Hersh article on the JCS, the Borg and Syria

"The military’s resistance dates back to the summer of 2013, when a highly classified assessment, put together by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, then led by General Martin Dempsey, forecast that the fall of the Assad regime would lead to chaos and, potentially, to Syria’s takeover by jihadi extremists, much as was then happening in Libya. A former senior adviser to the Joint Chiefs told me that the document was an ‘all-source’ appraisal, drawing on information from signals, satellite and human intelligence, and took a dim view of the Obama administration’s insistence on continuing to finance and arm the so-called moderate rebel groups. By then, the CIA had been conspiring for more than a year with allies in the UK, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to ship guns and goods – to be used for the overthrow of Assad – from Libya, via Turkey, into Syria. The new intelligence estimate singled out Turkey as a major impediment to Obama’s Syria policy. The document showed, the adviser said, ‘that what was started as a covert US programme to arm and support the moderate rebels fighting Assad had been co-opted by Turkey, and had morphed into an across-the-board technical, arms and logistical programme for all of the opposition, including Jabhat al-Nusra and Islamic State. The so-called moderates had evaporated and the Free Syrian Army was a rump group stationed at an airbase in Turkey.’ The assessment was bleak: there was no viable ‘moderate’ opposition to Assad, and the US was arming extremists."  Sy Hersh

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You will probably be surprised but I am not.  George Marshall abstained from telling FDR a variety of things in spite of his friendship with the president.  He believed FDR was too likely to tell real secrets to his political cronies to be told everything.  pl

http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n01/seymour-m-hersh/military-to-military

 

Comments

[Brian Hart]

Mitchell

[gemini33]

That series of hearings in early September 2013 were some of the strangest I've ever seen, in the run up to vote on the no-fly zone operation. Kerry, Dempsey and Hagel were sent out to do a dog and pony show in at least two different hearings. The body language from Gen. Dempsey and Hagel was amazing to watch.

Is it reasonable to assume that Gen. Dempsey left behind a lot of proteges? God, I hope so.

[turcopolier]

gemini33

I remember that Dempsey would not look at Kerry and refused to support him in his testimony. pl

[gemini33]

I am confused by Flynn's advocating a Balkan strategy in his Spiegel interview. The rest of the interview makes perfect sense and seems consistent but calling for an occupation and balkanizing Syria seems contradictory to everything else.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/former-us-intelligence-chief-discusses-development-of-is-a-1065131.html

[gemini33]

That was one of my favorite parts of the hearing. Someone cut a clip of it on CSPAN :)
http://www.c-span.org/video/?c4464115/kerry-asks-dempsey-back

[Herodotus]

Doolitte?

[Laguerre]

"What is your focus? pl"

Pro-Arab. Known for work in Iraq. Student of Albert Hourani. What else do you want to know?

[mbrenner]

They also were out maneuvered by the Pakistani ISI, by the Iranians in Iraq, by Russia in Ukraine and now Syria,by al-Sisi in Egypt, by the Saudis on an institutionalized basis, and even by the Afghanis of various stripes. Admitte3dly, they did a terrific job turning Honduras into the world's drug and murder capital. Where they win across the board is Washington.

[mbrenner]

They don't have to make the argument because no one at all visible in American public life poses the question. That is the big story.

[mbrenner]

A joint Japanese-Chinese documentary series on The Silk Road (early 1980s)has an episode that includes an interview with the last Sogdians who were holed up in some high mountain valley in Tajikistan with only intermittent contact with the surrounding Tajiks. They still spoke their Iranian related language and communicated through an interpreter - one of them who spoke Tajik (thence into Russian, thence into Japanese, thence into English sub-titles. Great series - on You Tube

[bth]

In watching Putin, Obama and Erdogan over the last 2.5 years it is important not to view US-Syrian relations in isolation.

Other events that were and are going on would include revolution and counter revolution in Egypt, the demise of Libya as a modern state, Ukraine's color revolution with western backing, Russia's Crimea invasion, Eastern Ukraine surrogate war, economic sanctions against Russia, the rise of ISIL as a proto-state and the opportunistic actions of Erdogan with his neo-Ottoman vision and Putin and Obama with theirs.

I can't explain Obama's Syria policy and more to the point, its multi-year detachment from reality anyone on this blog could have pointed out to him, other than to note that for several years it may not have been the priority of the administration to save Assad, or anyone in the US government for that matter. The consequences of this indifference is near genocidal to religious minorities in the region.

[Herodotus]

The Republicans want to spin this away from them and away from especially Mc Cain and Graham.

[steve]

TTG,

Thanks. I have decided that I have no idea who really controls the CIA.

Steve

[turcopolier]

steve

Rubbish!!! Didn't you read what TTG wrote? The inmates control the institution and put up with politicos like Brennan while they are there in charge. You have seen to damned many movies! pl

[turcopolier]

Herodotus

I expect that McCain and his lady will seek to have Dempsey recalled to active duty to be punished. pl

[turcopolier]

Laguerre

"pro-Arab?" Are you Jewish? "Hourani?" Sounds more like history. pl

[bth]

Colonel Lang, this article on Hersh got me to thinking about 2005 and times before and it occurs to me that you and I have been corresponding for over ten years!

I learned a thing or two. That integrity matters. And moral courage, in rare form, still exists.

I'm not going to get sentimental on you. I just wanted to say thanks.

Respectfully,
bth

[Ivan]

Mr Kerry when one comes right down to it, is on the side of angels. He stakes out a position that superficially aligns with the neocons, but in the end he goes over to the other side. I am glad that it is Obama and Kerry who are in charge, God only knows what disasters we have been spared.

[PeterHug]

What is the book?

I presume you have read "Quartered Safe Out Here", by George MacDonald Fraser. (And if not, I highly recommend it.)

[J]

Colonel, TTG,

I'm frankly puzzled that Russia has apparently allowed Israel to fly into Syria and airstrike a suburb of Damascus, the Jaramana suburb. According to Al-Manar TV, 2 Israeli jets entered Syrian airspace and fired 4 long range at a residential building in Jaramana.

[ex-PFC Chuck]

Beware of those who never doubt.

[Trey N]

Ding ding ding, we have a winner! I knew Doolittle was a colonel (actually a Lt Col, it turns out) when he led the Tokyo raid, but assumed he ceased flying combat ops when he took over command of the 15th Air Force in Italy.
Turns out he continued to fly combat missions as a Major General!
I am suitably impressed; put him on the same pedestal as the warrior generals and admirals mentioned above.

[Trey N]

Do you mean Billy Mitchell, Brian? If so, he died in 1936. Are you referring to another USAAF general named Mitchell in WW II?

[Trey N]

Are you referring to Chuck Yeager, Tyler? If so, he became a brigadier general in 1969, and it appears that he didn't fly any combat missions after that (he was appointed to the 17th Air Force in Europe).
As for LeMay, he definitely led B-17 raids into the teeth of the Luftwaffe over Germany in 1943 as a colonel. He received his star in late Sept 1943, and transferred to the CBI theater in Aug 1944. Haven't been able to pin down for sure if he continued to lead at least some missions as a general, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if he did.
Whether they technically flew combat missions after receiving their stars or not, these two were definitely warriors and not "flying desk jockeys."

[rjj]

Thanks mbrenner! I bought those two Silk Road series in the 90s. That's where I first got the WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE??? thing for the Sogdians.