Afghanistan.

[Shawn Mulock <salamndr@xxxxxxxx>]

In regards to Afghanistan we have to consider
that no matter how much "high-tech" we put into a fight we will still have
a rough go of it. It is their country, they have been there for thousands
of years, they have recent battle experience, and believe it or not, they
do have an anti aircraft capability. Putting a supply line through potential
hostile ground will result in a serious supply problem, you would need
more men to protect the food and bullets than to do the actual fighting.
Even raiding will be rather nerve wracking. How would we feel about the
US being asked for over flight privilege by the USSR to deal with a problem
they have with Mexico?

So we use the highest tech weaponry and sensory systems, did we not do that in Kosovo? If I recall our CCR (Collateral Casualty Rate) and OCR (Objective Casualty Rate) were about the same.

If we did use high tech, it would only be effective in hitting a place, not a man.... for that, we need to look at him through the sights and squeeze the trigger. Take it from a bloke who trained to fight in the mountains (2GR).... gizmos are convenient, but they do not guarantee success. What guarantees success is the determination and training of the people on the pointy end.

If you think the Taleban are backwards, think again. These guys may practice a fundamentalist form of Islam, but remember, they used a radar guided anti-aircraft gun to destroy those Buddhas. You retort that we have wild weasels.... well they have eyeballs, when that wild weasel shows up, they select passive track and wait for the attack group to come in with their radars in search mode.... we will not see that gun on radar until we come around that valley corner and get a snoot full 23 mm. There is so much armour wreckage in those bloody valleys that it would require a clairvoyant interpreting the energy returns to tell which ones are tracking the attack craft.

I could write a book on what could happen.... We also have to consider them getting their mitts on another airliner in another country (Russia?), flying the great SOB here/there and planting it on a vital support position/service/industry... Asymmetric warfare is hell, mostly for the side that thinks they can waltz in and take over in the blink of an eye. The Generals in charge will without a doubt know these things. Their skill at strategy vastly outshines mine... I was a platoon/company level tactics sort so they may well disagree. So lets see what the Generals have in mind, Hmm?

S.