Expeditionary Eagles: Outmaneuvering the Taliban - Softcover

H. John Poole

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0981865925 ISBN 13: 9780981865928

Publisher: Posterity Press (NC), 2010

Synopsis

Drugs have played a greater role in the Afghan War than most Americans dare to believe. One of the oldest drug cartels in the region--the Haqqani Network--has been responsible for many of the most visible Kabul attacks. With white heroin now flooding America, one has to come up with a better defense strategy for the place growing 90% of the poppies. Only with less smuggling of morphine bricks out and ordnance pieces in, can the problem be solved. All traffic along the 14 entrance highways must be more closely inspected to curtail their movement. No amount of commando raiding or standoff bombardment is going to lessen their flow. Nor will a Taliban-inclusive coalition government. During the Soviet-Afghan War, it was the Pak Army controlling all trucking into Afghanistan, and Pak Intel. using ill-gotten funding. Whoever is controlling those trucks now may be facilitating the smuggling (like IR-painting the authorized trucks and then shipping whatever they want). Herein lies a detailed study of Pakistan's drug and militant madrasa networks. Also described is how a lone U.S. squad could--without a single artillery round or drone missile--rely on deception to defend a roadside outpost against hundreds of attacking narco-insurgents.

About this title

About the Author:

Through an inverted military career, H. John Poole has discovered a few things that more promotable people miss. After spending 2 of his first 4 years as a combat commander, he did his last 7 as an enlisted tactics instructor. That allowed him to see why U.S. troops have always had so much trouble with counterinsurgency, and short-range combat in general. Their tactical techniques are quite simply outmoded. Those techniques are so unlikely to surprise a "woods-wise" defender as to be "premachinegun" in format. This oversight on the part of their commanders, and how to correct it, forms much of the framework for Poole's work. Since retirement from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1993, he has traveled extensively in both Communist and Islamist worlds and written 12 other tactics/intelligence supplements. He has also conducted multiday training sessions for 41 U.S. battalions (mostly Marine), 9 schools, and 7 special operations units (of all 4 service branches). As most U.S. intelligence personnel know too little about the Eastern thought process and evolution of squad tactics, these supplements provide currently deployed GIs with a rare glimpse into their enemy's intentions. Since 2000, Poole has gone to Russia, Mainland China (twice), North Korea, North Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, India (three times), Pakistan (twice), Iran, Lebanon, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Tanzania, and Venezuela. Over the course of his lifetime, he has further traversed most of the world. He has lived (or been stationed) in Mexico, Panama, Vietnam, and Japan. Between early tours in the Marine Corps (from 1969 to 1971), Poole worked as a criminal investigator for the Illinois Bureau of Investigation (IBI). After attending the State Police Academy for several months in Springfield, he worked out of the IBI's Chicago office on general criminal and drug cases.

Review:

"The Afghan War is still salvagable....Only with less smuggling of drugs out and ordnance in, can the insurgency be limited."-- Goodreads.com, Jan. 2018

"Expeditionary Eagles offers an interesting strategic analysis of the war in Afghanistan plus, as always in John Poole's books, innovative small-unit tactics and techniques."--Stanford Univ. Library, Jan. 2018

"[A] wealth of background information ... [on] cast of characters [in Afghanistan] to include tribes, villages, Pakistan, India, China, and Taliban. This book provides ... insight into Taliban tactics and ... [their] nuances.... Unlike many other commentaries, Poole does a nice job [of] documenting the impact of the heroin industry.... [He] proposes alternative small-unit tactics [for U.S. troops].... 'Expeditionary Eagles' is [still] a good way for someone to get up to speed on Afghanistan in a quick and comprehensive way." -- Military Magazine, August 2014

"'Expeditionary Eagles' is an exciting book, posing new and fruitful ideas about countering the Taliban, and including events as current as June 2010. A longtime student of the Eastern mindset and small-unit tactics, the author has an exceptional background ... for the helpful advice on how to quickly win in Afghanistan." -- Leatherneck, "Book of the Month," September 2010

"If favorable circumstances are to be miraculously created in Afghanistan prior to President Barack Obama's promised July 2011 withdrawal date, soldiers, Marines, and their leaders will have to mine every gem of insight possible from 'Expeditionary Eagles: Outmaneuvering the Taliban'."-- The Counter Terrorist, December 2010/January 2011

" 'In deference to all good things at Quantico and TRADOC (U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command), doctrine may partially [be] to blame for U.S. squads not keeping pace with tactical innovation worldwide,' Poole writes in his most recent book, 'Expeditionary Eagles: Outmaneuvering the Taliban'." -- Aviation Week, 8 November 2010

"[E]xciting read about [current] events.... A longtime student of the Eastern mindset and small-unit tactics, its author has the perfect background for some helpful advice on how quickly to win in Afghanistan." --Military Officer, December 2010

"John Poole has produced another superb work that offers insightful and well-researched guidance on ... confronting the Taliban. 'Expeditionary Eagles: Outmaneuvering the Taliban' should be required reading for our military and policy makers (former head of CENTCOM)."-- Gen. A.C. Zinni USMC (Ret.), June, 2010

"'Expeditionary Eagles' offers an interesting strategic analysis of the war in Afghanistan; plus, as always in John Poole's books, innovative small-unit tactics and techniques (father of 4th-Generation Warfare)." --William S. Lind, June 2010

"An extraordinary addition to the literature of the Afghan War ... [with] concrete measures for winning the struggle. Conventional methods will not suffice.... We must interdict the heroin ... then defeat the Taliban village by village with [resident] combat action platoons instead of overwhelming firepower.... [A]nother must read for generals and privates (publisher emeritus of Presidio Press)." --Col. Robert V. Kane U.S. Army (Ret.), June 2010

"America ... suffered a serious setback in Vietnam.... [It] is headed down that same road due to an arrogant belief in technology. John Poole's latest book is a warning sign along that road. Heed it and go on to victory [in Afghanistan], disregard it and return to Saigon in 1975 (professional military historian)." --Kim B. Holien, June 2010

"Poole insightfully concludes that Afghanistan's irregular warfare and insurgency characteristics defy conventional solution.... [He] asserts that a people-centric/bottom-up approach is essential.... [W]hat we do ... to help ... [the residents of every Afghan village and neighborhood] help themselves is critical (former commander of 1st Marine Division)." --Maj.Gen. John H. Admire USMC (Ret.), June 2010

"[T]he best blueprint for final victory [in Afghanistan] that I have seen. It greatly details what must ... happen in Pakistan (former commander of Camp Lejeune)." --Maj.Gen. Ray L. Smith USMC (Ret.), June 2010

About this edition

• Publisher: Posterity Press (NC)
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0981865925
• ISBN 13: 9780981865928
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 334
• Illustrator: Michael Leahy