In a insurgency where the enemy is running generally inside your ability to
react (OODA Loop) - could be seconds instead of minutes - I think there
should be a general rule or baseline for conduct of operations. That is
that no unit, small or large, that goes outside of their safe-zone, goes
without a suitable "eye-in-the-sky" that can provide both day and night
early warning, persistent surveillance, and near instant ability to either
call in or provide weapons on target. If we simply had that - and after
billions spent needlessly it is not a big order - many lives could be saved
and many IED and ambush type situations would be thwarted and many escaping
bad guys would be dealt with. Only by having a "hammer" to react to being
fired upon first (unfortunate general situation for the friendlies in an
insurgency) can the friendlies retain anything like an offensive advantage



"The Leslie Cheswick Soul Explosion"
wrote in message ...
On Thu, 04 Jan 2007 18:55:08 GMT, Ed Rasimus
wrote:

I think you're singing bass and I'm singing tenor in the same choir.

I think you're missing an opportunity to reduce a constructive thread
to the normal level of usenet discourse.

Be that as it may, I would still differ on the importance of
patrolling. Reducing the visibility of the uniformed army on the
ground serves a valid purpose in reducing the 'occupier' propaganda
dynamic, but some level of patrolling is still required - covert and
overt - to maintain some independent contact with the community.

Without that, there won't be the level of intelligence required for
checking that the Iraqi forces are operating efficiently or even the
level of intelligence required to effectively use precision heavy
weaponry which is sometimes required. I'm strongly in favour of
'minimum force' to reduce the asymmetric propaganda dynamic, but I
have to say bombing Zarqawi accurately from the air is a better
alternative to going though the door (or window, or wall) on foot,
always provided the intelligence is sufficiently accurate.

It will be a while (of ever) before the Iraqi forces can get to the
required level of operational proficiency, and they certainly won't be
delivering PGM attacks any time soon, so I personally see a valid role
for air strikes (in limited numbers) and therefore a USAF presence to
deliver them for some time to come.

Gavin Bailey

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