Comments on: CIA’s Phoenix Program Flies Again

By: Doc-K

Doc-K — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:02:56 +0000

Very interesting reading. As veteran Army Medic (Abn) having served in both Gulf Wars, I am just curious if anyone else here is aware of the current ‘persecution’ being conducted against the CIA? An individual who might volunteer for this new Phonex program would in essence be playing Russian Roulette. Even after the Republicans take back the government in 2010, and then in 2012, one has to consider further down the road that the leftist party will regrab Washington in 2016, and will predictably resume their quest against the brave and bright in the intelligence community. When I was still green, I was once told by a CSM that there is a line between being gung-ho and stupid.

Or am I wrong?

By: batmanintx

batmanintx — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 17:26:39 +0000

RAND conveniently fails to notice that the “sunni awakening” was the project of a highly innovative Army staff officer flying under the radar of the Marine bureacracy that was running the show in Al-Anbar. He started working with the locals without any official sanction. Initially he was smacked down when Baghdad found out, but when it actually worked –then everyone piled on and Odierno and Petraus jumped up to take credit.
The best solutions for Afghanistan are already there on the ground — if we’d just get all the Alphabet soup of conflicting commands and generals out of their way — that and the damn “Army Field Manual” on interrogations — that alone means nothing like the Phoenix program is possible anymore.
Besides — as the RAND study noticed — the CIA — at the height of the Cold War, and its power/funding-was “stretched thin” in Vietnam — mmmmm… I’d bet the house they are even more thinly stretched in Afghanistan.
Putting a few more 20-something Ivy-leaguers in 5.11’s and plopping them into a combat zone for 6 months to work with Afghan warlords is a recipe for disaster.

By: Jawaralal Bernstein

Jawaralal Bernstein — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:35:22 +0000

Brilliant. At a time when the recent administration trashed our national reputation by ignoring the Geneva Convention and basic morality, do ya think we will have a killing and torture program revival? Further, the fellas at Rand are believing the documents they read from moldy cartons and the Amurican heroes from the agency who claim Phoenix was just a smashing success. Afraid it was a terribly counterproductive, reputation-killing disaster.

By: El Coqui

El Coqui — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 07:44:52 +0000

And still my dear Buddha, is you and your comrades that are out of a job. Tough Lucksky! :)

By: BuddhalovesPaine

BuddhalovesPaine — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:12:31 +0000

The idea that provencial Americans can develop a better police force than the Europeans is so funny that my Stazi comrades are rolling on the floor howling with laughter.

By: Bill

Bill — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:38:29 +0000

An actionable concept; replace the “police” with a reliable ANA cadre (I saw at least one outstanding Company level force in every district I worked, there’s your local background story). This is basically what some existing forces have been doing for 8 years, although sharing resources with multiple priorities and/or missions. The Afghan warrior culture, at both the individual and political level, will never be “beat down” by a superpower, just look at everyone from Alexander to the USSR. Victory will come beside Afghan leaders and troops, or not at all.

By: Bear

Bear — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:12:36 +0000

Mr Grant it the head of the nail in this short and stright to the point on this. We need to take a step back form thr lesson learned in Vietnam-era “Phoenix” program. I myself have spend 2 tour there trying to just that but the higher up are not backing the program if you ask me. we need someone or some agency to start the program back up. If they need someone to lead it I more then willing to take charge of it