by Jim Mattis
On 2 September Aircraft Solomons will commence a round-the-clock air assault on the Southern Bougainville and associated Jap activities, the assault to continue through the 3rd of September.
I believe that the sudden Fleet and air activities will serve to alert the enemy for some major operation by South Pacific. If the diversion fails to immobilize or divert Rabaul air, I propose to take such advantage of any weakness in the enemy’s air defense as may appear profitable.
The details of my proposed diversionary operation were explained to General Eichelberger, and I am forwarding copies of this letter, together with yours of the 23rd, to Nimits and King.
All success to your D-Day.
Cordially,
W.F. HALSEY.
General Douglas MacARTHUR, U.S. Army,
Commander-in-Chief, Southwest Pacific Area.
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MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (Feb 20, 2004) --
COMMANDING GENERAL
1ST MARINE DIVISION (REIN), FMF
CAMP PENDLETON, CALIFORNIA 92055-5380
February 2004
A letter from the Commanding General to the Families of our Sailors and Marines deploying to the Middle East.
We are returning to Iraq. None of us are under any illusions about the challenges that await out troops there. We also know the understandable anxiety that will be felt by our loved ones when we deploy. We are going to stand by one another, all of us, reinforced by our faith and friendship, and together overcome every difficulty. It will not be easy but most things in life worth doing don’t come easily.
Our Country needs us in the struggle to put Iraq back on its feet. Our enemies are watching, betting t heir lives and their plans on America nor having the courage to continue this fight. Our Sailors and Marines, reinforcing the Army and our many allies’ forces already in Iraq, will prove the enemy has made a grave mistake. As the division goes back to this combat zone, your loved ones will need your spiritual support so they can focus on their duty.
Our Family Readiness Officers and Key Volunteers stand ready to keep you fully informed. Our Marine Bases have support agencies who, you will find, can provide the tools to deal with every challenge you may face. We will come through these times – seeing one another through, looking out for each other- with our families strengthened, our faith stronger, our friendship cemented for life. This does not imply it will be easy for anyone. But, we must recognize that together we can withstand the strongest storm, dismiss the wildest rumors, and overcome any crisis in confidence. Together, with open communication and trust, we will remain the team that so recently succeeded and proved its resilience during deployment to Afghanistan and Iraq.
Let us know your questions so we can keep you informed. Most importantly, keep the faith and share both your clan strength and your courage with each other and with the American people. We are all enormously proud of our well-trained Sailors and Marines; we know that our country will be safer with our Division deployed against the enemy. We are equally proud of you; remember that you are an integral member of our Marine family as we go back into this brawl and that we will stick together through it all.
God bless you all.
Semper Fidelis,
J. N. MATTIS
Major General, U.S. Marines
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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 SOUTH BOUNDARY BOULEVARD
MACDILL AIRFORCE BASE, FLORIDA 33621-5101
From: Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Central Command
To: Trial Counsel
Subj: DISMISSAL OF CHARGE AND SPECIFICATIONS IN THE CASE OF UNITED STATES V. LANCE CORPORAL JUSTIN L. SHARRATT, XXX XX 1095, USMC
Ref: (a) R.C.M. 306, Manual for Courts-Martial (2005 Edition) (b) R.C.M. 401, Manual for Courts-Martial (2005 Edition)
Encl: (1) DD Form 458 Preferred 21 Dec 06
1. In accordance with the references, the charge and specifications ,n nhn nnn>n, •ann hnSy o;,m;,,no ·
By direction
Copy to:
TC
DC
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UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
MARINE CORPS FORCES CENTRAL COMMAND
7115 SOUTH BOUNDARY BOULEVARD
MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, FLORIDA 33621-5101
AUG O8 2007
From: Commander
To: Lance Corporal Justin L. Sharratt, U.S. Marine Corps
Subj: DISPOSITION OF CASE
Ref:
(a) Commandant of the Marine Corps ltr to Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command dtd 06 Jun 2006 (Subj: Designation as Consolidated Disposition Authority for Any Necessary Administrative or Disciplinary Actions Relative to the Haditha Investigation)
Army Regulation 15-6 Investigation of Events in Haditha, Iraq on 19 November 2005 (MG Bargewell AR 15-6) dtd 15 June 06 and Forwarding Endorsements
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service’s Reports of Investigation Concerning the Haditha Incident from 12 April 2006 to 25 May 2007
Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 32 Investigating Officer Report ICO United States v. Lance Corporal Justin L. Sharratt, U.S. Marine Corps
1. Pursuant to reference (a), and based upon my thorough consideration of references (b), (c), and (d), I have determined that the charges in your case will be dismissed without prejudice. I have made this decision based upon all of the evidence and have specifically considered the recommendation articulated in reference (d) from the Article 32 Investigating Officer and his determination that the evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial.
