Much has been written about America's dreadful dearth of soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. A reasonable rotation policy has been shortened by the missing companies and battalions - troops America wishes it had yet cannot afford. Units serve their tours of 7 or 12 months, rotate back to the US for some much needed rest and reconstitution, and all too soon they're back in the sandbox, risking their lives in Mr Bu$h's personal war of choice.
Mr Rumsfeld brought some unique ideas to the office of Defense Secretary. Some were intellectually and doctrinally challenging, such as the concept of changing the tactical face of the Army and making large cumbersome divisions designed for fighting WWII-style battles on the plains of Europe into smaller, lighter, more maneuverable units that were better adapted to the concept of expeditionary warfare. The digital electronification of equipment became a force multiplier by increasing communication channels, giving more `real time' control and allowing forces to be concentrated more quickly,
Better communication is an important part of modern, 21st century warfare, and Mr Rumsfeld saw himself as a pioneer in the process. He considered the effects of "cyber warfare" to be exceptionally useful. He also made a special effort to improve military communication to civilian communities, investing heavily in programs to bring "good news" to Iraqis, often through direct payments to newspapers and radio and television distributors. Some quibblers might call these direct payments "bribes" but it was a results-driven process, disregarding the morality or ethics of such tactics.
Mr Rumsfeld also took advantage of the ease of communications within the US, opening offices to transmit information with a positive image directly to the citizenry. We wrote about these efforts at news management several times.
There is a large office in Baghdad devoted to managing the news, and several larger offices in the US, more or less one for each branch of service, and at least two for the Defense Department. Each of these offices studies daily combat reports and area activity reports to create positive information releases for the news media. They also scan daily newspapers and radio and television transmissions seeking what they consider improperly reported news, leaping into immediate action by contacting news managers, editors, and reporters to carefully and diplomatically explain how the cited news article was in error or not in compliance with Defense Department policy and asking for printed corrections.
Now that Mr Rumsfeld is leaving the office he has inhabited for so long we can expect changes from the new occupant, Mr Gates. Such changes are an automatic part of the bureaucratic process. Even if changes are not really needed they occur, as much to transmit the existence of a new sheriff as anything else. It is as easily predicted as the change of seasons.
This might be a good time to suggest that one change Mr Gates might consider is the elimination of the propaganda brigades. This would surely free up another battalion or two, at the minimum. How about it, Mr Gates? Would you consider doing this for the good of the troops? Think of this as a more useful force multiplier.