Another Reason We're Sending A Squid to the Desert

Admiral Fallon "gets" the War on Terror:

It's clear that decades-old political and military restrictions and downright wishful thinking have resulted in a command that seems to have trouble grasping the larger regional fight, even taking into account the recent operations in Somalia, which frankly, have been long overdue. Neither the President nor the new SecDef can rearrange global geographic responsibilities in the middle of a war, but they can reinvigorate the command by shaking up the leadership and showing their radical sponsors that business as usual is now over.


This is where Admiral Fallon comes in.


Acting without the restraints imposed by nominal allies, Admiral Fallon and PACOM have been closing the gate on Iran from the east **. India's strategic partnership with the US should be recognized as PACOM's singular achievement to date in the War on Terror. By the use of solid statesmanship, military exchanges and defense cooperation, the US has taken away the largest potential market for Persia's vast energy resources. Not only that, but a sea change of geo-political alignments has taken place that will be effective in countering any new alliances composed of both old and new enemies with access to Central Asia and the Pacific Rim.


This is only the most visible example of PACOM's successes. Steady progress has also been made on the direct action front against terror groups such as Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines, where it was reported last month that Filipino forces had killed the group's leader, Khadaffy Janjalani, in a firefight in September. US Special Forces advisors, and civilian support to Filipino law enforcement agencies and the court system are gradually paying off.


In short, Admiral Fallon has been masterful in executing both our long-range strategic goals and in conducting the close fight by rolling up terror groups in the Pacific.

I don't care what color his dress uniform is---if he is willing to fight and has proven successful at doing so, he's the right man for this job.