Pandemonium:  Anti-Strategy Warfare


President Donald J Trump envisioned Pandemonium.  And as the first wave of bombers traveled toward Iran,  he neglected lessons offered from the 20th century.  Bombing starts wars and elongates war.  But it never ends war - except for on that one occasion.  But that solution - is intolerable.

Pandemonium allows for the wild noise,  disorder and confusion of war.  But we forget the London Blitz.  Londoners endured fifty-seven consecutive days of bombings.  The Luftwaffe conducted almost daily raids over an eight month period.  And neither were Coventry, Liverpool and Birmingham spared. Did the English crawl toward the Germans with pen in hand?  Nope.

https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/online-exhibitions/history-of-the-battle-of-britain/the-blitz/

Agen autem non movet nisi ex intentione finis.

A bomb is a mobile agent of death tasked with a targeted end-point.  But the intention of bombing is never to usher in peace because peace can never be birthed through the midwifery of explosives.  But peace can occur after a full-bodied strategy of war is deployed and the enemy subdued. 

The weakness of the current administration is that this war is being run like political theater as opposed to an operational theater. Our binary actions of aerial assault and attempts at sea dominance are insufficient. As to whether the Pentagon considers our actions robust enough remains a mystery to me. And as to the posture of the DNI -  who knows?  Above my pay grade.

But as a former military officer, I am well aware that from Vietnam to Iraq... and Afghanistan,  Pandemonium produced negligible results.  Regarding Afghanistan - we left with a big "bang" and lost thirteen oath keepers. (26 August 2021)

I consider Pandemonium/bombing an anti-strategy warfare. I firmly believe that any engagement in war should be preceded by a simple equation.  What is potential loss of life for "boots on the ground"? Please do not misunderstand me.  I am not talking about math.  As a nurse corps officer with Fleet Hospital Dallas, I am writing about the human pulse. How many, will not return to their families?

Before each war - we ship the polymer sarcophagus in anticipation of a need to bring human remains home.  Were there a ground war with Iran - how many body bags would we need?  One thousand... ten thousand?  Just review the Iran-Iraq war.  That number, would undoubtedly be doubled or tripled if we put boots on the ground in Iran. 

Did the Pentagon "do the math" and present it to our Commander-in-Chief before embarking on anti-strategy warfare?  Is this administration aware that Iran does not allow any foreign military to base themselves within sovereign borders - even for peaceful means?  And do we understand that the Basij receive their call up to duty from the masajid?  It can be accomplished quickly and efficiently in Iran.

Speaking of fun with math:

Even now - the White House has reclassified the deaths of the four military members who perished in Jordan.  The first slap, came when their names were erased from the Defense Casualty Analysis System.  The bitch slap into the next county was delivered when they were the first-ever to receive designation in a new category created especially for them: Overseas Contingency Operations.   This reclassification diminishes their sacrifice and cheapens their oath.  This classification, wants us to just forget about them.  "What war deaths?  Pass me the pea salad, please. And can I have a refill on my iced tea?"

Making it perfectly clear regarding this post:  If the number of deaths on the ground for our oath keepers will be excessive - let this simple tool provide contemplation as to whether we should engage Pandemonium as the best course of action.

We are there for you!  We are there absolutely, resolutely there for you every damn day for the defense of our nation. In uniform. Trained. Ready to make the sacrifice.  Because Fleet Hospital Dallas was tasked with the care for our US Marines, I would always say that I was willing to "fall across the body of my patient to save his life." I meant it.

But if you do not have the stomach for war, do not engage an anti-war strategy. Curb the thought, and consider diplomacy.

Russia and Ukraine?   Please take care of your own cluster fuck.  I doubt we are capable of resolving our own folly.

swoffordwrites@gmail.com

Tammy Swofford, R.N. BSN

former LCDR 

Fleet Hospital Dallas, USNR, NC 


 

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