INTEL DUMP -

Up The Militia:

INTEL DUMP has a piece on the rise of militias and private regiments in Iraq:

Greg Jaffe had an exceptional piece in Wednesday's Wall Street Journal (subscription required) describing the rise of 'irregular' Iraqi units around the country, which were popping up on their own, raised by individual officers, funded privately, with little connection to the U.S.-led effort to raise an Iraqi army. Surprisingly (or maybe not so), these ad hoc units appear to be better led, better equipped, and more combat effective than their 'official' brethren. And, perhaps more importantly, some U.S. officers are recognizing this, and figuring out how they might co-opt or work together with these Iraqi forces.

Hat tip Chester. The militia, I belive, is an idea which has come again -- or which is, rather, coming again quickly. Nothing says "defense in depth" like an armed citizenry, which complicates the planning for hostage-takers and other terrorists immeasurably.