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2010-02-05 Afghanistan

Why is the military publicizing its upcoming operations in Afghanistan?

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Posted by GolfBravoUSMC 2010-02-05 13:02|| || Front Page|| [4 views ] Top

#1 psych opps, or stupidity. ????
Maybe a false flag operation and they strike north?

Anyway.. we should be able to prosecute a war better than this.

Can you imagine fighting WWII this way?

Posted by Mike Hunt 2010-02-05 13:33|| 2010-02-05 13:33|| Front Page Top

#2 Depends on whether you want to win or just to posture as if you were trying, allowing the fight to be lost so you can pull the troops home and surrender.

Posted by lotp 2010-02-05 13:44|| 2010-02-05 13:44|| Front Page Top

#3 Possibility#3, lotp, look up how lions (lionesses actually) hunt.

Posted by g(r)omgoru 2010-02-05 15:23|| 2010-02-05 15:23|| Front Page Top

#4 I wouldn't doubt that a lot of it is PSYOP. You keep telling the enemy that you are coming. But they don't know when or from which direction. Maybe then you start doing small operations in the area just to get them used to seeing you in the neighborhood. They can only keep their vigilance up for so long. Pretty soon they begin to ignore these little operations. But over time, you are shaping things, managing lines of communications, preparing things.

We weren't exactly secretive of the fact that we were going to take Fallujah either. It wears on the enemy and it gives civilians time to get out of the way.

Basically it adds stress to the enemy's day.

Posted by crosspatch 2010-02-05 15:44|| 2010-02-05 15:44|| Front Page Top

#5 Best result would be that the terrs decide this is the hill they want to die on and this gives them time to bring in more targets.

Posted by Richard Aubrey 2010-02-05 16:20|| 2010-02-05 16:20|| Front Page Top

#6 Can you imagine fighting WWII this way?

Yeah! FUSAG never would have done something so stupid.

Do you folks really imagine Petraeus betrayed us?

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2010-02-05 16:39|| 2010-02-05 16:39|| Front Page Top

#7 "Can you imagine fighting WWII this way?"

We made no secret of the fact that we were going to invade France from England, we just didn't tell them where or when we would land.

We went to great pains to make sure Germany knew we were preparing to invade to include massive works of deception in making our forces looked to be massed in places where they weren't, etc.

Posted by crosspatch 2010-02-05 16:53|| 2010-02-05 16:53|| Front Page Top

#8 In context of the "protect the population" operational method of counterinsurgency, this makes a good deal of sense. Guerrillas don't go up against main force units, unless the guerrillas have clear superiority. I predict that, when the offensive does happen, the tactical-level units won't find much sign of any insurgents, because they will have melted away. Taking towns without firing a shot is a big plus, because then you don't piss off the locals, and you don't have to rebuild a shattered town you just took. The townspeople will naturally look towards the coalition and Afghan gov't forces to fill the security functions that the insurgents provided, and that's the whole point.

Posted by Pstanley 2010-02-05 17:48|| 2010-02-05 17:48|| Front Page Top

#9 Y'all are right about tactics, I know ... I'm just p*ssed about the new ROEs and the aggressive campaign against commanders.

Posted by lotp 2010-02-05 20:56|| 2010-02-05 20:56|| Front Page Top

#10 lotp - it strikes me the overriding goal may be to force senior & mid-level officers out of the service, as a precursor to major downsizing. They are the biggest natural opponent to a civilian political militia (analog Brown Shirts.) Ok, I'm done now, and will put my tinfoil hat back on.

Posted by Glenmore 2010-02-05 21:39|| 2010-02-05 21:39|| Front Page Top

#11 Whatever the move is, this is part of prepping the battlefield.

lotp, you are not alone. The scenario which concerns me is that the bad guys take up the offer to fight this battlefield, and use the CFs to kill of the riff-raff and not as hard core as they should be types, not only causing damage to the CFs but give the body count victory for CFs to pull out, kill off their future rank and file competition, and still claim a victory as the last blackhawk flies out of Kabul. A Taliban Tet Offensive if you will. (I do think that would be a highly risky strategy by the bad guys)

Posted by swksvolFF 2010-02-05 22:19|| 2010-02-05 22:19|| Front Page Top

#12 Please spread fungus or virus to kill the poppies first....

PLEASE!

Posted by 3dc 2010-02-05 22:34|| 2010-02-05 22:34|| Front Page Top

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