Military intelligence officer interview

[Savage]

This morning I met with a British military intelligence officer (currently stationed at Nellis Air Force Base in Vegas). We discussed all sorts of things, including personal growth, military strategy and tactics, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We talked for about 2.5 hours.

I had the thought that some of what he shared would make for a fascinating interview, and he agreed. He's looking to write and publish some material of his own anyway, so this would be win-win.

As you'd expect, there are some things he can't talk about for security reasons, but those appear to be very limited domains that involve such things as current low-level operations and specific individuals on the ground and such. There's a great deal he can talk about openly that isn't classified. I was fascinated with his perspective and the ideas he shared, and I asked him all sorts of questions about how the wars were going and how things have changed over time. I even asked him about the effect of the Wikileaks documents that went public earlier this week.

Before I go forward with an interview (which would most likely be in plain text format), I wanted to see if there's interest in it. And if so, what questions would you like me to ask him?

He's currently up for a promotion, so if that goes through, he will have the rank of Major.

[Plays With Life]

Originally Posted by Steve Pavlina

Before I go forward with an interview (which would most likely be in plain text format), I wanted to see if there's interest in it. And if so, what questions would you like me to ask him?

Yes - I would love to read this. If I think of any questions, I'll post them here.

[SnerpGoodWord]

I would be interested in the interview, mostly because he sounds like he would have an interesting perspective. I don't have any specific questions.

[Zach M]

Yes I'd be interested. The things I'd like to hear about he might not want to discuss on the record, like what really happened on 9/11. To anyone who dismisses what really happened please, please, please watch the destruction of Building 7 for yourself. It's on YouTube. I'm not getting into any arguments today.

[Brutha]

I would be expecially interested in the questions that you choose to ask him

[ZephyrusX]

Yah, I'd be interested in reading the interview. It would be interesting to see how much the military officer's perception of the war deviates from Obama's administration. Does he think that Obama is exacerbating the terrorist threat (by use of 'attacking drones' in Pakistan or whatever), and from his point of view, how pervasive is this criticism towards Obama amongst other military officers?

[Gene]

I would certainly be interested in his perspective.

[secrets0stolen]

Originally Posted by Brutha

I would be expecially interested in the questions that you choose to ask him

This

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Yes I'd be interested. The things I'd like to hear about he might not want to discuss on the record, like what really happened on 9/11. To anyone who dismisses what really happened please, please, please watch the destruction of Building 7 for yourself. It's on YouTube. I'm not getting into any arguments today.

If he had such information, he wouldn't be a Major in Las-Vegas. He would either be long dead or working for Black Ops

[Zach M]

Originally Posted by xfactor

If he had such information, he wouldn't be a Major in Las-Vegas. He would either be long dead or working for Black Ops

Nah. There's enough information out in the open for anyone who is ready to reject the official conspiracy theory. I prefer to believe that those of us who have done so have friends on the inside, and I hope Steve's contact is one of them. BTW, I don't think I communicated my point well before. What I meant to say is I hope that Steve and the intelligence officer have a discussion on this subject between themselves off the record.

[rozoweskarpetki]

I've got another question

I'd like him to talk about the relationship between Al Qaeda and the Taleban. How they differ, where their goals are common and where they are not. Is Al Qaeda still training recruits in Afghanistan at this point or have they relocated? Are American and NATO troops actually still fighting against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan or is it just the Taleban now?

[xfactor]

Originally Posted by Zach Matley

Nah. There's enough information out in the open for anyone who is ready to reject the official conspiracy theory. I prefer to believe that those of us who have done so have friends on the inside, and I hope Steve's contact is one of them. BTW, I don't think I communicated my point well before. What I meant to say is I hope that Steve and the intelligence officer have a discussion on this subject between themselves off the record.

I seriously doubt that guy will tell Steve anything interesting. After all, military intelligence is a serious organization that doesn't promote pluralism and openness. I'm surprised the Major didn't run away the moment he knew Steve was a popular blogger.

[stewartM]

I'd like to know if he believes in what he's doing...

[cacheborn]

Yes, I would be interested in his perspective. In particular I am curious to know if the Military officers agree with the policies of their government. If not (which may be the case) how do they feel about doing the job?

[Channing]

It is said that the first casualty when war comes is truth.

Nevertheless, I would also like to hear his opinion.

Specifically I wonder if he can confirm the rumors that rogue elements within the US military or secret services are secretly supplying the Taliban. This would not surprise me as there are hardliners within the MIC that want to prolong this war as much as possible.

[fdr]

I like stewartM's question. I'm not really interested in reading about political concerns or "what's it like over there" on this blog -- the Internet has plenty of resources for that -- but I want to know personal-development-related stuff.

For example, how does fighting a war fit into his desired alignment with truth, love, and power?

In his current role, what are his biggest challenges every day on a personal level? The biggest rewards for him?

How have his experiences in the military changed him as a person?

And, I concur with Brutha's sentiment as well.

[TravisU]

Probably going to skip on this one.

Personally I don't like it when politics gets mixed up in self-improvement blogs.

Go with what inspires you though
;-)

[Vibration]

Yes:

Question for the British military intelligence officer:

What actions have you personally seen that were designed specifically for gaining the trust of the Afghan people, that speaks to their interests and culture, things that really register with them? Is it working - is it enough?

[Jaxi]

Yes interested!
1. Does he think America is going about this war correctly?
2. Do Brits agree with all American plans? Would they done this differently?
3. Did he honestly belive in this fight - and did he until his last day. Would he fight this exact war again, or was he really 'just serving his country' on this one
4. Does he think the Wikileaks was anything big - or does he think that it really had no impact in the scheme of this 7+ year war?
5. Does he truly believe the iraqi's can hold their own and Brits/Americans Nato troops won't have to return again in strong numbers to hold the fort
6. Does he think the strategy for AfPak should be the same as Iraq strategy considering these are two separate situations and the Taliban is stronger in AfPak Region
7. Does he think Bin Laden and the other top leader will ever be found and killed?
8. What was his worst experience there? What was his best? (not sure how many years he was there -you didn't stay
9. Why did he join the military?
10. Does he think the deaths that have occurred (troops death - not civilians) has been worth this fight?
11. Were the Brits more prepared/armoured than the Americans in the beginning of this war? American's lacked basic body armour a lot in the beginning, rifles that stuck (one of my friends was US Army, over there)
12. Does he think this war can be 'won'. I don't - you won't ever stop the Taliban and Al Qaeda - so not sure what the sense of fighting and all the deaths are for. Not to mention it doesn't guarantee no attacks on other countries by terrorists. So what does he feel we are really in this 'fight' for - at this point?
13. Was he really prepared to die every day? Did he ever second guess it and want to get out?
14. what will he do now for his country or the military in general? Or will he remove himself from this and move into more 'business world'.
15. After this war, would he still highly recommend to maybe his son to join the British forces? Or does he think government is not aligned with reality and it's not worth your life for their agenda?

I run a political blog, so I have an interest in this a lot Plus, have friends in military, some in AfPak now (suppose to return 2011/12) And, I use to live in DC/VA - 1 mile from Pentagon, so this stuff hits home more when you know those working in there, and see military around ya all day, soldiers with leg blown off, etc.