Article

2009-07-07 Afghanistan

ROE - Marines, who have a reputation as hard chargers, rarely fired back.

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-07-07 13:01|| || Front Page|| [11 views ] Top

#1 Bitter Vietnam lessons lost in Afghanistan

"Neither the Pentagon nor the British Ministry of Defence will win Afghanistan through firepower. The strategy of "hearts and minds plus" cannot be realistic, turning Afghanistan into a vast and indefinite barracks with hundreds of thousands of western soldiers sitting atop a colonial Babel of administrators and professionals. It will never be secure. It offers Afghanistan a promise only of relentless war, one that Afghans outside Kabul know that warlords, drug cartels and Taliban sympathisers are winning."

When the locals see the American Infidels appear to be running from the Mighty Taliban they will be convinced about who's winning.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-07-07 13:47|| 2009-07-07 13:47|| Front Page Top

#2 "The strategy of "hearts and minds plus" cannot be realistic, turning Afghanistan into a vast and indefinite barracks with hundreds of thousands of western soldiers sitting atop a colonial Babel of administrators and professionals."

thats not the plan. See Iraq. we dont have hundreds of thousands there, and dont intend to. Enough to clear out a province, free the locals from fear of the talibs, and build local administration (with the cooperation of local tribals) to keep the talibs from coming back (and get locals who used to work as talibs to be turned and stay turned)

Posted by liberal hawk 2009-07-07 16:03|| 2009-07-07 16:03|| Front Page Top

#3 thats not the plan. See Iraq.

Afghanistan is not Iraq.

Posted by Pappy 2009-07-07 16:16|| 2009-07-07 16:16|| Front Page Top

#4 Ironically as heck, I am in favor of the minimal shooting approach at first, but for odd reasons.

First of all is acclimatization. The assumption is that these Marines are "green". They haven't been in country long enough to get used to the place and the people. They cannot assume that everyone with a gun is a bad guy. They also have to get used to the weather.

Second of all, the bad guys know the place. They also know that if they can convince the locals that the "new guys" are nasty or trigger happy, it will be hard as hell to convince them otherwise. The Taliban have made themselves very unpopular, so the Marines want to keep it that way, not have to start from scratch.

Third is that the Marines are crystal clear that the support they get from Washington is minimal, and that the politicians will double cross them in a heartbeat--so no sticking your necks out.

Posted by Anonymoose 2009-07-07 17:31|| 2009-07-07 17:31|| Front Page Top

#5 Then why send the Marines? Send in a marching band: The have great uniforms, the locals will like the music and there is little chance they will shoot at the Taliban.

Posted by airandee 2009-07-07 17:54|| 2009-07-07 17:54|| Front Page Top

#6 Third is that the Marines are crystal clear that the support they get from Washington is minimal, and that the politicians will double cross them in a heartbeat--so no sticking your necks out.

Is that any way to maintain morale. The next thing we know there will be the fraging of superiors who order them to go on senseless, no win missions. Been there, seen that.

Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2009-07-07 17:55|| 2009-07-07 17:55|| Front Page Top

#7 Yea, like take the Humvee out for reconnaisance, park it, and smoke cigs in place for 3 hours, turn around and come back. Happens.

Posted by GirlThursday 2009-07-07 17:57|| 2009-07-07 17:57|| Front Page Top

#8 Uncle Sam's Misguided Children took 7 KIA on Monday alone. If casualties continue at this pace, Iraq is going to look like a cakewalk in retrospect.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2009-07-07 18:02|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2009-07-07 18:02|| Front Page Top

#9 And let us not forget the spelled backwards "Yes my retarded ass signed up" US ARMY are also bullet catchers for Unc. Sam too often lately for innane reasons. And before people get all bent, I was in the Army so there.

Posted by GirlThursday 2009-07-07 18:08|| 2009-07-07 18:08|| Front Page Top

#10 I wonder if these newfangled rules of engagement are the break the Taliban have been waiting for - they may be an open season permit on Marines (with no bag limit) for the Taliban.

Posted by Zhang Fei 2009-07-07 18:21|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2009-07-07 18:21|| Front Page Top

#11 Here's a CNN headline I just saw:

"Real News: 11 NATO troops killed in 2 days in Afghanistan."

Posted by Zhang Fei 2009-07-07 18:22|| http://timurileng.blogspot.com]">[http://timurileng.blogspot.com] 2009-07-07 18:22|| Front Page Top

#12 #7 Yea, like take the Humvee out for reconnaisance, park it, and smoke cigs in place for 3 hours, turn around and come back. Happens.
Posted by GirlThursday

...or get captured by the Saddam's Republican Guard, lol.

Posted by Besoeker 2009-07-07 18:43|| 2009-07-07 18:43|| Front Page Top

#13 And before people get all bent, I was in the Army so there.

I'll bet you were cute as a button when you were retarded, GirlThursday dear. ;-)

Posted by trailing wife">trailing wife 2009-07-07 22:44|| 2009-07-07 22:44|| Front Page Top

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