2. The experience of combat is difficult to understand intellectually and very difficult to appreciate emotionally. One of our Nation’s most articulate Supreme Court Justices, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., served as an infantryman during the Civil War and described war as an “incommunicable experience. ,, He has also noted elsewhere that “detached reflection cannot be demanded in the face of an uplifted knife.” Marines have a well earned reputation for remaining cool in the face of enemies brandishing much more than knives. The brutal reality that Justice Holmes described is experienced each day in Iraq, where you willingly put yourself at great risk to protect innocent civilians. Where the enemy disregards any attempt to comply with ethical norms of warfare, we exercise discipline and restraint to protect the innocent caught on the battlefield. Our way is right, but it is also difficult.
3. The event in which you were engaged on 19 November 2005 has been exhaustively examined by Marine, Army, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigators. An independent Article 32 Investigating Officer has considered all the facts and concluded that you acted in accordance with the rules of engagement. His comments on the evidence are contained in reference (d). The intense examination into this incident, and into your conduct, has been necessary to maintain our discipline standards and, in the words of the Marines’ Hymn, “To keep our honor clean.” I recognize that you have been through a most difficult experience. I am optimistic that you remained aware that you were, and have always been entitled to, and received the benefit of, the presumption of innocence that is the bedrock of our military justice system.
4. You have served as a Marine infantryman in Iraq where our Nation is fighting a shadowy enemy who hides among the innocent people, does not comply with any aspect of the law of war, and routinely targets and intentionally draws fire toward civilians. As you well know, the challenges of this combat environment put extreme pressures on you and your fellow Marines. Operational, moral, and legal imperatives demand that we Marines stay true to our own standards and maintain compliance with the law of war in this morally bruising environment. With the dismissal of
these charges you may fairly conclude that you did your best to live up to the standards, followed by U.S. fighting men throughout our many wars, in the face of life or death decisions made by you in a matter of seconds in combat. And as you have always remained. cloaked in the presumption of innocence, with this dismissal of charges, you remain in the eyes of the law — and in my eyes — innocent.
J. N. MATTIS
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THE WHITE HOUSE
WASHINGTON
September 28, 2007
Lieutenant General James N. Mattis, USMC
Commanding General
I Marine Expeditionary Force and Commander
United States Marine Corps Forces Central Command
Post Office Box 555300
Camp Pendleton, California 92055
Dear Lieutenant General Mattis:
The Defense Planning Committee of the North Atlantic Council has appointed you Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation. The responsibilities and the authority of the Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation will be contained in the Terms of Reference issued by the Military Committee of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
The Senate has now confirmed your nomination to the grade of general while serving as Commander, United States Forces Command and Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation. As you assume command:
1) The United States Armed Forces assigned to the United States Joined Forces Command will remain under your operational command to the extent necessary for the accomplishment of your mission; and
2) You are authorized to use officers and enlisted personnel of the United States Armed Forces and civilian employees of the United States Government on your staff as you consider appropriate in the numbers and in grade as necessary, consistent with law and regulation.
Sincerely,
George W. Bush
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USJFCOM Commander’s Guidance for Effects-based Operations
BY GENERAL JAMES N. MATTIS, USMC
Herein are my thoughts and commander’s guidance regarding effects-based operations (EBO). This article is designed to provide the US Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) staff with clear guidance and a new direction on how EBO will be addressed in joint doctrine and used in joint training, concept development, and experimentation. I am convinced that the various interpretations of EBO have caused confusion throughout the joint force and among our multinational partners that we must correct. It is my view that EBO has been misapplied and overextended to the point that it actually hinders rather than helps joint operations.
Therefore, we must return to time-honored principles and terminology that our forces have tested in the crucible of battle and that are well grounded in the theory and nature of war. At the same time, we must retain and adopt those aspects of effects-based thinking that are useful. We must stress the importance of mission type orders that contain clear commander’s intent and unambiguous tasks and purposes and, most importantly, that link ways and means with achievable ends. To augment these tenets, we must leverage non- military capabilities and strive to better understand the different operating variables that make up today’s more complex operating environments.
My assessment is shaped by my personal experiences and the experiences of others in a variety of operational situations. I am convinced that we must keep the following in mind. First, operations in the future will require a balance of regular and irregular competencies. Second, the enemy is smart and adaptive. Third, all operating environments are dynamic with an infinite number of variables; therefore, it is not scientifically possible to accurately predict the outcome of an action. To suggest otherwise runs contrary to historical experience and the nature of war. Fourth, we are in error when we think that what works (or does not work) in one theater is universally applicable to all theaters. Finally, to quote General Sherman, “Every attempt to make war easy and safe will result in humiliation and disaster.” History is replete with examples and further denies us any confidence that the acute predictability promised by EBO’s long assessment cycle can strengthen our doctrine.
The joint force must act in uncertainty and thrive in chaos, sensing opportunity therein and not retreating into a need for more information. USJFCOM’s purpose is to ensure that joint doctrine smooths and simplifies joint operations while reducing friendly friction. My goal is to return clarity to our planning processes and operational concepts. Ultimately, my aim is to ensure leaders convey their intent in clearly understood terms and empower their subordinates to act decisively.
For complete article, see http://strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pubs/parameters/articles/08autumn/mattis.pdf
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