Forgetting the Rules

It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way
--Aristotle

So, we're trying out all the different ways in Iraq. However, during my time in the Army, in all of my officer development courses, a few rules to stave off failure were deemed iron-clad; we are ignoring them at our peril.

The first is, never reinforce failure. That means not feeding troops into a failed endeavor. It's a waste of assets. It's best at that point to fall back, reorganize and make a new effort. The obverse is, only success is rewarded.

Second, armor (tanks) should never, or rarely, be used in built-up areas, like cities. Armor has no shock effect, and its firepower is reduced in such environments. An entrenched enemy has an enhanced chance in such situations to destroy a very expensive fighting vehicle with a very inexpensive RPG.

An infantryman in an APC (Armored Pesonnel Carrier) or Bradley can be just as effective as armor in developed areas. Armor should haul ass and bypass; infantry should dig 'em out and kill them.

Those were the rules, and they are totally ignored in Iraq and Afghanistan. Doesn't the Army believe its own doctrine anymore?