Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

Quote of the day: A Marine on the Afghan fight

Here are some wise words from Capt. William Osborne, who was the S-2 (intelligence officer, for our West Coast readers) for the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marines in Afghanistan last year. He warns in an article in the July issue of Marine Corps Gazette titled “Southwestern Afghanistan: A few things you should know” that: ...

583886_090708_afghanistan2.jpg
583886_090708_afghanistan2.jpg

Here are some wise words from Capt. William Osborne, who was the S-2 (intelligence officer, for our West Coast readers) for the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marines in Afghanistan last year. He warns in an article in the July issue of
Marine Corps Gazette
titled "Southwestern Afghanistan: A few things you should know" that:

Here are some wise words from Capt. William Osborne, who was the S-2 (intelligence officer, for our West Coast readers) for the 2nd Battalion of the 7th Marines in Afghanistan last year. He warns in an article in the July issue of
Marine Corps Gazette
titled “Southwestern Afghanistan: A few things you should know” that:

The Afghan insurgent is incredibly able at adapting. He will closely watch your patterns and your response to his attacks, then adapt…to capitalize on any perceptible weakness….More impressively, he will undertake defense, reinforcement, attack and withdrawal based on an impressive understanding of both terrain and our capabilities. He will attempt to flank you. In short, respect this enemy.

This is good to keep in mind as you read the current news about the fighting in the Helmand River valley.  

US Army Korea – IMCOM/Flickr

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

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