S-2

Where've you guys been?

I posted this article WEEKS ago here.

The mods need to merge this thread and you guys need to review the board a tad more closely.

You're slow to the draw.

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"This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski

S-2

We are a well-conditioned force-in every aspect. There's stress to the system and soldiers from sustained combat but attention to detail appears meticulous and our troops have not yet lost an edge that's been, to date, decisive big and small.

Our education system, IMHO, is the difference. We've an incredibly adaptive military these days and the inculcation of a "learning culture" has never been more evident.

They call COIN a "PhD." level of combat. Judging by the intellectual engagement I've seen from our mid-career officers-many of whom have now faced COUNTLESS overseas tours-we've never had a more curious professional soldier taking advantage of a superb institutional education base AND contributing back to it. Consider for a moment that a soldier or officer could have just retired with twenty years and seen combat and security tours in Panama, Desert Storm, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, or elsewhere during that tour. That doesn't include an always-interesting DMZ in S. Korea.

Money helps but our officers and N.C.O.s have never so taken advantage of the available resources nor in such creative ways. It's a very bright military that generally doesn't exhibit signs among it's mid management that money is being wasted.

My thoughts.

Shamus

Good post Dude.

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"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves, therefore, are its only safe depositories." Thomas Jefferson

astralis

S-2,

curse those OPRs for not allowing you guys to sleep on the job, eh?

__________________
The human mind cannot grasp the causes of phenomena in the aggregate. But the need to find these causes is inherent in man’s soul. And the human intellect, without investigating the multiplicity and complexity of the conditions of phenomena, any one of which taken separately may seem to be the cause, snatches at the first, the most intelligible approximation to a cause, and says: “This is the cause!"

-Leo Tolstoy
War and Peace

zraver

Mental goes way past such a simple word. There has to be beleif. More than just the beleif in his training and personal weapons. An American can take risks other can't or won't because he has been educated to believe. Believe in his body armor or vehicle, believe in his buddies, believe that the medevac is enroute as soon as a bullet is headed down range just in case. He believes in his NCO's, believes there is an A-10 or a battery of 155mm just a radio call away and he believes he won't be left behind by his buddies, but that if he is his nation will consider him a hero as a POW, not as a scoundrel. He believes that even if death picks him, his family will be taken care of with his SLGI check, and he believes in America. Not the America of the constitution or Declaration of Independence, but the America he grew up with, his family and friends, his home town and favorite college team.

Most of all he believes- we're #1. He has the will to battle because as #1 no one else can possibly stand against him in a fair fight. Not once since the ACW has any enemy made an entire American army flee the field of battle.

sunnyamy

Impressive in every sense. The reply, plus the breath and the depth of US military capability.

Mid-management or NCO level is the sharp point of the sword. If you have mid-management right, very hard to beat. But it seems even the grunts (non-management) are also superior.

No wonder, our army's aspirational goal is interoperability with professional military (in our case the US and Australia). We are a army at peace since 1965. So basically little or no combat experience.

The last time the SAF shot anyone was in 1991. When our SOF went into action for a hostage rescue against 4 aircraft hijackers from Pakistan. All hostages were rescued unharmed. In fact, many of our elite are often US trained.

Our navy's been leaning from the USN and playing our little role as 'scene of action' commander at the Iraqi oil terminals via the deployment of our Endurance class vessels. I know it is not much, but we are learning.

I have always wondered what is a 'scene of action' commander?

S-2

"curse those OPRs for not allowing you guys to sleep on the job, eh?"

Too true, stud, but employment isn't as tough as once. Good time professionally to be on active duty if job security is important. The bullets hurt like hell though.

Oh! Curse those mods for not merging this thread with mine. Go back a few posts to "Whaaa".

I hate untidiness.

sunnyamy

Belief an important cornerstone of capability. That is what we must all have.

astralis

S-2,

for the sake of preventing a US army officer from sounding any more jane austen-ish (or, god forbid, french ), i shall do as you wish.

S-2

Blessings, sire.

tankie

Calm down lady , go take a cold shower

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TANKIE

WITHOUT WAX

sunnyamy

cold shower just completed

tankie

Good for you , now put all thoughts of muscle bound soldiers with rippling 6 packs and great big ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;Wallets ,



out of your head

tankie

You tell em Steve

tankie

Having exercised with the Brits 1RTR in france , a place called , i think , De La Courtine , we were leagured up one night , a fire was blazing , the grogg was flowing and the laughter was good , when in from the dark walked a troop of French soldiers , also exercising in the same area ,, the leader of the troop was , (i swear to this day he eclipsed the moon, ) the biggest man i have ever laid eyes upon , a good job our officer spoke french as i think he would have killed us all

He was a giant of a man and all of us immediately became sober and never uttered a word , after he gone his merry way a sigh of relief was heard , but we never got pissed that night ,, he was bloody awesome .