Someting from nothing

So this week we have been trying to set the groundwork with a skeleton crew for the rest of the unit which comes soon. Typically when you "RIP in" (conduct a relief in place) you fall in on another unit's equipment and mission, and you get all their stuff. We are starting from scratch, and have had to procure pretty much everything from all over the place. We are essentially starting brand new, which is ironic, since we should be winding down. This week was filled with lots of meeting people, lots of negotiating bureaucracy, and lots of good ideas by people who don't really own us on how to employ us. And also lots of ideas from people who do own us on how to use us.

I went to a big briefing this week where the Brigade we are going to work for (even though they don't technically own us-- it's complicated) pitched its yearly "campaign" plan to the Division headquarters. It was in an opulent conference room with a giant table, fancy chairs, water and coffee on the table, and in the back were some big poofy sofas. Off to the side was a table full of lickies and chewies: Donuts, fruit, Cliff Bars, assorted sodas, and other things that make middle-aged staff officers fat. I don't think I have ever seen a higher concentration of field grade officers in one room in person. I got introduced to the Division Commander: He is a career Special Operations/Light Infantry guy who commands a light infantry Division. I tried to break his hand when I shook it, in an attempt to show Infantry machismo- a technique I learned when I was a light infantry guy. He was a bit shorter than me, but he had eyes that looked through you, and he was a skinny, scary type of fit. The Alpha Male was strong in this one. But his boots were clean and mine were muddy. I am not sure the last time he was in Iraq, but it was evident he was out of his comfort zone in this "touchy feely stability stuff" type of conflict.

The brief progressed. It had lots of fancy slides with arrows that discussed the US version of the plan (not sure if it had Iraqi buy in, but maybe that comes later), the plans to draw down and the basics of eventually leaving, measures of performance and effectiveness, more arrows, mission statements, key tasks, concepts, some more arrows, end states, and all sorts of other stuff. At one point we had three laser pointers on the screen. It was classic "good staff work."

We did get a decision on how we are going to be used, but it is nebulous at best. Lots and lots of details to be worked out, and lots more clarification needed, but the kicker is I'm not sure the Iraqis are going to go for it. Either way, it is a mission, and ends the theory that we are a force looking for a requirement. Our task is associated with the upcoming Arab League Summit which is to be held in Baghdad later next month. Having the summit here is a huge boost of confidence for the government of Iraq, and it adds credibility to its legitimacy. The Iraqi Security Forces will have to be on their toes to pull this off, and I'm not sure they want Americans meddling in their plan.

One of the guys I work with posed an interesting question today: "Is this what victory looks like?" Camp Liberty, where we are, is virtually empty. Amenities are being closed by the day, services are on the decline, and the role of US forces here is less and less every day. Some commanders are overly ambitious and look to add relevance, as this is their 'moment in the sun.' Others, because of the way we are raised, have a hard time dealing with the observation that there isn't much more operationally we can do with a force that doesn't want us here. For others, it is apparent they are a couple of years behind the times and think we can still do the same types of missions we did in 2007 and 2008, and they have different ideas on what we should be doing today. Overall, you sense a bit of frustration from a force that is used to being in charge and running the show, and now we have to come to grips with being a sideshow and making a quiet exit.

Perhaps call it victory with a small "v:" Maybe we have worked ourselves out of a job.