Logistics in Iraq War: “Herculean feat”

“Good generals study tactics. 

Great generals study logistics”

“I’m certain that when the history of this campaign is written, people will look at this move that the land forces have made in this amount of time as being not only a great military accomplishment but an incredible logistics accomplishment.”

Lieutenant General John P. Abizaid, USA

"General Dave McKiernan offered the best testimony to the logistics troops when he noted on 1 May 2003, 'the truth of the matter is we did not stop operational tempo because of any class of supply, and what was accomplished was never impeded by logistics, and I think that is a remarkable story.'"

Col. Gregory Fontenot, USA

March 14, 2025

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Syria, a fractured state

Venture into the unfamiliar

Syria and US military involvement in Syria jumped onto my radar screen on December 8, 2024, when an Islamic paramilitary organization known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) overthrew the Syrian Bashar al-Assad government.

About two weeks later, on December 19, 2024, the Department of Defense (DoD) announced that there were about 2,000 US military members in Syria, more than twice the 900 it had previously acknowledged. What? Why?

I had paid scant attention to Syria over the years and needed to understand it better. This is my report, a primer, an introductory report in which I share what I have learned with those who may not know much about Syria. I cover the period from 2011 to 2024. 

February 16, 2025