Top > World > 2006 > January > 2006-01-15

Briton Speaks Out About U.S. Army Tactics

A senior British Army officer is criticized the U.S. Army`s performance in Iraq, and did so in a magazine distributed and published by the U.S. Army. Brigadier Nigel Aylwin-Foster calls U.S. tactics "culturally ignorant, self-righteous, overly optimistic and unproductive." Aylwin-Foster`s rank is equivalent to a U.S. one-star general.

"The Army is full of soldiers showing qualities such as patriotism, duty, passion and talent," writes Aylwin-Foster. "Yet," he continues, "it seemed weighed down by bureaucracy, a stiflingly hierarchical outlook, a predisposition to offensive operations, and a sense that duty required all issues to be confronted head-on." The article was published with two disclaimers, which make clear that the views expressed do not reflect those of the British government, the British military, the U.S. Army, its Combined Arms Center or Military Review.

Col. William M. Darley, the editor of the magazine the piece appeared in, is holding his ground despite criticism from other U.S. military officials. "We`ve had some very strong reaction as to why the Military Review would even consider publishing this. But I want to win the war in Iraq". Said another military intellectual here, retired Col. Gregory Fontenot, who led U.S. forces into Bosnia in 1995, "I think he`s overstating the case, but whether he`s right or wrong, what`s important is that the Army understands it has a problem, which it does."