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2011-06-01 Afghanistan

Advisers urge military to rely less on drones, more on expertise

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Posted by Besoeker 2011-06-01 04:56|| || Front Page|| [1 views ] Top

#1 Gee B, actually asking the grunt at the end of the bayonet what he/she needs? What a concept.

If someone had the time to google to verify, iirc, the 'society' that constitutes the academia of anthropology called for the ouster of any member who dared assist the military in their operations in hinterlands of civilization. Yes, it is indeed a sign when the very bodies that puked over the military and the war now are seeking succor from the perceived cash cow. Ironic in that Defense will most likely take the most public and substantive hit on budget reductions as other sacred cows are protected no matter how unproductive they may be because it shows that 'we care'.

Posted by Procopius2k 2011-06-01 08:21|| 2011-06-01 08:21|| Front Page Top

#2 Ask the soldier what he wants and he'll also tell you bullets and permission to use them.

Posted by Glenmore 2011-06-01 08:45|| 2011-06-01 08:45|| Front Page Top

#3 unproductive flatters their effect. Anti-productive is the word you need!

Posted by Bright Pebbles 2011-06-01 11:47|| 2011-06-01 11:47|| Front Page Top

#4 We already know who these people are, what they eat, and what they do for a living. It has not changed in thousands of years

You're talking "Afghanistan" now, they're talking about 35-30 other nations in the future.

The problem is that developing these other areas of 'expertise' on various other nations will take take decades. It'll be easier in areas where the US has long had experience (e.g. Philippines), but other nations will take a long, long time. Career paths don't allow for military personnel to do what the 'advisers' want. There is no 'attache' or 'adviser' that stays in one area long enough to become a resident expert, like the Brits used to do with theirs. And as P2K mentioned, academia doesn't want anything to do with the icky military stuff; just bring back the scads of funding from the good old days of the Cold War.

Besides the technological aspect keeps the politicians, their media camp-followers, and their campaign contributors happy. It's quick, it's 'techie', and it doesn't involve direct human contact. And like the academics, it brings in lots and lots of funding.

Posted by Pappy 2011-06-01 14:34|| 2011-06-01 14:34|| Front Page Top

#5 Neh, police actions/nation building/sensitivity to "war crimes" are aberrations of an affluent society---which is, effectively, over. Give it a decade or so, and any bunch of Third Worlders to annoy an industrialized Nation will regret it deeply---but not for long.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2011-06-01 14:57|| 2011-06-01 14:57|| Front Page Top

#6 #5 True, and compounded by Obama's burning desire to cut US conventional forces so he can spend the money on wealth transfers. There's going to be a day when the only option some future US president has is to call for The Football.

Posted by Matt 2011-06-01 15:13|| 2011-06-01 15:13|| Front Page Top

#7 Yah, you check out the mountain on the left, and i'll take the mountain on the right.

Actually, this could be a job for Napalm-Man.

Posted by Uleper the Batty8564 2011-06-01 19:09|| 2011-06-01 19:09|| Front Page Top

#8 WAFF [old = Strategypage] > START [Treaty] YOUR B-52's.

START II limits the USA to approxi 700 nuclear delivery platforms, both Aircraft + LRBMS, USAF desires to reduc number of tried-n-true B-52's to 40.

IFF YOU'RE WONDERING WHY THE POST-PEAK OIL USAF + USDOD WANNA SELL B-52 PARTS TO CHINA [future time], WELL WONDER NO MORE!

Posted by Thereper Crerelet6219 2011-06-01 22:42|| 2011-06-01 22:42|| Front Page Top

#9 My bad - last Post is mine.

Posted by JosephMendiola 2011-06-01 22:43|| 2011-06-01 22:43|| Front Page Top

#10 Joe - are you sure? It looks...errrrr.... nevermind

Posted by Frank G 2011-06-01 22:45|| 2011-06-01 22:45|| Front Page Top

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