World Affairs Board - View Single Post - US Wants To Transform War From Massed Armies To Guerilla Warfare

SnowLeopard · 07-28-2006, 07:13 AM

There are so many holes in that approach, it is difficult to know where to start or if to start at all.

Three big problems I can see. First of all, when you start using your troops as secret agents and less as troops, you're running into the legitmacy of their existance, the protection they have as military.

Secondly, going into some country and seizing the legal leader, at least in that country, kidnapping him, yanking him out. Doesn't that sound just a little bit wrong? We have laws on the books that we don't assassinate foreign leaders; don't know about kidnapping them, but it would seem similar. But it also opens a great big door for if we start doing it, it sort of makes it "all right" for others to do it to us. We would denouce it as criminal..........but then, what would that make us if we did it ourselves?

"Might makes right". Well, fine, but do it so it is proper. There are a lot of distasteful things about invading another country, but it is one of those things for the enemy we are fighting, it is hard for them to use the same tactic, ie, invading the country. So we can still fight the proper way while their response can be called criminal and such.

The third thing is that special warfare is great ........ but one has to realize that it is specialized and meant for only a very few things. One of the things about a decently sized military unit is that it can easily respond when the question on the table is "where do you want what, when?". It can do a whole lot more, for a whole lot more people, than what spec ops can do. Spec ops may be able to go in and grab the leader, but the invading force can feed his oppressed people, if that is desired.

Ie, when they were around (I understand they aren't, now), we would occassionally say, "SEALS are great but sometimes, you just would rather have an MAB!"
----------------------------------------------------
("Air support here, Colonel. Understand you have some unwanted company. Where do you want the lead?"--"PUFF" AC-47 on radio
"Put it on the base! We don't have it anymore."--Col. Kirby
"Right ...... this will just take a minute." and PUFF comes in and mows down all the VC, (w,stte), "The Green Berets")

07-28-2006, 07:13 AM	#6 (permalink)
SnowLeopard *Military Professional* Join Date: 07-18-06 Location: Texas Posts: 755	There are so many holes in that approach, it is difficult to know where to start or if to start at all. Three big problems I can see. First of all, when you start using your troops as secret agents and less as troops, you're running into the legitmacy of their existance, the protection they have as military. Secondly, going into some country and seizing the legal leader, at least in that country, kidnapping him, yanking him out. Doesn't that sound just a little bit wrong? We have laws on the books that we don't assassinate foreign leaders; don't know about kidnapping them, but it would seem similar. But it also opens a great big door for if we start doing it, it sort of makes it "all right" for others to do it to us. We would denouce it as criminal..........but then, what would that make us if we did it ourselves? "Might makes right". Well, fine, but do it so it is proper. There are a lot of distasteful things about invading another country, but it is one of those things for the enemy we are fighting, it is hard for them to use the same tactic, ie, invading the country. So we can still fight the proper way while their response can be called criminal and such. The third thing is that special warfare is great ........ but one has to realize that it is specialized and meant for only a very few things. One of the things about a decently sized military unit is that it can easily respond when the question on the table is "where do you want what, when?". It can do a whole lot more, for a whole lot more people, than what spec ops can do. Spec ops may be able to go in and grab the leader, but the invading force can feed his oppressed people, if that is desired. Ie, when they were around (I understand they aren't, now), we would occassionally say, "SEALS are great but sometimes, you just would rather have an MAB!" ---------------------------------------------------- ("Air support here, Colonel. Understand you have some unwanted company. Where do you want the lead?"--"PUFF" AC-47 on radio "Put it on the base! We don't have it anymore."--Col. Kirby "Right ...... this will just take a minute." and PUFF comes in and mows down all the VC, (w,stte), "The Green Berets")