When an enemy issues a threat, too many here quake in their boots. And when one of our leaders makes a threat to the enemy, too many here quake in their boots. Stop that.
General Grant put it well to his subordinates during the 1864 Wilderness Campaign after they pestered him with worries about what Lee could do when Grant's army marched:
Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing about what Lee is going to do. Some of you always seem to think he is suddenly going to turn a double somersault, and land in our rear and on both of our flanks at the same time. Go back to your command, and try to think what we are going to do ourselves, instead of what Lee is going to do.
Precautions are good. But force protection is not the objective when America goes to war (quoting my 1997 Iran-Iraq War paper):
Our soldiers' lives are indeed valuable, and our country's insistence that we minimize risks to them is laudable (as well as being necessary due to the small size of the Army). Undue concern, however, is false compassion and, as was the case for Iraq in 1980, could result in even greater casualties in a prolonged war should we refuse - because of the prospect of battle deaths - to seize an opportunity for early victory.Obsessing on force protection measures should not paralyze our war effort. Our enemies should spend more time terrified about what America will do to them.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: You may also like to read my posts on Substack, at The Dignified Rant: Evolved. Go ahead and subscribe to it. It's the right thing to do!
NOTE: Portrait from here.
