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I wrote this essay in the first few days after the September 11 attacks. I submitted it for publication on September 16. I decided not to rewrite this or submit it elsewhere. It remains a time capsule for my anger and determination to win in reaction to the brutal assault on our people.
"Civilization's War"
War Begins
Although
That has all changed with the shock of a
devastating terrorist strike that in psychological effect was the equivalent of
a weapon of mass destruction. We even
call the site of the
The Enemy
The war
The Elements of Our War Effort
Diplomacy
The first aspect of our fight is
diplomatic. Diplomacy must shore up
allied support to carry out all the operations we must organize. We need bases, information, and military and
political assistance. Yes, we are
powerful, but we have friends who we need to stand in the front ranks too. Our diplomacy must also tear away as many of
the host states from supporting terrorists as is possible. Let us not be indiscriminate in our treatment
of those states sympathetic to the terrorists or their grievances. That sympathy can never be used to justify
mass murder and we should not, but their sympathy does not mean they support
mass murder. Some states with minimal involvement
should not be pushed by our rash attacks into full hostility. They may have been guilty in the past of
heinous crimes; but if today, out of fear, a change of heart, or weariness, a
government wishes to completely halt its support for terrorists, we should give
that government the chance to aid us. In
time, we can push for further justice from these states that "see the
light" if they are sincere in siding with the West. We must avoid the mentality of forcing states
to either be "for us" or "against us." This will be difficult in our just rage at
the inhumanely awful crime that we endured.
If we insist on this distinction, too many may conclude they must be
against us if we demand unquestioning allegiance. We are the only superpower but we are not
more powerful than the entire world combined.
Would it really be better to push
We must instead reward those who help us
in proportion to their aid; and act against those who thwart us, perhaps with
only economic penalties, in proportion to their opposition. We will of course remember those who help us
fully; but we must accept lesser help with gratitude if it is all that can be
offered. We will of course remember
those who oppose us, but we must not apply overwhelming military force against
any degree of resistance. Only those who
brazenly and actively fight us should be taken down by our full might. This approach will add to our strength and
allow us to destroy the hard core of enemies who will not bend to reason,
guilt, or fear. By taking such measured
actions we will isolate the battlefield and keep the war from spinning out of
control.
Intelligence Services
Intelligence and covert operations are the
first line of active defense and the first echelon of attack. The aerial suicide attacks on our people and
the symbols of our power took enormous amounts of time to carry out. This is one weakness of our enemy. While they may carry out small attacks using
small arms or small bombs at a moment's notice, truly horrific attacks require
time because they must be planned in the shadows to avoid detection. We must increase our ability to detect such
preparations and make sure the information is interpreted to provide timely and
specific warnings. Then, the people who
need this information must actually get the warning in time to take actions.
More importantly, we must exploit the fact
that these attacks take time to organize.
Intelligence must track the enemy terror cells in order to strike the
enemy and disrupt them by keeping them on the move and by killing or arresting
their operatives. We must sow confusion
and paranoia in their ranks to slow them down and get them to fight each other. Our ability to use so many weapons is one
advantage of being a powerful state. We
may be a large target but we are not a helpless giant.
Our intelligence services must also
preserve allies against anti-American coups and look for opportunities to help
domestic enemies of hostile regimes to overthrow those governments. This serves to isolate the terrorists and
prevent surprises that will harm our war effort.
Rule of Law
The criminal justice system has a role in
this war as well. Although we now wage
war, the military and militarized components are not the only means of
fighting. If we can arrest and try
anyone involved, especially those found on our shores, we demonstrate we are a
nation of laws even in dire times. We
will stand proudly showing our enemies that they cannot turn our society into a
mirror image of their hate-inspired world.
Although arresting terrorists should not be the priority, for this is a
war; when we do catch them we should not treat them as warriors or prisoners of
war, but deal with them as mere criminals.
Arresting, trying, and imprisoning the terrorists like common criminals
will be demoralizing to many zealots who imagine themselves going down in glory
battling the "forces of evil" embodied by the United States. There is little glamour in being represented
by a court-appointed attorney in a prosecution for criminal acts, and this
humiliating end will dishearten all but the most committed suicide bomber.
