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2005-09-20 Iraq-Jordan

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Posted by Steve 2005-09-20 09:08|| || Front Page|| [3 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 While good officers are important, you also have to worry about local cops who won't, because of potential trouble with family and tribal leaders, enforce many laws.

Not to be confused with police corruption, as say, in a modern first world city like New Orleans.

Posted by Glereper Angolutle3263 2005-09-20 09:45|| 2005-09-20 09:45|| Front Page Top

#2 Again it should be pointed out that ARVN held out against the North for THREE YEARS after the US left, against a numerically superior enemy with unlimited resupply from the Soviet Union.

(This is to point out something the radical left tries very had to conceal--trying to create the illusion that as soon as the US left, Vietnam collapsed followed by the famous scene at the US embassy.)

The Iraqi army, on the other hand, is a voluntary army, not conscription. It is not fighting a huge, conventional army. Its junior officer and NCO corps are showing impressive adaptability to modern, western military organization. It is also being trained in obviously far better tactics than anyone but Israel in the region.

It is also being ordered at higher brigade and divisional level, making it far more effective as a whole. Also undergoing continual and strict quality control to eliminate the undesireables from the ranks.

Its senior officer corps is patchy and prone to the old ways, but given the intensive training and evaluation environment, they will soon have very young and strong replacements.

Its greatest weakness is its lack of significant air forces. But that too is being designed from the ground up. Emphasis has been placed on the development of logistical support aircraft, along with light reconnaisance border patrol. Neither of these have much understanding or emphasis in the region, and by teaching the lesson of their extraordinary value first, will help them in the long run.

A great emphasis is on sustainability, so that what has been created will be re-created, and quality gained is maintained--again, a major problem in the region. Training academies are already fully functional for future officers and NCOs. Concepts like nepotism, bribery, and corruption are becoming institutionally discouraged. Training and maintenance are considered to be the norm, not just done as an afterthought if at all.

With oil money amounting to billions of dollars pouring into the country each month, and an optimized economy thanks to J. Paul Bremer, the Iraqi military will easily outclass the Iranian army. As before, they will evolve into a mechanized force, but at a level of efficiency and competency a hundred times greater than Saddam's pre-Iraq/Iran war mechanized forces.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-09-20 11:27|| 2005-09-20 11:27|| Front Page Top

#3 1) I love the judo on Vietnam comparisons by equating the North Vietnamese communists and the baath party. Those wiley leftist will be speechless (well, for at least 20 seconds). Also love Anonymoose's thoughts on conventional military development. As an old SF type, I always thought the insurgency would ultimately be fought and won after dark in bloody paramilitary possibly sectarian operations hopefully integrated and controlled as one component of the spectrum of political military operations

Posted by Dave Katz 2005-09-20 14:27|| 2005-09-20 14:27|| Front Page Top

#4 Dave: I've long been trying to follow the adventures of SOCOM in the invisible war behind the war, and hold strong positive opinions as to the effectiveness of counter-insurgency ops.

Among the special children I have known I am pleased to remember not one but two who were Phoenix Program, that much misunderstood but highly effective group of heroes of yore.

Ironically, one of the two was "staff", not an operative, but high enough to have fascinating tales of how it was done behind the scenes.

I can but wonder in awe what it is like today, at 10 times its Vietnam-era size.

Posted by Anonymoose 2005-09-20 19:35|| 2005-09-20 19:35|| Front Page Top

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