New Afghanistan U.S. commander represents change

Apparently, the policy of Containment which had been developed and put in place with great effort by the Truman administration was to be abandoned. After the landslide election of the Republican ticket of Dwight D. Eisenhower and Richard M. Nixon, new Army special operations teams were created, accompanied by increased propaganda efforts.

However, Pres. Eisenhower then proceeded to lock up Special Forces. He seemed strongly to favor the conventional military. In fact the services overall, especially the Army, were severely restricted by fiscal frugality and tight budget control.

Special operations did take place but both the President and the Pentagon remained insulated from any acknowledged direct role. In reality, in the White House as during World War II, Ike was very engaged, obsessed with securing accurate intelligence and ensuring that covert operations were successful.

Policy and posture changed very dramatically with the Kennedy administration. The Army's Green Berets assumed stage center, and the White House became very visibly involved. Special Forces, however, remained a career killer in terms of advancing to general.

The growth of revolutionary groups using terrorist means, especially in the more fluid environment since the Cold War, has changed this. Defense Secretary Robert Gates spent his career

in the CIA, an unusual path to the top Pentagon post. As a result, he and McChrystal are well qualified to work together to integrate unconventional warriors in the wider military.

Arthur I. Cyr is Clausen Distinguished Professor at Carthage College and author of “After the Cold War.” He can be reached at acyr@carthage.edu

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