#2--Dale Alford

In this episode, we discuss: --Alford’s experiences as a platoon commander in Operation Just Cause --His experiences in Desert Storm, including seeing the effects of Allied airpower and artillery on Iraqi forces --The organization of Task Force Tarawa in Operation Iraqi Freedom I --The virtues of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force --Alford’s experiences with commanding a light armored infantry platoon --How Alford and a cobra detachment commander worked together to create an air-ground cavalry team while on a MEU --Alford’s experiences afloat --The strategic value of port calls --How to keep Marines engaged during sea deployments --Alford’s role in Operation Assured Response in Libera --The experience of watching a horrific civil war unfold in the Liberian capital of Monrovia --The traits that Alford looked for and sought to develop in his squad leaders and platoon commanders --The benefits of having Marines live in squad bays --The Gunfighter Gym and the need to invest substantial funds into the individual infantry Marine --The rigors of Marine Corps recruiting duty --Alford’s experiences as a battalion executive officer during the March Up to Baghdad --Fighting the Fedayeen --Alford’s deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq as a rifle battalion commander and the differences between them --The origins of how the Marines ended up concentrated in Helmand Province, Afghanistan --Alford’s time as General David McKiernan’s counterinsurgency advisor --Some of the US Army officers that Alford has worked for and his high praise for them --Alford’s thoughts on Marine Corps Recruit Training and its transformative effects --The cult of the Marine Corps --What Alford learned from spending time with different NATO forces in Afghanistan --The counterinsurgency books and thinkers that most influenced Alford --The role that Alford’s counterinsurgency reading had on his decisions as a battalion commander --How Alford expects the Chinese to fight the US --The focus on Western warfare in US PME institutions and why we should study more Chinese military history and warfare --Alford’s stance that the Marine Corps needs to be ready to do “anything, anytime, anywhere, today” --The deployment that influenced Alford most --The sacrifices of command and the toll they take on one’s family life --What it was like serving during the ‘maneuver warfare years’ --Alford’s interactions with Bill Lind --How faithfully the Marine Corps adheres to its capstone doctrinal publication, Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication Warfighting 1 --What maneuver warfare in garrison looks like and Alford’s surprising response "Underground PME: The Warfighting" Society by Damien O'Connell: https://innovatedefense.net/kcic/customObject/viewCustomObject/8f0088d3356d Some of the books mentioned by MajGen Alford The Village by Bing West: https://www.amazon.com/Village-Bing-West/dp/0743457579 Invisible Armies by Max Boot: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Armies-History-Guerrilla-Warfare/dp/0871406888 The Bear Went Over the Mountain edited by Lester Grau: https://apps.dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a316729.pdf Everything Under the Sun by Howard F. French: https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Under-Heavens-Chinas-Global/dp/0385353324