Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Rise Of The Civilian Analysist

Photo: Frederick and Kimberly Kagan in Basra. Wikipedia


Civilian Analysts Gained Petraeus’s Ear While He Was Commander In Afghanistan -- Washington Post

Frederick and Kimberly Kagan, a husband-and-wife team of hawkish military analysts, put their jobs at influential Washington think tanks on hold for almost a year to work for Gen. David H. Petraeus when he was the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. Provided desks, e-mail accounts and top-level security clearances in Kabul, they pored through classified intelligence reports, participated in senior-level strategy sessions and probed the assessments of field officers in order to advise Petraeus about how to fight the war differently.

Their compensation from the U.S. government for their efforts, which often involved 18-hour workdays, seven days a week and dangerous battlefield visits?

Zero dollars.

Read more ....

My Comment: I have posted many of the Kagans commentaries in this blog over the years. And while I have disagreed on many of their observations and opinions, I have always valued point of view.

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