only think of that as funny. pl

[turcopolier]

Rob Waddell

"Don't start if don't intend to win." Define "winning." pl

[turcopolier]

WRC

"who pays the room and board for these degrees in DoD entities?" The students in the War Colleges and in Civil Schooling are all active duty or reserve officers who are selected by a national board for this schooling. The selection rate is 2% for a given year group. There are also some civil servants as students but they are basically irrelevant to the supposed purpose of these places. The War Colleges were created as the top military educational institutions of the services. They were originally altogether focused on strategy and national level planning. I am a graduate of the Class of 1985 at the US Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, PA. This school was originally an extension of the Army General Staff at Washington and the students and teachers then performed a lot of work for their colleagues in Washington. We were still doing some of that when I was there. It was appropriately thought to be unnecessary to give grades or tests or anything like a degree because the officer students were completely self motivating. Students who had achieved this selection and who somehow lacked an advanced degree were given the chance to do off duty study toward an MA at some nearby civilian college. Sometime after I graduated from Carlisle some group of bean counters decided that such institutions must be made to conform to American standards of accountability and mensuration of achievement and degree granting programs became part of the program. the predictable result has been achieved and these places are now third rate graduate schools teaching the usual political science/international relations baloney. IMO they should all be done away with as they serve no function other than as a "ticket punch" in the contest for rank and they are expensive. BTW, they are all pretty much the same in their curricula and officers selected for attendance are given their choice of which one they want to attend. pl

[turcopolier]

WRC

Al Haig was a man who made his way by carrying Kissinger's briefcase. Kissinger pushed him for promotion to a level far beyond Haig's ability to cope. pl

[LeaNder]

I liked this, since for a moment you tricked this military nitwit at least puzzled me for a while.

" I'll bet Weidly is not fun to be around. He looks to be a man on the make. ... That's a great command picture."

this made me go back to look at the picture. And all noticed was his posture. How could I notice the subtleties of, if I may, decoration?

It vaguely reminded me though of use of uniforms in specific contexts. ;)

[LeaNder]

Boydian?

[LeaNder]

come on, that's nonsense. Or do you want me to consider this irony?

[LeaNder]

Ok, didn't pay enough attenion on blue. ;)

[LeaNder]

"All Army FA59's (Strategists) want to go there and the Harvard Strategist program..."

For the nitwits among us, Basic Strategic Arts Program, reading list:

All Army FA59's (Strategists) want to go there and the Harvard Strategist program...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_Strategic_Arts_Program#Reading_List

[LeaNder]

What do you think about his demeanor, his posture?

Is that fine? Seems we went back and took a closer look. ;)

But now that you say so. Maybe?

http://turcopolier.typepad.com/.a/6a00d8341c72e153ef01b7c78bf28d970b-popup

[Origin]

"Define "winning."" [in the Middle East].

The question deserves a serious post and discussion topic of its own.

[fasteddiez]

Leander
It means in a Boyd like fashion....... To be a Thikin' Dawg. He came up
with the OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) A Mr. Coram has a book on his achievements, which eventually, took a toll at the detriment to his family.

You should get a copy of this book, as I think, is necessary for any military minded person.

http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTED_78.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

[Rob Waddell]

pl
It appears that I am hanged by my own rhetoric; it's a difficult answer. I defer to yourself, geniuses and ponderers, contorted, confused and otherwise to lend guidance.
I would generally subscribe to the "coral reef' theory where diversity leads to maximum stability and may lead to some protection and eventual recovery after the killer algae bloom pays a visit; but humanity is obviously more complicated. Winning in the anthroplogical sense could be anywhere between a complete gene pool clear out or genocide to a low violence stand-down (similar to what deer do in the rutting season).
I beg a time extension for a better answer.
rw