Retired General Sizes Up the NATO Summit

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed satisfaction with the outcomes of the NATO summit on Wednesday, though he noted that it would have been even better if Ukraine had received an invitation to join the Western military alliance.

Zelenskiy highlighted the significance of NATO’s acknowledgment that Ukraine does not require a Membership Action Plan (MAP) to progress towards membership. He emphasized that Ukraine has made substantial progress in aligning itself with the alliance.

During a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Vilnius, Zelenskiy mentioned that Ukrainian soldiers have gained valuable experience through collaboration with various member states of the alliance.

Thousands of Ukrainian troops have been trained by Western partners, and Ukraine heavily relies on Western weapons supplies as it continues to confront Russian forces following the full-scale invasion that began in February 2022.

NATO announced on Tuesday that Ukraine would be welcomed into the alliance, without specifying a date or precise conditions.

Moreover, the requirement for Ukraine to fulfill a MAP, which entails meeting political, economic, and military objectives, was dropped. This development effectively removes a significant obstacle on Ukraine’s path to NATO.

Zelenskiy shared positive news regarding new defense packages received during his time in Vilnius, where he met with the leaders of Britain, Germany, France, Australia, and the Netherlands.

While Zelenskiy characterized the summit’s results as good, he remarked that they would have been ideal if an invitation to join NATO had been extended to Ukraine.

According to a statement, “Major General Jeffrey Schloesser (US Army Ret) author of Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan.

“From Major General Jeffrey Schloesser—former Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East—comes a revealing memoir of leadership in the chaos and fog of the Afghanistan War.

“Join Major General Schloesser in the daily grind of warfare fought in the most forbidding of terrain, with sometimes uncertain or untested allies, Afghan corruption and Pakistani bet-hedging, and the mounting casualties of war which erode and bring into question Schloesser’s most profoundly held convictions and beliefs. Among several battles, Schloesser takes readers deep into the Battle of Wanat, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fierce, up-close fight to prevent a new operating base from being overrun. This encounter required Schloesser to make tactical decisions that had dramatic strategic impact, and led him to doubts: Can this war even be won? If so, what will it take?”This book is a rare insight and reflection into the thoughts of critical national decision-makers including President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, then-Senator Barack Obama, and numerous foreign leaders including Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Key military leaders—including then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, then Central Command Commanding General David Petraeus, then Lieutenant General and future Chairman Martin Dempsey, and International Security Force Commander General David McKiernan—all play roles in the book, among many others, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville. Analyzing their leadership in the chaos of war Schloesser ultimately concludes that successful leadership in combat is best based on competence, courage, and character

The book is “Marathon War: Leadership in Combat in Afghanistan.”

“BIO: Jeff Schloesser is a retired Army Major General who commanded the 101st Airborne Division for thirty-three months, including fifteen months in combat in Afghanistan. In his thirty-four-year Army career he served in Afghanistan, Iraq, Kosovo, Albania, Kuwait, Haiti, Jordan, Korea, and twice in Germany.

“He was an assistant division commander in the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq 2003-04, the first Global War on Terrorism Planning Director in the Pentagon after 9/11, and the first Deputy Director at the National Counterterrorism Center for Strategic Operational Planning.

“An aviator, Jeff commanded two battalions of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and a brigade task force in Albania and Kosovo.

“He resides with his wife Patty in Park City, Utah, and northern Virginia. He has completed thirty-eight marathons.”

LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW IN ITS ENTIRETY HERE