Civil Defense
Civil defense must guard against those
enemies that breach our defenses. Part
must be visible in order to reassure Americans that the war that will often be
quietly carried out is ongoing. The
visible measures will also deter the less committed bin Laden sympathizer and
will guard against opportunists who may choose to strike for reasons unrelated
to the war. These domestic terrorists
may have personal vendettas or political objectives they believe can be
advanced in the confusion of war. Much
security will be behind the scenes and invisible. Heightened domestic security must be vigilant
but also consistent with our liberties and freedom. We will face tradeoffs between security and
liberties and any sacrifice of our liberties must only be taken after sober
reflection and debate and only for temporary periods of time. As horrible as our losses were on September
11th, far more Americans, going back to
Above all, vigilance must not degenerate
into paranoia. We must trust that our
Moslem and Arab neighbors share our values.
They or their parents or grandparents immigrated to
Our Terrible Swift Sword
Units of the United States Special
Operations Command, fighting unconventionally as they are trained, will stand
at the sharp end and bear the brunt of our sustained offensive against the
terrorists. Composed of our own fiercest
warriors in the various branches of the Armed Forces, these units can seek out
our enemies on the ground in other countries with or without the cooperation of
those states. Our vast array of special
operations units can come from the sea, air, or ground to stealthily strike in
raids or identify targets for other elements of the Armed Forces. Fighting on the ground in small numbers
backed by special operations aircraft, helicopters, and gunships, they can
wreak havoc and inspire fear. At the
high end of the special operations spectrum, we could drop an entire Ranger
regiment if we discover a location of a group that has holed up somewhere and
has resolved to die in place fighting.
Such an airborne attack could also be used to secure sites that might
have weapons of mass destruction or the means to produce or assemble them. Special operations forces will also be needed
to free hostages or defend embassies or Americans overseas under attack in this
ongoing war. Just because we have
resolved to go on the offensive does not mean our enemies will sit passively
awaiting inevitable defeat. They believe
they will win this war and will
continue to try and strike us. They will
hurt us again.
The Weapon of Last Resort
Conventional military power, although not
the main weapon in this war, is the hammer that backs up everything else. First and foremost it will deter active state
opposition by those who would prefer to help our enemies. If we cannot gain their active cooperation we
can at least make them fear fighting us.
Deterrence will also keep enemies from taking advantage of our fight
against terrorism by striking conventionally against our allies.
Second, conventional forces can strike
fixed targets to destroy terrorist infrastructure and punish supporters of our
terrorist enemies. Our superb air power
excels at precision strike anywhere in the world and this capability will be
used repeatedly although not constantly.
Such conventional aerial campaigns could also serve to pin a hostile
state's military in place and allow our special operations forces to move and
strike freely against the terrorists seeking refuge in that state's territory. Conventional forces will also be able to
conduct rescue operations to extract special forces or intelligence assets if
overwhelming enemy conventional forces attacks them. Army airborne or Marine forces backed by Air
Force, Navy, and Marine air power can establish temporary airheads or
beachheads to rescue our people and assets.
The Marines will also be called upon to defend isolated American
embassies abroad against attack and hold until help arrives.
Ultimately, American conventional military
power can be used to defeat and occupy a state that decides to wholeheartedly
fight us in defense of the terrorists.
Rapidly and decisively winning such campaigns so that our forces can
withdraw and regroup to continue their deterrent role and prepare for future
conventional battles will be necessary.
We will need allies to police these conquered states to hold the
gains. The war against terrorism has not
made conventional forces obsolete.
Even nuclear weapons may have a place in
this war. The strike against the
Victory
We cannot reason with our terrorist enemy
and should seek to destroy them all.
Although
Fighting the states that have supported
terrorism is another matter. They must
not be treated the same as the terrorists.
The goal with these states is not to destroy them but to prevent them
from supporting the terrorists.
Destroying such states should only be an option when we cannot persuade
them by other means to end their support for terrorism. Just as ruthlessness is the proper mindset
for going after the terrorists, cool reasoning is the proper state of mind for
dealing with the supporting states.
Making these states neutral or friendly will help dry up the terrorist
recruiting pool and cripple the infrastructure that supports them. Terrorism is the main enemy and an emphasis
on fighting the supporting states is a potential distraction.
Americans have proven already in the skies
over
And we will win. Operation Noble Eagle is just the beginning.