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Christman, Shalikashvili and other military experts proposed some reasonable parameters for a new force. First, it would have to augment the current troop levels. The purpose would be to free up units like the 101st Airborne, now nation building in northern Iraq, for combat. "We don't have enough troops to do what needs to be done now," Shalikashvili told me. Second, these would have to be real soldiers, mentally tough, physically fit and combat ready. "Any peaceful checkpoint can become a battlefield in a heartbeat," said retired Major General Bill Nash, who commanded U.S. troops in Bosnia. There is fierce disdain within the Pentagon for the passive U.N. peacekeepers who stood by while thousands were murdered in Bosnia's ethnic cleansing. Finally, the Extreme Peacekeepers would have to be placed within the existing Army command structure, most likely in the special-operations command--home to the Green Berets and the venue where most civil-affairs training takes place.
But the new force must transcend traditional military culture as well. The State Department would have to be directly involved in the training, which would include some basic diplomatic skills--knowledge of Islamic culture and mores, familiarity with the Koran and language proficiency. The X-Peacekeepers would also have to train for basic policing--how to talk to people, become part of the community and solicit information. An excellent model exists in the 24-week residential training devised for the Police Corps, an elite national-service program that transforms college students into police officers. In fact, Police Corps and special-forces training are similar; both emphasize creative responses in unexpected situations, using scenarios and role playing.
"I'm not going to say Extreme Peacekeepers is a good idea," one general told me. "But it's something we ought to have a conversation about. And I can guarantee you one thing: it ain't going anywhere without a strong push from the very top." The general is right. This is something President Bush might think about--if he wants to leave a distinctive mark on the American military, inspire a new generation of citizen-soldiers and succeed in the larger war on terror.