General Milley's 4 Myths of Warfare. What are your thoughts and what others can you add?

CPT Ahmed Faried — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 12:33:57 -0500

I was watching a DefenseOne interview with the 39th CSA Gen. Milley. He mentioned 4 general myths of warfare which I found to be interesting and accurate. They are:

1) Wars can be won with stand-off weapons
2) Armies are easy to regenerate
3) Special Forces can do it all
4) Wars are/can be short

..and this got me thinking what other myths can we add to this based on our collective experiences.

Response by LTC Stephen F. made Nov 24 at 2015 12:37 PM

LTC Stephen F. — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 12:37:47 -0500

His four points seem very reasonable CPT Ahmed Faried
I concur with the first 3; but, the 4th can be misleading - British operation in Falklands, and our operations in Grenada and Panama were very short. Desert Storm was also short.
1) Wars can be won with stand-off weapons
2) Armies are easy to regenerate
3) Special Forces can do it all
4) Wars are/can be short
I would add
5) Civil wars are civil.
6) We need the newest and most expensive weapons systems to win wars of the future
7) the A-10 Warthog has outlived its usefulness
8) the military services need distinctive camouflage uniforms [remember BDUs]
9) the active component can do it all - no need to bring in the Reserves
10) DoD is efficient and will do what is best for each military service

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2015 12:43 PM

MSG Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 12:43:30 -0500

CPT Ahmed Faried Isn't this what the general (and less educated about warfare) public believes?

Response by SGT Dana Williams made Nov 24 at 2015 12:50 PM

SGT Dana Williams — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 12:50:53 -0500

I would tend to agree. Wars can be won with stand-off weapons ... if your enemy cooperates and quits. Armies are easy to generate ... but worthless without training.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2015 1:09 PM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 13:09:19 -0500

The general is correct on all counts (though I'm sure he doesn't need my endorsement!)

1. Stand Off weapons don't root out insurgency...and they possess the potential to create more.
2. It takes more than 12 weeks to make a solider...It takes 17-20 years of being immersed in a
society's values enough to be willing to fight and die for them.
3. Special Forces have very specific missions...they are not, despite some assertions, "just really
good infantry". Warfare is a broad process, including a host of other forces to sustain and win.
4. You have to fight the enemy...then the enemy's reserves...then the enemy's conscripts...then
ideas that propelled them.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 24 at 2015 1:37 PM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 13:37:31 -0500

GEN Milley is a smart man and i'm glad to see that some, if not all of the SOF truths are still inherent in his way of thinking.
Directly related to myth #3 is essentially the last of the SOF truths - Most Special Operations require non-SOF assistance.

You can indirectly apply other SOF truths to the other myths as well.

Response by SGT David T. made Nov 24 at 2015 1:56 PM

SGT David T. — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 13:56:01 -0500

The General's list is not absolute. The addendum to every one of his points is "it depends". It all depends on the nature of the conflict, the political establishments, military forces, and populaces involved.
1. This is a standoff weapon by definition and can win wars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGM-30_Minuteman
2. Conscription can regenerate armies easily but the quality degrades
3. Depends on the objectives
4. This can be true depending here is a good example: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six-Day_War

So I don't think his "myths" are actually myths, I think that there are instances when they could hold true. Even if they do not hold true most of the time.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Nov 24 at 2015 3:45 PM

MAJ Ken Landgren — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 15:45:08 -0500

- Our BDA for jets and drones are accurate
- Establishing Democracy is not victory
- Conventional war against insurgents is appropriate
- Sometimes how much money we spend does not guarantee victory
- If you support the Kurds, then support them with continuity
- Stop messing around in multiple countries as the war will get larger
- We don't know what the COG of our enemies are

Response by Capt Seid Waddell made Nov 24 at 2015 4:04 PM

Capt Seid Waddell — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 16:04:48 -0500

5. Murphey was an optimist.