Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

General Petraeus writes

And talks, too. Last night Central Command posted another letter to the troops from Petraeus. I didn’t see any particular news in it, but it struck me that one of the keys to Petraeus’s success as a wartime commander has been his ability to communicate his intent to the rank and file. It was striking ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
590881_090102_petraeus2.jpg
590881_090102_petraeus2.jpg

And talks, too. Last night Central Command posted another letter to the troops from Petraeus. I didn't see any particular news in it, but it struck me that one of the keys to Petraeus's success as a wartime commander has been his ability to communicate his intent to the rank and file. It was striking to me in Iraq last year that everyone from division commanders to new platoon leaders was down with the counterinsurgency program (pdf), and specifically making protection of the people the top priority. (That was one reason that the Blackwater shootup of 17 civilians in September 2007 caused such a fuss -- it was so clearly at odds with the new way the surging U.S. military was trying to operate.)

And talks, too. Last night Central Command posted another letter to the troops from Petraeus. I didn’t see any particular news in it, but it struck me that one of the keys to Petraeus’s success as a wartime commander has been his ability to communicate his intent to the rank and file. It was striking to me in Iraq last year that everyone from division commanders to new platoon leaders was down with the counterinsurgency program (pdf), and specifically making protection of the people the top priority. (That was one reason that the Blackwater shootup of 17 civilians in September 2007 caused such a fuss — it was so clearly at odds with the new way the surging U.S. military was trying to operate.)

Anyway, Petraeus’s letter reminded me of something I’ve been reading about lately, that eloquence generally was a requirement for the generals of ancient Greece and Rome. It was notable when a commander was inarticulate — the opposite of today’s American generals, Petraeus (and Marine Gen. James Mattis) excepted.

Photo of General Petraeus, December 2008, via DAVID FURST/AFP/Getty Images

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On History | Military

More from Foreign Policy

Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.
Children are hooked up to IV drips on the stairs at a children's hospital in Beijing.

Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

Authorities are covering up the spread of antibiotic-resistant pneumonia.

Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.
Henry Kissinger during an interview in Washington in August 1980.

Henry Kissinger, Colossus on the World Stage

The late statesman was a master of realpolitik—whom some regarded as a war criminal.

A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.
A Ukrainian soldier in helmet and fatigues holds a cell phone and looks up at the night sky as an explosion lights up the horizon behind him.

The West’s False Choice in Ukraine

The crossroads is not between war and compromise, but between victory and defeat.

Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi
Illustrated portraits of Reps. MIke Gallagher, right, and Raja Krishnamoorthi

The Masterminds

Washington wants to get tough on China, and the leaders of the House China Committee are in the driver’s seat.