I noted recently a plan to have our military “go native”–have combined US-Iraqi forces–in Iraq, involving the federalization of Arabic departments on our campuses.

Military analyst Ralph Peters’s views on thus “imbedding” our forces deserve also to be heard:

The proposal to embed more American military trainers with Iraqi units makes sense, but creates a grave danger: the prospect of a coordinated revolt among Shias in uniform who slaughter or take hostage thousands of our dispersed troops.The best deterrent is the back-up presence of our own Army and Marine combat formations. As long as our cavalry can ride to the rescue, the prospect of a sectarian mutiny to “teach America a lesson” and humiliate us remains low.
Now early word has it that The Fabulous Baker Boys (straight from the political boneyard and known formally as the Iraq Study Group) will recommend withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq by 2008, while leaving behind our embedded trainers and vulnerable support units.
This is the sort of nonsense that sounds great to civilians with no military experience. To veterans, it’s nuts.