After five years, the Iraq war is transforming the military

By Nancy A. Youssef, McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON — When U.S. forces crossed the Kuwaiti border into Iraq in the pre-dawn hours of March 20, 2003 , the military set out to shock and awe the Middle East with the swiftest transformation the region had ever seen.
Five years and hundreds of billions of dollars later, it's the U.S. military that's been transformed. The efficient, tech-savvy Army , built, armed and trained to fight conventional wars against aggressor states, is now making deals with tribal sheiks and building its power on friendly conversations with civilians.
Instead of planning for quick, decisive battles against other nations, as it was five years ago, today's American military is planning for protracted, nuanced conflicts with terrorist groups, insurgents, guerrillas, militias and other shadowy forces that seldom stand and fight.
The staples of American military doctrine that have developed since the Civil War — artillery, armor, air power, speed and overwhelming force— are of limited use against enemies who blend into civilian populations.
Five years after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq , the military is being reconfigured to fight insurgencies, but its evolution has been an unplanned, improvised affair, a series of course corrections in the midst of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan . Some changes have been simply last-ditch efforts to stop the violence against Iraqis and U.S. troops, and some say the changes impair the military's ability to fight a conventional war against a "peer competitor."
Divisions are dispersed into what the military calls a more modular Army so smaller units can be moved throughout Iraq . The military has rolled out new vehicles to thwart high-powered explosives. It's set up new training centers and given captains and colonels far more leeway to lead at the local level, not simply follow a general's orders.
Pentagon leaders call this the military of the future.
"Clearly the training now is almost exclusively focused on COIN (counterinsurgency) because that's the fight we are in. And it will continue that way as long as the fight stays at the level that it is," said Adm. Michael Mullen , chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in an interview with McClatchy .
In the last five years, the military has gained "speed, agility (and) flexibility that . . . we didn't have as a much heavier force" a few years ago, Mullen said.
It's a big departure from the transformation that then-Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld promised in the months leading up to the war. Under his plan, the Army would be smaller and rely more on precision air attacks and the latest technology.
Indeed, the war in Iraq was supposed to last a few weeks. The U.S. would dispatch the Iraqi military, overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime, install a new government led by Iraqi exiles and introduce freedom, democracy and a market economy.
Within days, however, the U.S. lost control. Looters took to the streets, and an insurgency took root. The U.S. installed an American occupation government and tried to secure a hostile nation rather than a grateful one.
Back then, there was little talk of counterinsurgency. But the new Army Field Manual puts counterinsurgency on a par with conventional war. "Winning battles and engagements is important but alone is not sufficient," it states. "Shaping the civil situation is just as important to success."
But while the Army has intellectually embraced counterinsurgency, it hasn't said how it will build a force that can fight both conventional wars and counterinsurgency campaigns. How should it train its soldiers? What kind of enemy will the U.S. face? So far, military leaders cannot agree on those fundamental questions.
By adopting a new mode of warfare, "the Army is a python that has just swallowed a pig," said a U.S. Army officer who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to speak more candidly. "It's not clear to me it understands how hard the digestion process is going to be."
"The Army is going to have to build organizations optimized to do (post-combat) stability operations, and that's not what this Army wants to do," the officer added.
Lt. Col. John Nagl , who co-authored the U.S. military's 2006 counterinsurgency manual with Gen. David Petraeus , now the top American military commander in Iraq , questions whether the Army is serious about counterinsurgency.
"The real question is: How does the Army react to the (new field manual)? Can the Army transform itself to be as effective as possible in future battles, which are going to look a lot like Iraq and Afghanistan ?" Nagl said in an interview with McClatchy .
Some think that Iraq is a temporary problem and that the U.S. shouldn't engage in nation-building, as called for under counterinsurgency strategy.
Some think the Army isn't prepared for both kinds of war. Pete Geren , the secretary of the Army , testified on Capitol Hill last month that as the Army steps up counterinsurgency training, it's losing its conventional war skills.
"Our goal is full-spectrum readiness. And right now we're— we're not able to claim that," Geren said. "We are not able to properly organize, train and equip for the rest of the spectrum of operations."
