To the Point
Challenging the Generals
This spring, the Armed Forces Journal published an article called " A Failure in Generalship ." Lt. Col. Paul Yingling accused the highest officers in the Army of failing to envision the conditions of combat in Iraq-- and failing to prepare their troops accordingly.
By Warren Olney • • 1 min readThis spring, the Armed Forces Journal published an article called "A Failure in Generalship." Lt. Col. Paul Yingling accused the highest officers in the Army of failing to envision the conditions of combat in Iraq-- and failing to prepare their troops accordingly. With junior officers now having more experience on the ground than the generals, in counterinsurgencies different from the conventional war they prepared for, there is a growing "trust gap" within the chain of command. Military sources say they've been "let down" in Iraq by the same mistakes made during Vietnam. Was the current generation trained for the wrong war? Are they less willing to follow orders than those who've gone before?
