US Marine Captain: 'We Lost The Wars In Iraq And Afghanistan'

Sgt. Mark Fayloga/U.S. Marine Corps Photo

Capt Joshua Waddell, Marine Corps: Innovation; And other things that brief well

I am now thoroughly convinced there is something deeply wrong with the part of the Marine Corps occupying the I-95 corridor leading to the Pentagon. What has become painfully apparent to me is the drastic difference between the mindset of the Operating Forces and the Supporting Establishment. While I grant that, in the case of the former, the prospects of being shot, blown up, or otherwise extinguished tend to be wonderful motivators to constantly improve and perform, the Marine Corps Supporting Establishment is filled with senior officers whose backgrounds include extensive experience in combat within the Operating Forces. Why then is there such a divide between the organizational energy and innovative agility of our Marines and the depressive stagnation found within the Supporting Establishment?

I believe I know a big part of the answer: self-delusion.

Let us first begin with the fundamental underpinnings of this delusion: our measures of performance and effectiveness in recent wars. It is time that we, as professional military officers, accept the fact that we lost the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

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Update: US Marine captain writes stinging op-ed: 'We lost the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan' (Paul Szoldra, Business Insider)

WNU Editor: His analysis is .... true.