Petraeus, U.S. Commander in Iraq, Will Test Doctrine He Wrote (confirmation hearing start today)

[maddezmom]

By Lizzie O'Leary and Ken Fireman

Jan. 23 (Bloomberg) -- Army Lieutenant General David Petraeus wrote the book on counterinsurgency warfare. Now, as the new commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, he will try to put his ideas into action.

Petraeus, whose confirmation hearings start today, became something of a celebrity during his first two tours in Iraq. President George W. Bush is sending him back to Baghdad to execute the administration's new strategy, what may be the last chance to wrest control of Iraq from insurgents and sectarian militias. Bush plans to send as many as 21,500 more U.S. troops and $1 billion for jobs and reconstruction.

Those numbers may fall far short of what's needed, according to Petraeus's own writings on counterinsurgency. When he was pulled out of Iraq in September 2005, Petraeus, 54, was assigned to revise the U.S. military's counterinsurgency manual for the first time in 20 years. The new version, co-authored with Marine Lieutenant General James Amos, discusses both troop strength and non-military measures, recognizing that precepts of traditional warfare often don't apply.

``The military forces that successfully defeat insurgencies are usually those able to overcome their institutional inclination to wage conventional war,'' the manual says. ``The side that learns faster and adapts more rapidly wins.''

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