US Strategy in GWOT

It is time to review US strategy in the Global War on Terror and look at the main operational efforts/fronts and how they play into the overall strategy.

The US is playing its cards correctly at this point despite all the rhetoric in the main-street media.

• The Main Effort in GWOT - Continue focus on anti-insurgency operations, Iraqi Army/Police training, and nation building in Iraq so we can reduce US forces for rest and refit for future operations, namely Iran. Loosing Iraq will greatly weaken Islamists ability to rally public support and continue their evil cause; namely the destruction of our way of life.


• The Second Front in GWOT - Continue to build the NATO Coalition in Afghanistan. This keeps the Europeans and Canadians involved in GWOT and allows them to participate up to their capabilities. It also gives them firsthand accounts of the evil of Islamists.


• The Third Front in GWOT - Allow Pakistan to purchase new F-16s and 500 JDAM precision munitions to assist in the possible future death of Bin Laden and his ilk in Pakistan/Afghanistan border region.


• The Fourth Front in GWOT - Let Israel continue its hardline stance against Hamas to show its true colors and lose support of the Palestinian people; thereby allowing a more moderate Fatah to gain recently lost support, enact a "Two-State" solution, and put an end to the Middle East crisis that has persisted for 1/2 a century. Hamas' future loss of public support will be another nail in the coffin of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (which Egypt is now effectively handling on its own).


• The Fifth Front in GWOT - Let the Islamists clean house in Somalia. It needs it. Support the African Union indirectly to prevent another Taliban-type state that we would otherwise have to deal with in near the future. Overtly support Ethiopia in the future, if needed, with airpower to execute precision strikes.


• The Sixth Front in GWOT - Continue to pressure Iran on the nuclear issue and support anti-governmental forces so that it falls from within. Internal strife will prevent external support of terrorism. As a last ditch effort, force the situation by bombing nuclear sites. We will not detroy all of them, but vocal rhetoric from Ahmadinejad will be seen as a cause of the bombing and will lend support to anti-government forces. As Iran falls, so will Syria resulting in a free Lebanon.


• The Seventh Front in GWOT - Continue support of the Saudi regime. It is taking down some serious Islamists now that it has recognized that Wallabism is central to Islamists' philosophy and threatens its own regime. It is also oil freindly to the US-a commodity that is our lifeblood economically.


• The Eighth Front in GWOT - Continue to isolate Korea and demand six-party talks. They are all talk and cannot provide electricity for their people much less mount an offensive against anybody. North Korea just needs to continue to be isolated until it falls from within.


• The Nineth Front in GWOT - Continue to financially isolate and strap Islamists by preventing banking transactions. Continue to monitor Islamists for any intelligence to prevent attacks in the US and other democractic countries.


• The Tenth Front in GWOT - Continue to protect the homeland. While GWOT has cost $1/2 trillion and continues to grow, what would be the cost of rebuilding New York City and the monetary effects on our economy if a successful nuclear attack occurred in this vital city? It would make New Orleans and Katrina look like childplay and have far-reaching economic ramifications. $1/2 trillion is a small price to pay in comparison.

While there are many more smaller fronts in the Global War on Terror, these are the top ten. Al Qaeda has been weakened enough over the last five years to the point that of these ten major fronts they have only recently opened up a new one, namely Somalia-which was a minor effort before. In all others, they are either non-players (Korea is using GWOT for its own opportunities) or have been dealt significant blows they are still reeling from. While concern exists in our hemispheare especially with Venezuela and Bolivia, we only have so many forces we can apply to so many efforts. These efforts can only be affected politically at this time.

Battles won (but operations still ongoing) include:

• USA - It has not been re-attacked for almost five years.
• Iraq - It is now a freely democratic country.
• Afghanistan - It is now a freely democratic country.
• Saudi Arabia - It no longer actively supports terrorism and in fact is a central fight against it.
• Kuwait - It just held free democratic elections with women voting.
• Pakistan - It no longer actively supports terrorism and in fact is actively pursuing them to the best of its ability. F-16s with JDAMs will help immensely.
• Lebanon - It is free for the most part. It continues to gain independence from Syria.
• Israel - Since 9-11, all Americans now understand the terrorist threat to Israel.
• Lybia - An old nemesis is no longer a major player.
• Georgia - Free
• Ukraine - Free

Battles that are shaping up and can go either way.

• Iran - Will we be able to prevent this regime from going nuclear and extorting nuclear terrorism?
• Syria - Winning Iran will cause Syria to fall. If we lose the battle in Iran, we can still defeat Syria, but then will have to fight a dual front.
• Somalia - Will the African Union be able to maintain peace which is acceptable to the US?
• Palestine - It is now a freely democratic entity soon to be country if the Palestinian people themselves can stop blaming Israel for all of its ailments.

When President Bush stated GWOT will outlive his presidency, he wasn't trying to pass the buck. He was just pointing to the truth. Given our current force structure, we cannot go into Iran, Syria, and Somalia. We must rely on political maneuvering and other friendly nations. Once thing Mr. Bush has brought to the forefront is that GWOT is dependent upon all nations fighting against terrorism and not harboring terrorists. Several free or pro-US countries are involved actively in GWOT and actively or passively fighting terrorists.

This war has more operational fronts than any the US has fought in over 60 years. We are winning. The terrorists are losing. The reason is simple. Our founding fathers stated it 230 years ago today in signing the Declaration of Independence.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. "