The 2007 Milblog Conference sure opened with a bang....The President made the opening remarks! He thanked the bloggers for their support of the troops and the mission. How cool is that?

Right now, Rear Admiral Mark I. Fox, USN, is speaking to us from Iraq. Characterizing himself as a "jaywalker on the information highway," he said he nonetheless recognizes the power of the internet. MNF-Iraq now takes advantage of You Tube, reaches out to bloggers, etc., to get the word out, and to let people know what our troops are doing. He said that as the military is accountable to "you, as the American people," they recognize that the electronic media is one way to stay closely connected to the people at home.

He took some questions; the first was a request for a status report on Al Anbar.

Paraphrasing his remarks - Al Anbar is a largely Sunni province, and as Al-Qaeda is largely Sunni, they had a presence. One of the key elements to understanding Iraq is an awareness of the tribal culture there. As Al Qaeda has attacked indiscriminately, there is an increasing part of the population that has gotten fed up. He stressed the increasing recruits; 1500 signing up to be part of the security forces over one three-day period. The level of cooperation between not only different U.S. branches, but between the Americans and the Iraqis is significant. Admiral Fox also noted that military victories are not all that is needed; economic and other assistance is needed to accomplish the goals.

Patti from Soldiers' Angels asked how to reach troops that need support.

Admiral Fox said that the level of support from the American people is humbling. He asked that we work with the folks at the DoD to get the support to the people who need it; things are distributed as needed. He said that the troops do feel the support of the American people. MNF-Iraq wants to share its message, but also wants the American people to know how much their support means.

He also gave us a current status overview.

Since General Petraeus took over in February, he has instituted a policy of enforcing the law. Four of the five brigades that were slated to come to Iraq as part of the new strategy are currently there; the next will be there next month. The additional reinforcement consists of nearly 30,000 troops. The Admiral noted that prior to the General's new strategy, the clear, hold, and build method was lacking in the areas of holding and building. The new operation stations built in Baghdad allow the troops to do both of those; to maintain a presence in the city. Admiral Fox noted that prior to the new stations, troops were living in the FOB's - essentially "commuting to the war." The additional contact represented by having troops stationed in the local neighborhoods has increased the confidence of the locals, and increased the level of information, tips, etc. in many key areas of Baghdad. April marked the highest level of tips, seized caches, etc.

He noted that the enemy in Iraq is "completely evil and diabolical," and that the Iraqi people are strong and resilient. The new strategy in Iraq is allowing a window of opportunity for the Iraqi people and their government to get on their feet. He said that it is going to take time for these operations to really take hold, and for us to see the effects.

Over this summer is when MNF-I expects to be able to see the effects of what they're doing.

Andrea Shea-King of Patriot Radio asked what we can do as milbloggers to help the mission, given the media's lack of favorable coverage.

Admiral Fox said that blogging is such an important part of getting information out, and noted that the truth will eventually come out. What has been lost in this debate is the moral aspect - we are the good guys in this, and we represent individual dignity and individual respect. He noted that it is the U.S. military itself that discovered the issues at Abu Ghraib. He says, "I'm not looking for a free pass, but our essence is such that when we see something wrong...we fix it." He said that he would encourage us all to stay engaged in this endeavor, which he believes will only grow in importance. He feels that in some ways, the blogs are leading the MSM. He said his issue is not really with the reporters themselves; it is largely in editing that the stories become filtered. He said that the blogs become a way to really get a truthful picture of what is going on.

Next their was a question on the poll regarding military ethics; the media reports that characterize this as an acceptance of abuse of civilians.

The Admiral noted that this is the first time this particular survey has included questions of battlefield ethics; he said that it was an example of what he had mentioned; that we're actually asking the questions about ethics.

He said it's an honor to serve in the U.S. military, and an honor to represent the American people. The troops have extremely high level of morale, and recognize the importance of their mission. He noted that it is a momentous thing to have the opportunity to bring hope and a chance to move forward to Iraq. Although it is a hard, complex environment, he said, "just because it's hard, doesn't mean it's hopeless."

More a little later...

Labels: Milblog Conference 2007