While the Navy is telling Congress it is time to reset the strategic environment back to the cold war to support leaderships vision of what the Navy needs to be doing, the reality of what the Navy should be doing is summed up all too well by the details of this article from back in May.Company A, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), is training to operate boats the unit received, May 2.I'm not sure we could find a better example of the disproportionate priorities the US Navy has today than to highlight a photograph of the 101st Airborne Division patrolling Euphrates River.
“I’m pretty excited,” said Cpl. Tomas Montoya, Co. A, 3-187th Inf. Regt. “I never thought I’d have the opportunity to work on boats over here in Iraq.”
“The boats will create new opportunities and capabilities in their operations along the Euphrates River,” said Lt. Col. Andrew Rohling, commander of 3-187th Inf. Regt. “They bring a sense of security, strength and versatility the local populace has not always seen from the water.”
“The boats add invaluable dimensions to the unit’s ability to conduct full-spectrum operations,” said Maj. Curtis Crum, 3rd BCT operations officer. “The boats give the brigade a unique capability that is not typically resident in this type of unit’s arsenal.”
The unit’s predecessors, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division, ordered the boats in November 2007 to conduct operations along the Euphrates to deter insurgent activity. The boats were delivered to 3-187th Inf. Regt., in January.
One might look at this picture and wonder why the Navy couldn't find a Boston whaler to mount a machine gun on and do this mission, or was it because the Navy wouldn't do the mission? It is a serious question, because it highlights the lack of priority the Navy's leadership has in regards to the NECC, not to mention the lack of funding.
The story is a good read. In particular note the attitudes of the guys in 3-187 interviewed. Imagine a world where the Navy's leadership was excited about doing the Navy's job as those Army guys reportedly are. As the Iraqi's take over duty at the dam, one wonders if the Navy will step up and take over for the Army. From what I'm hearing, the answer is "probably not."
The nation has been at war in Iraq for over five years now, a war with a clear Navy riverine mission profile, and yet here we are after five years into the war watching the Army stand up a riverine force for the Euphrates river from an order given in November of 2007, and the unit is already on patrol by May of 2008.
This is a leadership issue, specifically an attitude of leadership issue.
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