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Jan 9, 2024
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Uploaded by marcishine
Former Under Secretary of Defense of Intelligence (USD-I) Michael Vickers has severed the American
people since joining the United States (US) Army in 1973.
In this article, he reflects upon the numerous
challenges the US has faced since September 11, 2001 and the lessons learned.
Vickers spends time
reviewing the counter-terrorism efforts in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, how we have made the
US safer as a nation, and our continuing efforts to combat the growing threat of Russia, China, and Iran.
Through his personal observations and experiences, he demonstrates that although our adversary may
change, and the specific tactics used may vary, there are several common elements the US should use to
successful counter the threat.
Vickers presents his arguments comparing various conflicts over the last few decades in a success vs
failure format, based on how he perceived the US response.
For example, he discusses the success the
US had containing the Soviet threat in the Cold War compared to how we have handled the Russian
threat in Ukraine and Syria.
He also offers insight into how our recent handling of global events (COVID
19 outbreak, global supply chain issues, and unauthorize disclosure events) have further complicated our
responses to crisis and degraded our global influence in certain parts of the world.
The purpose behind
this discussion is to demonstrate that whether the US response is considered a success or a failure, the
outcome/decisions must be carefully evaluated so that changes can be made if needed, but most
importantly, so that we are better prepared for the future.
The article is written by a professional with roughly 45 years of experience in the intelligence
community and reflects the views of someone who has worked with some of the highest-ranking
members in the US government on these issues.
There are many lessons that are relevant, but I think
there are two things that stand our more than the rest.
First, we need to have a clear goal in mind when
we respond to challenges.
One that has been rigorously vetted, well planned, and proportional to our
objective.
Vickers (2021) says:
“A counterterrorism strategy to remake the Middle East through democratic regime change beginning in
Iraq was both unnecessary and infeasible.
Regime change in Iraq added to our counterterrorism
problem rather than subtract from it…In Yemen, we had the opposite problem: we were too narrowly
focused on our counterterrorism objectives against al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.
By not doing
enough to assist the Hadi regime in the face of the Houthi threat, we lost a key counterterrorism
partner.” (29)
Second, to truly be successful, we need to use every means at our disposal when dealing with global
issues.
It not just about having the biggest military or how much money we throw at it.
We have to use
all our resources (military force, intelligence agencies, diplomacy, advance technical developments, and
financial leverage) to achieve sustainable success.
The most compelling thing I learn from the article is the impact having a well-developed intelligence
structure can have on global conflicts.
Vickers (2021) says we should strive for “critical mass of
intelligence capabilities for intelligence driven operations” (28) which gives us the ability to fight on
multiple fronts, harness support from allies as needed, and equip our leaders with as much information
as possible to make an informed decision.
I think this is directly related to our class as we have spent
time discussing what happens when the nation suffers an intelligence failure.
Bottom line, we simply
cannot afford to disregard hard learned lessons.
Vickers, Michael G. 2021. “Lessons from the Past Twenty Years - A Former National Security Policymaker
and Intelligence Community Leader’s Perspective.” Journal of National Security Law & Policy 12 (1): 27-
33.
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