Saturday, October 18, 2014

It will take time.


And when you are working with the 'poor clay' available, we may never end this particular mission.
While Army Gen. Lloyd Austin praised some “encouraging” signs, he cautioned patience on virtually every aspect of this open-ended battle, suggesting that it would take years to build viable Iraqi and Syrian partner forces, reclaim territory from the militants, and reform the oppressive governments whose policies fuel extremism.

“We can and will get the job done and done well,” Austin said. “But, again, it will take time.”

Austin, who has served as the Army’s vice chief of staff and as commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, is known to avoid the limelight. A profile on the niche website Foreign Policy this week described him as “one of the more silent generals” and noted that even President Barack Obama called him out for trying to sneak off the stage at an appearance last month at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa, Fla., where Central Command is headquartered.

On Friday, however, Austin seemed at ease giving his first public assessment of the much-criticized, still-evolving military campaign he commands. He dwelt on the Obama administration mantra that air power alone won’t defeat the Islamic State, and he acknowledged that the entire effort hinged on the building of trusted, viable ground forces in Iraq and Syria – so far the most elusive part of the strategy.

“We’ll be able to put quality soldiers on the battlefield that can get the job done,” Austin vowed, but, when pressed, he couldn’t predict a time frame.

“It’ll take time,” he repeated.
If we just remember that valuable bit of Soviet wisdom, "Never give you clients your best equipment".

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