For information.
From Afghanistan for ACOS: I have not seen so much BS in a while. The 10th Mountain deployed to Afghanistan without the proper equipment to operate in the mountains. They lacked adequate cold weather gear and our lift capability does not fly well here either. With the exception of 40 year old Chinooks, most can't climb over the lofty peaks that permeate this country.
I attended a farewell for a friend of mine, there were 33 people there, 11 of them in the rank of 06, two in the rank of 08. What these guys did everyday is beyond me, but little work gets done in the palace of King David I can assure you. There are Green Berets out in villages that depend on their families to help them with the Hearts and Minds that Petraeus so often says he is trying to win, but doesn't support. That type of warfare does little to increase the coffers of the MICC….
Chuck Spinney–we read all your stuff and his–has it right: this guy lives in a palace, Versailles on the Potomac, and is totally out of touch with reality.
Phi Beta Iota: It is not at all clear that the new Army Chief of Staff (ACOS) understands that the standard issue weapon is worthless beyond 300 meters, or that his force in combat (4% of the total force) takes 80% of the casualties while receiving 1% of the total military budget. We know what our troops are fighting for–what is this guy fighting for on behalf of his troops?
NOTE: Several alert readers have pointed out that 4% refers to the infantry engaged in combat, not to the entirety of the US Army which has a very high ratio of headquarters, administrative, logistical, and life support “tail” to tooth (combat force). One could go further and categorize “combat” forces assigned to Europe and to garrisons all over the world as part of a “presence” force–a military band with weapons, further worsening the tail to tooth ratio (if the Air Force had a long-haul lift capability and the US Navy were serious about expeditionary operations, we would have a different Army. It's all connected, and it's all based on a lack of strategy, intelligence, and integrity at the top). These people are all going through the motions–apart from Admiral Mullen and his Strategic Narrative action officers, everyone else appears to just be planning for retirement and letting the inherently corrupt system keep going.
Results of Phi Beta Iota Search for Afghanistan + Dead Cat
Reference: Intelligence Support to Small Arms Acquisition–A Brilliant Indictment
Reference: 27 Sep MajGen Robert Scales, USA (Ret), PhD
The Other End of the Spear: The Tooth-to-Tail Ratio (T3R) in Modern Military Operations