Gen. George Casey , the Army chief of staff, has repeatedly warned that the Army is strained by having 160,000 troops in Iraq . Other Army leaders estimate that the U.S. must reduce its deployment to 12 combat brigades from the current 18 or find itself at the "breaking point."
The war in Iraq has required some soldiers to serve multiple tours of up to 15 months and to remain in uniform longer than they signed up for. Before the war started, soldiers generally served six-month tours in combat zones.
Mullen acknowledged the friction between counterinsurgency and conventional warfare.
"I think that (tension) will be constructive, and actually with what we learned through counterinsurgency, potentially very creative tension as we move to the next several years to get back to a broader spectrum of training."
The military's embrace of counterinsurgency came only in the last 18 months as soldiers noted measurable security improvements in Iraq . In the early years of the war, only a handful of military commanders spoke of the importance of economic development, respecting civilians and employing military might cautiously.
Back then, many ridiculed using "soft power" against what they considered a ruthless enemy. Soldiers said they were in Iraq to fight.
These days in Iraq , soldiers say they're likely to spend the rest of their careers in places such as Iraq , reaching out to civilians and fighting major battles only occasionally. Instead of generals giving orders from behind the front lines, captains and colonels will be forced to adapt as they maneuver through local, tribal politics. And many soldiers say those mid-level leaders will base their decisions on their experiences in Iraq .
Sgt. John Pierce Senkarik , 25, of 1st Brigade, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, is serving in Diyala province, and could be one of them. Senkarik, of Pensacola, Fla. , comes from a family imbued with military history, and he once thought he'd fight the same kind of battles his forebears did. But since he signed up, he said, he's seen a transformation within the Army .
Senkarik, who's serving his second tour in Iraq , said he plans to stay in the military so the Army can capitalize on his experiences there.
"The Army is filled with junior leaders and middle-level leaders who have a vast amount of combat experience in counterinsurgency, in urban combat," he said. Mid-level officers will lead and be "responsible for the up-and-coming Army ."
( Steve Lannen of the Lexington Herald-Leader contributed from Diyala province, Iraq .)

Who won the big boxing rematch in Las Vegas?

LAS VEGAS – Round-by-round coverage of Manny Pacquiao’s WBC super featherweight championship victory over Juan Manuel Marquez on Saturday. Pacquiao won on a split decision, with official scores of 115-112 and 114-113 Pacquiao and 115-112 Marquez.
KEVIN IOLE’S UNOFFICIAL SCORECARDRound 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 TotalManny Pacquiao 9 9 10 10 9 9 9 9 10 10 9 9 112Juan M. Marquez 10 10 8 9 10 10 10 10 9 9 10 10 115
ROUND 1Crowd at a fever pitch as the fight begins. Pacquiao lands a jab after about 30 seconds of each man looking for an opening. Left by Pacquiao lands. Marquez jabs are coming up short. Left by Pacquiao. Nothing big has landed yet. Marquez using a lot of upper body movement, but not throwing punches. Marquez lands a straight right. They bump heads. Right by Marquez. Combination by Pacquiao and Marquez lands a right to the body. Marquez lands a right at the bell.Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 2They exchange to the body. Left by Pacquiao lands. Right by Marquez lands on the cheek. Marquez right to the body. Pacquiao is not throwing a lot of punches at this point, midway through the round. Pacquaio pops a jab without conviction. Combination by Marquez lands and then a left by Pacquiao. They clinch after a Pacquiao left misses badly. Pacquiao lands a lead right. Marquez hooks to the body. Combination by Marquez, Pacquiao hurt by a left hook.Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 3Pacquaio jabs to the body. Hard right by Marquez hurts Pacquiao. They butt heads again. Referee Kenny Bayless inspects, but neither man is cut. Marquez flicking his jab. Pacquiao is backing up now. Jab-left hand by Pacquiao lands. Left by Pacquiao lands. Hard right by Marquez. Left by Pacquiao floors Marquez. They trade on ropes and Marquez hurt again at the bell.Iole scores it 10-8, Pacquiao
ROUND 4Marquez doesn’t look sturdy as round begins. They trade along the ropes, both land big. Pacquiao lands a hard left. Combination by Marquez and Pacquiao smiles. Pacquiao backs Marquez to a corner. Marquez throws a hook and Pacquiao lands a 1-2 combination. Lead left by Pacquiao. Left hook by Marquez lands. Right by Marquez connects.Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 5Pacquiao opens rounds stalking. Pacquiao flicks a jab. Pace has slowed. A minute into the round, not much occurring. Counter right by Marquez. They trade and Marquez lands a right. Marquez has a lot of swelling around his left eye. Hook to the body by Marquez. Marquez lands a right as Pacquiao hooks to the body. Left by Pacquiao. Marquez lands a hard right. Marquez lands two rights as they battle on the ropes at the bell.Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 6Right by Marquez to the head. Another hard right by Marquez. Hook by Pacquiao. Right by Marquez. Pacquiao’s punches are being blocked. Right and then a left by Marquez. Big round for Marquez at this point. Counter right by Marquez. They trade on the ropes, Marquez gets the better of it. Combination from Marquez.
Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez (57-56 Marquez at the midpoint)
ROUND 7 Left hook by Marquez to open the round. Marquez lands a right. Marquez goes to the body. Left by Pacquiao snaps Marquez’s head back. They bump heads again. Pacquiao is complaining. Marquez is cut on the right eye. Doctor examines it. Referee Kenny Bayless rules it was an accidental butt. Right hand by Pacquiao staggers Marquez. Great exchange. Pacquiao backed up by a right form Marquez. Marquez lands a combination. Pacquiao lands a hard jab. Marquez’s cut is on the outside of the right eye and could be a big, big problem.
Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 8Right by Marquez hurts Pacquiao. Good left to the body by Marquez. Pacquiao is hurt. Pacquiao is cut on the right eye. Another left to the body by Marquez. Left hook to the head by Marquez. Combination by Marquez. Pacquiao is having problems. Good combination on the ropes by Marquez. Pacquiao needs to land something to change the momentum. Hard right by Marquez lands to the head. Great right uppercut by Marquez.
Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 9Pacquiao fires a combination to the body. Marquez is not throwing much in first minute. Good left by Pacquiao. Right by Marquez. Pacquiao’s left eye is swelling. Left by Pacquiao. They trade in the center. Left hook by Marquez. Left by Pacquiao backs Marquez to ropes. Pacquiao lands a combination. Bayless halts it to check Marquez’s cut. Dr. Jeff Davidson says the fight can continue. Right uppercut by Marquez wobbles Pacquiao. Pacquiao fires a left in return.
Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 10Pacquiao lands a huge left at the open that wobbles Marquez. Wild exchange on the ropes. Crowd on its feet. Combination by Pacquiao. Left hand by Pacquiao. Marquez flicks his jab. Marquez’s eye looks bad. Marquez warned to keep it up. Marquez right to the body. Right to the head by Marquez. Combination by Pacquiao. Crowd is roaring. This is a wonderful fight. Straight right by Marquez. Right by Marquez.
Iole scores it 10-9, Pacquiao
ROUND 11Pacquiao’s right eye is swollen badly. Pacquiao misses a hook. Marquez pops a jab. Marquez warned for a low blow. Time called briefly so Pacquiao can recover. Left by Pacquiao. Right to the head by Marquez. Right and left and right by Marquez. Pacquiao lands a straight left. Right hook by Pacquiao. Marquez lands a right. Left hand and then a right by Marquez. Pace is a bit slower in this round. They trade just before bell.
Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez
ROUND 12Many in the crowd are standing. Marquez’s cut was shown on the big screen and it is grotesque. Marquez lands a hard right. Hook to the body by Marquez and right to the head. Lead right by Marquez. Left by Pacquiao. Right by Pacquiao. Right by Marquez. Another right by Marquez. Combination by Marquez. Pacquiao pops a jab. Right to the head by Marquez. They trade at the bell. Both raise their arms.
Iole scores it 10-9, Marquez