Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

December 2, 2008 7:47:08 PM CST

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Young Officers Challenge Brass on Iraq

Posted Jun 29, 07 10:01 AM CDT in US 

(Newser) – A growing number of young military officers are offering critiques of what went wrong in Iraq, revealing a generational divide between officers on the ground and the generals who deploy them, the Wall Street Journal reports. In an scathing essay in Armed Forces Journal,  Lt. Col. Paul Yingling charged that top brass failed to prepare for guerrilla fights, and then failed to adapt as quickly as front-line troops.

Yingling, a 41-year-old veteran of two tours in Iraq, said the system rewards generals for conforming and discourages risk-taking, while young officers have to adapt to stay alive. His solution: to change the promotion system to include reviews by subordinates. The response from higher-ups to the hotly debated essay: Col. Yingling's not qualified to judge.

Source Wall Street Journal

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon

Related Newser Stories

  • Bombings Kill 31 in Baghdad, Mosul

    Dec 1, 08 7:40 AM CST
    Bombings Kill 31 in Baghdad, Mosul Suicide bombers struck today near a Baghdad police academy and in Mosul against a joint US-Iraqi patrol, together killing 31 people, Iraqi officials said. In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded outside the heavily fortified academy. Minutes later, a suicide attacker blew himself up as police rushed to respond to the blast. Sixteen people were killed and 45 were wounded, police said. More »

  • Maliki's Power Grabs Stir Fears of 'Shiite Saddam'

    Nov 24, 08 10:18 AM CST
    Maliki's Power Grabs Stir Fears of 'Shiite Saddam' Ratification this week of a deal that would put an expiration date on the US deployment in Iraq stands to boost the prestige of PM Nouri al-Maliki, who in recent months has consolidated his power in moves that echo previous authoritarian regimes. As one Western observer tells the Los Angeles Times, Maliki is poised to become “a benevolent Shiite Saddam.” More »

  • Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years

    Nov 18, 08 1:44 AM CST
    Mullen Warns Iraq Exit Will Take More Than 2 Years The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is "comfortable" with the new US-Iraq security pact scheduling the start of an American troop pullout next year, but believes some major hurdles still exist, the Washington Post reports. Admiral Michael Mullen cautioned that the US has huge amounts of equipment and thousands of troops within the country, and it will likely take up to three years to get everything out of the nation safely.
    More »

  • Biden's Son Will Deploy to Iraq by Month's End

    Nov 13, 08 11:48 AM CST
    Biden's Son Will Deploy to Iraq by Month's End Joe Biden’s son Beau, 39, will be sent to Iraq by Thanksgiving, Politico reports. Beau Biden, a captain in the Delaware National Guard and also the state’s attorney general, will leave Fort Bliss, Texas, for the Middle East in the next two weeks with the rest of Delaware’s 261st Tactical Theater Signal Brigade. More »

  • US Says Raid in Syria Killed Iraqi Militant

    Oct 28, 08 7:27 AM CDT
    US Says Raid in Syria Killed Iraqi Militant Special forces carried out a secret raid in Syrian territory Sunday to kill an Iraqi militant, the US acknowledged yesterday. About two dozen American commandos swooped into a village on the Iraq-Syria border and fought a brief gun battle. While Syria condemned the raid as "terrorist aggression," top American officials told the New York Times that the Bush administration was determined to prosecute the war in sovereign nations even without their consent.
    More »

Iraqi soldiers search a building in Baqouba, Iraq, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, Thursday, June 28, 2007. Joint US and Iraqi military offensive in the city of Baqouba to drive militants...   (Associated Press)
U.S. soldiers from Alpha Company, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, Second Infantry Division prepare to search homes in the Dora neighborhood of Baghdad, Iraq Thursday,...   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Related Links

Threads (
1
 of 1)

Tags

Iraq • Iraq war • military • American troops • Paul Yingling


Loading...

Premium Articles from HighBeam

Find more articles like this

Today's Most Popular

Loading...

Other US Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser a team of editors and writers culls the most important stories from hundreds of U.S. and international sources and reduces them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. It's the Newser guarantee: we can take any report or column or video and pack what you need to know into 120 words or less. Newser's short-form aggregation, visual format, and unique information tools help you get more of the kind of news you want, in a quicker and more entertaining way. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »