The American People:
How they shape the US militaries effectiveness in war
CPT Christopher Flaugher
My name is CPT Christopher Flaugher, I have served in the US Army for 12 years. I have spent most of my career on active duty in the army reserves planning training events for Soldiers at different echelons. The goal of this story is to provide some context from the military point of view to try and create a shared understanding with the civilian population. Ultimately it is our job to fight our nation’s wars and my solution to winning them is to ensure there is a shared understanding between those who are fighting and those who are at home. This will be done through historical anecdotes and a look at a possible future fight.
My Career
Here are some of my previous duty assignments. Along with some training events and locations I have been apart of along the way. Currently I am Engineer Plans Officer for an Engineer Battalion. The picture is of me and my wife following my change of command ceremony last summer.
Fort Hunter Ligget, CA
I enlisted in 2011 and spent my first few years in as a asphalt and concrete equipment operator. In 2013 we flew out Fort Hunter Ligget to pave a few stretches of roadway on post. I was with the 377th Engineer Company out of Butler, PA at this time.
Morgantown, WV
2018, preforming rafting training with the Army's Improved Ribbon Bridge (IRB). Its a pontoon bridge that can hold the weight of an M1 Abrams main battle tank. During this time, I spent 3 years with the 459th Engineer Company as their Operations Officer.
Fort Bragg, NC
Wet gap crossing using the IRB with the 82nd Airborne Division in 2019. This was during an annual training with the 459th Engineer Company.
Plunketts Creek Township, PA
Restoring a flood plain that was previously blocked by a levee and caused flooding upstream in 2021. At my current position, I helped facilitate this project with the PA State Game Commission who owned the land and the construction unit doing the work.
“War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.”- General William Tecumseh Sherman
If there is one thing in my career that I have learned, it is that the Army is a people business. That means one must be able to work well with people from all walks of life and be capable of communicating effectively so everyone understands. Shared understanding is one of seven principles of mission command described in Army Doctrine Publication (ADP) 6-0 Mission Command. The seven principles of mission command in order are: Competence, Mutual Trust, Shared understanding, Commander's intent, Mission orders, Disciplined initiative, and Risk acceptance. Each of these principles are defined in ADP 6-0 and offers historical vignettes to give context to each principle. The vignette offered for Shared understanding is letter dialogue between Lieutenant General (LTG) Ulysses S. Grant and his subordinate Major General (MG) William T. Sherman in April of 1864. The key take away from this is that MG Sherman clearly understood LTG Grants intent for his forces in the larger scope of the battle. This allowed LTG Grant to trust him without having to oversee his actions directly.
Shared understanding is best summarized and defined in paragraph 1-36 in ADP 6-0:
“A critical challenge for commanders, staffs, and unified action partners is creating shared understanding of an operational environment, an operation’s purpose, problems, and approaches to solving problems. Unified action partners are those military forces, governmental and nongovernmental organizations, and elements of the private sector with whom Army forces plan, coordinate, synchronize, and integrate during the conduct of operations (ADP 3-0). Shared understanding of the situation, along with the flow of information to the lowest possible level, forms the basis for unity of effort and subordinates’ initiative. Effective decentralized execution is not possible without shared understanding." (Headquarters 2019)
Out of the post Korean War conflicts, the shared understanding is lost or is lacking between the American people and military. In a day and age, starting with Vietnam, where the fight was viewed in everyone’s living room. It is now viewed on everyone’s smart phone or computer. The American people became more and more involved on where troops are sent and what they can or can’t do. The American military are experts in warfare, but they are subject to civilian oversite which is ultimately the people’s choice. Moving forward and looking at future conflicts there must be a shared understanding between the American people and the military or else the US will continue to draw itself into decades long fights. Using a shared understanding between the American people and the military will ensure success in future conflicts.
A political cartoon from the 1950's depicting the domino theory (www.globalsecurity.org n.d.).
In the 1950s the threat to the American people was communism. This was perpetuated by McCarthyism [1 ] and the red scare that dominated the decade (www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov n.d.). To further deepen the public’s fear of communism the "Domino theory" was developed by Assistant Secretary of State for Far Eastern Affairs Dean Rusk (www.globalsecurity.org n.d.). It devised that if one country fell to communism in a region then the rest would follow (www.globalsecurity.org n.d.). This idea would permeate into the American people’s conscience. Further leading the people to understand that communism was the enemy and it needed to be stamped out.
[1] “The American Heritage Dictionary gives the definition of McCarthyism as: 1. The political practice of publicizing accusations of disloyalty or subversion with insufficient regard to evidence; and 2. The use of methods of investigation and accusation regarded as unfair, in order to suppress opposition.” (www.eisenhowerlibrary.gov n.d.)
In August of 1964, the attack on the USS Maddox by north Vietnam which ultimately lead to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, passed by congress, is what many historians consider the start of the conflict. At the outbreak of the conflict most of the public were behind the cause to fight communism. Public opinion in August of 1965, only a year into the conflict, was at 61% in favor of actions in Vietnam (Gallup 2021).
This poll was taken shortly after President Johnson addressed the American people on July 28 th , 1965. In his speech “Why We Are In Viet-Nam” the president tries to convey a purpose and shared understanding to the war. He addresses specifically a mother who wrote to him asking why her son was in Vietnam. The goal he expresses to the American people is “to convince the communist that we cannot be defeated by force of arms or superior power.” (Johnson 1965).
During the Vietnam conflict public opinion was driven by a new technology, the television and news broadcasts. In previous wars and conflicts the stories that were told by the media to the public were censored to keep public opinion high (Kratz 2018). In 1966, 95% of American people owned a television (Kratz 2018). This brought the “cruelty” of war into everyone’s homes and had an impact on the entire nations’ opinion of the war. One event that would plumet public opinion was the My Lai Massacre where approximately 504 civilians were killed in March of 1968 (Raviv 2018). Although this event was not reported until November of 1969, it was broadcast for the whole world to see and would spark outrage across the country. Public opinion would not recover following the events in My Lai, Vietnam.
50 years ago: Walter Cronkite calls for the U.S. to get out of Vietnam
Following a news broadcast from Walter Cronkite on the Tet Offensive in 1968, President Johnson reportedly said “if I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost middle America” (Pach n.d.)
A cease fire was signed in January of 1973 ending military actions in Vietnam (Spector 2023). The American people watched the atrocities of war in their living rooms for 10 years. This shift in availability of footage from the frontlines would have a profound impact on future conflicts. Looking back at ADP 6-0 and the events of Vietnam, the leadership at the time failed to ensure the American People shared their understanding of the fight. This would cost them not just the conflict but countless American lives.
On Tuesday September 11 th , 2001 at 8:46 am American Airlines flight 11 crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center (Bergen 2023). Three more planes would follow; one into the South Tower, one into the pentagon, and the final forced down by passengers near Shanksville, PA. Following the events of September 11 th , the US knew it was under attack and who was responsible for it. The new enemy this time was Terrorism, specifically a group called al-Qaeda that operated out of Afghanistan. The campaign in Afghanistan began 15 days after the attacks of 9/11 on 26 September 2001 (Witte 2023).
This conflict at first would clearly define who the enemy was. Along with 77% of the American People backing the US action in Afghanistan (Center 2021). Most of the people understood that the US was just attacked, and it had to defend itself. There was no justification to the American people that had to be explained. The campaign was successful in ousting the Taliban government out of power and sent al-Qaeda running for the mountains of Afghanistan by early December 2001 (Witte 2023). Osama bin Ladin, the leader of al-Qaeda, was believed to be in the Tora Bora Mountain range and a battle ensued on December 3 rd . Ultimately the battle commenced on December 17 th 2001 and bin Ladin is thought to have escaped into Pakistan at this time (Witte 2023).
With the previous government and terrorist group sent to the hills, the US needed to begin rebuilding what they broke. In April of 2002, President Bush gave a speech at Virginia Military Institute announcing a “Marshall Plan” for Afghanistan (Witte 2023). Funding would go towards rebuilding Afghanistan’s government, security forces, construction, health services, and other projects (Witte 2023). However, all of this would soon be put to the wayside to search for Saddam Hussain and weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in the invasion of Iraq.
On February 5 th , 2003, the secretary of state Colin Powell gave a speech to the United Nations Security Council (Filkins 2021). In that speech he gave, what he was told by the intelligence community was hard evidence and facts as to why the UN and US needed to overthrow Saddam Hussain. Pleading to the UN that Hussain had WMD’s and was using them on the Iraqi people (Powell 2021). While still actively fighting al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, Sec. Powell’s speech was convincing enough to be a prelude to war. One month later on March 20 th , 2003, U.S. and allied forces launched airstrikes beginning the second invasion of Iraq (Britanica 2023). At the start of the conflict, public opinion was at 66% in favor of actions in Iraq just days after Sec. Powell’s speech (Doherty 2023)
Just like in Afghanistan the actions on the ground were swift and decisive. By April 9 th , 2003, Bagdad was under US control and Saddam Hussain was captured later that year on December 13 th (Britanica 2023). With the old government ousted, the US had to again begin nation building in Iraq. At this point however the public opinion for the Iraq conflict was as low as 60% (Doherty 2023). This disapproval would only continue throughout the 9 year conflict, especially as more information came out on why the US was there. By 2006 it came out that the reason the US was in Iraq was due to false pretenses and facts that were not credible (Filkins 2021). The Iraqi National Congress, the opposing party to Saddam Hussain, gained favor with the Bush administration and the intelligence community ensuring the fall of Hussain (Filkins 2021).
On top of other grievances that happened including Abu Ghrib prison in 2004, Blackwater in 2007, and countless innocent Iraqi lives lost public opinion for a withdraw grew to 75% (Doherty 2023). Leaders failed to understand the war themselves, let alone have the American People understand why the US was involved. Try as they might but most of the leaders on the ground had a hard time understanding and conveying the purpose to their service members. Everyone must understand the purpose as to why forces are there, and they must be based on factual evidence or leaders will begin to lose the populace’s support very quickly. If they don’t a war will end with no concise win or lose, just suffering.
Afghanistan continued to be fought in the shadows of the Iraq conflict and would continue until August of 2021. The one thing that the American people need to understand, is that nation building is difficult. Looking back at post WWII, reconstruction in Europe and Japan laid out by Gen Marshall and MacArthur respectively, which took years to complete. All the reconstruction was done in a relatively safe environment due to peace treaties being signed. Imagine if no peace treaty was signed and the US and its allies tried to start rebuilding in the middle of the conflict and insurgencies still had to be delt with. That was Afghanistan and some extent Iraq. This was no easy task, and it wasn’t just the American people who lost sight of Afghanistan, but the military and its civilian leadership did as well.
Following the withdrawal from Iraq in 2011, the US had to refocus on Afghanistan. On May 2 nd , 2011 it was announced that al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Ladin was killed in a raid (Witte 2023). Following this event, a Gallup poll was taken where 59% believed that the mission in Afghanistan was over and the US should bring troops home (Jones 2011). However, looking back at who the enemy was, it was not one single person but a group of people with extreme terrorist ideals. The US could not pull out at this point because it would have created a power vacuum ripe for the next terrorist leader to take a foothold in Afghanistan. The task of securing Afghanistan and rebuilding would remain the status quo for the civilian and military leadership but the public opinion would wane.
By 2014, 67% of people believed it was time to withdraw from Afghanistan (Moore 2014). To note, the conflict in 2014 was on going for 13 years. The longest conflict in American history and the question at this point is weather the American people were aware of what was going on in Afghanistan. The highlights of the middle east during 2014 was the rise of ISIS in power vacuum for Iraq and Syria. 9/11 and Afghanistan’s purpose began to fade out of the purview of the American people due to its longevity and the lack of a shared understanding of how to end it. To put this even further into perspective, this conflict spanned 4 presidential administrations with drastically different views on how to handle it. Not to mention spanning 2 generations worth, the younger not even born or old enough to remember what happened on that Tuesday morning.
The next possible conflict that is all throughout the news is Taiwan and China and of which the US is keeping a close eye on. In September of 2022 President Biden asserted that if China launches an unprovoked attack on Taiwan, then the US will intervene with military force (Sacks 2022). The question arises, why would the US get involved in this conflict? Also, what would make the US change its stance from not supporting to supporting an independent Taiwan? These questions may not be fully answered except for at the top levels of government. However, it is possible to look into grievances the world economy has acquired over the last decade with China and why Taiwan is so important.
For some context, from 1945-49 China was in the middle of a civil war between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the US backed Nationalist Party (Lotha 2023). The CCP was successful in ousting the Nationalist Party, which the party fled to the island of Taiwan. Following the Korean War the US adopted the Formosa Resolution in 1955 confirming its commitment to defend Taiwan (State n.d.). During the Nixon administration the US would begin to ease tension with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) by recognizing the PRC and the CCP as the rightful government of China. As well as indirectly not recognizing an independent Taiwan.
The video provided gives a visual interpretation of the Chinese boarders' post 1945 and the start of the civil war.
Over the decades of home rule Taiwan has remained independent and until recently with President Biden was not officially recognized as independent. During that time the small island country became a large part of the global economy, in particular in producing semiconductors for microchips. Taiwan owns around 55% of the market through Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) (Miller 2022). The rest of the market is owned by companies in South Korea, Japan, the US, and the Netherlands (Fortune Business Insights n.d.). Leaving China completely out of a $573 billion market and completely reliant on western sources to produce their technology (Fortune Business Insights n.d.). In conjunction with China’s assertion that Taiwan is not an independent nation, but region of the PRC, and a market that it is ostracized from; there is some justification for military force.
The video produced by Johny Harris provides a deep dive into Taiwan and how its monopoly on microchips has affected the global market and relationships.
The US and the rest of the world have felt the effects of Chinese influence, with in the last decade with President Xi Jinping. Since taking office in 2013 Xi Jinping and the PRC have expanded their global influence through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) [2] and expansion of military bases across the world. An attempt to project China’s soft power across the globe, much like how the US has since WWII. The BRI has created “Debt Traps” and inadvertently put many nations in debt to China forcing them to bend to the CCP (Foreign Affairs Commitee n.d.). While simultaneously acting as a possible port of entry for military forces if needed.
147 Nations have signed cooperation documents with the CCP for the BRI (Foreign Affairs Commitee n.d.). Each of these nations allowing China to have a bargaining tool and ensure their needs and wants are met over the host nations. For instance, in 2021 Hungry blocked an EU statement during the unrest in Hong Kong that criticized the PRC and it undermining the freedoms of Hong Kong residents (Foreign Affairs Commitee n.d.). To keep in mind, the CCP is the economy and military of China. For example, in 2016 Xi Jinping announce a plan to establish State Owned Enterprises (SOE) that would integrate the “party leadership into all aspects of corporate governance” (Livingston 2020). Knowing that, for every BRI project there is some facet of the CCP that is operating with in management of the project. This makes every nation that is part of the BRI vulnerable to the CCP and its influence.
[2] The Belt and Road Initiative is China’s plan to provide funding and infrastructure to any country that request it. With the intent of creating a new modern silk road (James McBride 2023).
The map to the right provides a visual representation of the countries in red that have signed on to the Belt and Road Initiative (Nedopil 2023). The push pins are events that have happened over the course of the BRI (Foreign Affairs Commitee n.d.).
Even with tensions rising over China’s malpractices with the international community and its threat to Taiwan’s sovereignty there is no call for conflict in April of 2023. In the meantime, the American military will continue to train and be ready for the possibility of conflict. Preparing itself for a fight with a near peer enemy in a Large-Scale Combat Operation. There have been multiple “isms” in our history, e.g., communism, terrorism, fascism, etc. The American people need to understand that the military needs their support and understanding. Not just at the beginning and faulter as events unfold but maintain the understanding and purpose so the military can do its job effectively and efficiently. Through a shared understanding between the US military and American people, future fights will conclude in victories instead of stalemates.
