A failure of command

Why, also, do our military chiefs pay so much attention to getting our troops to the battleground and seemingly so little to what they'll need once the initial battles are over? Why weren't our troops better prepared for the challenges of protecting civilians from resistance fighters, interrogating suspected insurgents and detaining enemy fighters? For almost a decade such questions have gone unasked by our political leaders and unanswered by our military commanders. The stakes of not finding out are great — for while we know we have a strong military, we truly don't know if we have the right one for the conflicts we may face during the next two decades.

That was the discovery the British made — the hard way — in World War II. The American military does no good by continuing to reassure itself that it's the best on the planet, as if it has nothing to learn. As another Veterans Day comes and goes, the Pentagon's top brass owe the nation — and the soldiers they lead — a period of humility and sober reflection. And it's time for our civilian leaders to ask them the tough questions as well.

The writer, a senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security, is the author of 'The Generals: American Military Command From World War II to Today.'

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