Tactics of the Crescent Moon: Militant Muslim Combat Methods [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

During seven months in Falluja in 2005 I spent approximately 150 days in the city. The history alone in this book showed us just how much we may have been underestimating our enemies, and that if they followed their classical influences they could have done much more damage.

The history is priceless dating back to influences of the Samarai and how it came to bring the original Middle Eastern assassins, and how today's suicide bombers are like those in the past, only they have explosives instead of knives, and do not need as much skill.

John Poole had spent close to 30 years in the Marine Corps leading men as both a gunnery sergeant (when enlisted) and a Lt Colonel (when commissioned). He saw Vietnam first hand, and left feeling that he could have done more for the men he'd led. Although the officers that are in charge of teaching battle field skills are not fast to accept his methods the men on the ground who deal with the enemies in the streets of Iraqi cities know he is right.

This book is truly remarkable. In Tactics of the Crescent Moon, John Poole provides an incredibly insightful analysis of the Middle Eastern problem and our role in trying to resolve it. He explains extremely complicated issues with remarkable clarity, examining them from historical, political, cultural, military and moral perspectives. Despite the immense scope of the book, his key insights never get lost in the complexity of his subject matter. At the most fundamental level, John Poole provides detailed tactical descriptions of exactly how our Middle Eastern adversaries fight. To illuminate the big picture, he clearly shows how these tactical examples relate to the larger cultural and political issues. He goes on to propose solutions that can help American privates survive, help commanders make better decisions, help generals develop better strategies and even help politicians make better military policies. Most importantly, the book's profound morality offers insight on how to win what might be the most important battle of all, the battle for the moral high ground. We will not win this war on terrorism if we lose touch, even for a moment, with the great and noble values that make us who we are. John Poole reminds us that when Americans go to war we bring with us our honor, our compassion, our love of freedom, and our belief in the equality of all people. Our morality is our ultimate weapon.

To begin this look at H. John Poole's latest work, let's outline what it's not -

- Not a Middle East History tome;

- Not a guide to recent terror operations;

- Not a tactical discussion; and

- Not an approach to military reform.

No, it is not any one of the above - it combines all these into a coherent, concise guide to anyone interested in understanding our military problems in the Middle East.

Section one discusses Muslim military campaigns from Gallipoli during WWI to Israel's expulsion from Lebanon by the Hezbollah. Section two examines the different Muslim militant groups. Section three provides one of the first coherent looks at Muslim militant groups' training and tactical techniques - and tactical approaches to defeating them.

Certain themes, appearing in other works by Poole, as well as in "Tactics...", compare and contrast U.S. military traits and capabilities to our Muslim opponents', to include the following:

"Us" - doctrinally driven, top-down training environment; versus

"them" - bottom-up, experimentally driven.

"Us" - squads depend on artillery fire to advance; versus

"them" - primary groups that can move unnoticed.

"Us" - occuppies ground; versus

"them" - consolidates regions.

"Us" - training instructors stick to standardized procedures; versus "them' - training techniques developed through experience.

"Us" - enhance control by standardizing tactical procedures; versus "them" - disseminating battle-tested techniques for refinement through practice.

"Us" - handicapped by inane bureaucratic procedure; versus

"them" - copying tactical ideas from any source and experimenting under simulated battle conditions... A lot of America's adversaries, of late, seem to have these traits.

Poole also notes that to beat the Muslim terrorist in the military domain, our forces must, among other things -

- recognize the strategic significance of non-combatants and not treat them as so many expendable sacks of potatoes;

- provide the infantry squads with a much higher level of tactical training; and

- learn to evolve tactically on the primary group level.

Military reform has been bantered about in terms of "hi-tech" improvements to military infrastructure and precision "first-strike" weapons; Poole looks at the wars we fight now and notes that success will depend more on the "software" in the brain-housing groups of our infantrymen than that in our computers. Fourth Generation Warfare doesn't depend on hi-tech hardware and inexhaustible supplies of munitions - the guarantor of Western hegemony in the Twentieth Century - it depends on keen intelligence networks - humint as well as techint - agile tactical evolution of the mix of forces, their methodologies and training, and decentralized command. Most of our recent technology has facilitated ever more centralized direction of forces.

Will the U.S. war colleges and staff academies be looking carefully in Poole's recommended directions for military reform? Perhaps not - but Poole is addressing the conflict we'refighting. Anyone headed to Iraq or Afghanistan will find "Tactics of the Crescent Moon" a worthwhile read.