Winning the Hearts and Minds- a Change Agent Walking Point
July 26, 2006
A few weeks ago I was introduced to an amazing individual. I attended a dinnner event at the Army Navy club in Washington DC in which Lieutenant General David Petraeus was speaking. He was accompanied by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Rick Atkinson, who was embedded with the 101st Airborne Division, covering the war for the Washington Post. Together, they gave an intriguing recount of their experiences in country, and discussed the importance of the media in modern day military operations. In the opinion of these two gentlemen, the media plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy democracy, and is critical to what Petraeus called, "the engine of change".
This week, a new Army Field Manual was leaked to the public. Originally due for release in September, certain news outlets received a draft copy early. The training manual informs soldiers how to successfully fight an insurgency, and how to approach winning the war. Already, this Army publication is creating some buzz due partially to its relevant content, but also its radical philosophy, which demands more cultural awareness and ethnic sensitivity from everyday soldiers. Its ideas are focused on how to win the hearts and minds of citizens, rather than finding, fixing, and finishing the enemy. A few samples of its unique perspective:
"Efforts to build a legitimate government through illegitimate action - including unjustified or excessive use of force, unlawful detention, torture or punishment without trial - are self-defeating, even against insurgents who conceal themselves amid non-combatants."
"It [field manual] claims that ‘amnesty and rehabilitation’ are tried and tested methods of winning over insurgents."
David Petraeus is the brain child behind this publication. He’s an Army General, widely hailed as having brought a "hearts and minds" campaign to life in areas controlled by the 101st Airborne Division, after the fall of Baghdad in April 2003. General Petraeus lead the 101st Airborne during the successful invasion of Iraq and overthrow of Sadaam Hussein’s regime.. As the insurgency took root and began to grow, he adapted quickly, and re-oriented his soldiers to deal with this new and completely different challenge. His refocus resulted in one of the best examples of a counter-insurgency campaign in Iraq.
Last year, General Petraeus was assigned to command and oversee the training of the Iraqi security force; a job that had up until that point not gone well. The U.S. had been putting a lot of pressure on commanders to pump out a high number of local national Iraqi forces, in an attempt to make quick progress against the insurgency. Unfortunately, they were fielding security units that were under equipped and under-trained. Petraeus immediately assessed the situation and began an entirely new approach, focusing on the quality of leadership instead of the quantity of foot soldiers.
The Newsweek article quotes, "This guy... has a capacity to blow through bureaucracy that not many guys do. He doesn't understand the nature of a wall; he'll either go through it or over it or around it." General David Petraeus offers a singular form of military leadership. During the review of his tour in Iraq, as well as Rick Atkinson’s independent observations of his commanding style, Lieutenant General Petraeus came across as compassionate, optimistic and armed with an amazing capacity for patience. He combines a tough and gritty do-what-it-takes warrior spirit, with the big picture understanding, and broadminded action of a humanitarian and scholar. A change agent in the field, he is determined, and focused on getting the hard tasks done correctly.
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