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May 20 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
GEN Eisenhower was given a very brief (two page) order for the Normandy invasion. His task:

"You will enter the continent of Europe and, in conjunction with the other united nations, undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany & the destruction of her armed forces" 1/5
Brief & succinct strategic guidance to the leader of the greatest generation.

1. Undertake operations aimed at the heart of Germany.

2. Destroy her armed forces.

No appeasement, no "let Hitler have part of Poland," no face-saving for a dangerous megalomaniac. 2/
History didn't tell us there was "waning public support" for a righteous effort to help other nations regain their sovereignty.

The rest of the world & our nation were not being bombarded with "both-side" cable news opinions.

Values shaped our policy, & policy drove strategy.3/
All this to say I disagree w/ @nytimes editorial board who suggests today that US citizens may "wane in their support for Ukraine."
Ukraine met an illegal & criminal invasion w/strong will. After 1000's of deaths, rapes, & destruction of homes, their will is stronger than ever.4/
We ought take a long, hard look at ourselves - in this area, and in others - & remind ourselves what right looks like.

"Make us to choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong, & never be content with a half-truth when the whole can be won." (West Point Cadet Prayer) 5/5

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More from @MarkHertling

Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 21
Always good to be on with @Acosta. His questions get to the crux of issues.

He asked: "what is Russians trying to achieve?" It's easily answered. They are trying to destroy Ukraine's identity & culture. They can't beat them militarily, so they bomb & terrorize citizens. 1/6
But the results of RU actions run counter to their objectives.

-UKR is standing stronger today than on 2/24. They are more united, their desire for sovereignty & freedom burn white hot.

-UKR cities/cultural centers may be bombed, but their stories grow in intensity. 2/
The fighters at Azovstal stood for 82 days.

An estimated 1500 or so UKR soldiers (intermingled with women and children) fought 12-14,000 RU forces, w/ tanks, planes, artillery.

Those UKR soldiers kept approx 15 BTGs from getting to the Donbas for 2+ months.

That's a win. 3/
Read 7 tweets
Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 18
Want a 🧵 on artillery (arty)?

Just got off @cnn where I also commented on this clip from the good ole COL Khodaryonok (who seems to have changed his tune since yesterday).

He's talking about how RU artillery is hitting UKR's new M777 arty pieces.

Except, he's full of BS. 1/
I'm an old tanker, but I sometimes get to comment on the king of battle (artillery), because they are usually impressive.

This clip doesn't impress me. Here's why.

Watch the film COL Khordaryonok is commenting on a couple times, then come back. 2/
Okay, here's what's happening.

A UKR M777 is in a firing position, obviously getting set up for a shoot.

Gun is unlimbered (not being towed by it's truck), the truck is in the treeline, and there's a few soldiers walking around the vehicle.

Then, INCOMING! The round lands! 3/
Read 16 tweets
Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 16
This thread on River Crossing Operations (RCOs) by my friend and colleague @WarintheFuture is excellent!

MG Ryan speaks eloquently to the doctrine & training requirements of something as difficult as an RCO.

That comes about due to a METL assessment!

What's that? A 🧵 1/
METL is a commander's prediction of what missions his/her unit will likely face in combat related to an anticipated mission.

After analyzing any mission, Commanders identify a "Mission Essential Task Lists" of MANY essential tasks they believe they must accomplish in combat. 2/
Now those tasks are dependent on
-the size/type of unit (Division, Brigade, armor, infantry, engineer, etc)
-the area where they think they may go
-what the terrain may be like
-how the enemy will fight
-most importantly, anticipated mission from a higher commander 3/
Read 18 tweets
Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 13
On 2/24 -at the start of the conflict- I posted the attached thread with reasons why I thought Ukraine would win.

We’re now seeing RU transition to a “hasty defense” in many sectors, while regrouping for new offensive operations.

That portends some problems for RU. 1/12
In his classic “On War,” Clausewitz provides an entire chapter on “culmination.”

He implies there are various factors that cause an army to culminate -stop- their offense & revert to the defense.

Fatigue, will, force depletion, supplies, not reaching strategic goals, etc. 2/
An army may also transition to the offense from the defense if they have the strength & believe doing so will help achieve operational or strategic goals.

But to do that, the army must have a growing resource capability, will, momentum, & achievable strategic objectives. 3/
Read 13 tweets
Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 9
What did Putin's "Victory Day" speech contain and what does it tell us?

There were some interesting take-aways, some good, some bad.

Here's what I saw in the film and the reports. A🧵 1/6
Many (me included) were wrong on predicting:
1. A declaration of victory (strategic, operation, or tactical).
2. A formal announcement of mobilization.

What wasn't said is important (especially #1) because intel said he had told his generals to produce a victory by 9 May. 2/
As a reminder, here what I thought were the early RU Strategic objectives:
-Execute regime change in Ukraine (replace Zelensky in Kyiv).
-Control Black/Azov Sea access
-Destroy Ukraine's army in the east
-Subjugate Ukraine's population
-Further Divide NATO & US 3/
Read 9 tweets
Mark Hertling Profile picture
May 6
Having done a fair share of targeting of enemy forces during my career, I'm a bit baffled about the amount of coverage of the intelligence sharing that is going on between the US and Ukraine.

Here's why. Another 🧵 1/12
When conducting "targeting," there are three important elements to consider:
1). The collection of important intelligence
2). The "boarding" of the target (how to hit, where to hit, when to hit, defenses, etc.)
3). The enemy's ability to avoid being hit. 2/
Collection of intelligence comes in many ways:
-Overhead satellite imagery
-Collection of electronic signals
-Collection of human intelligence information
-"Patterns of life/movement"
-Enemy ability to defend itself

Many countries do intel collection & the US is great at it. 3/
Read 12 tweets

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