British press report, unusually thorough, but miss the core point: why so many sent into combat in a single very old, very slow transport helicopter.
Special forces helicopter shot down in Afghanistan was on a mission to rescue U.S. Army Rangers
Daily Mail, 7 August 2011
- Chopper brought down in rocket attack was on its way to aid other elite troops fighting militants
- Names of American victims begin to be released
- Twenty-two of the dead soldiers were from elite Seal Team Six
- At 30 deaths in total, it's highest number of U.S. casualties in one incident
- Seven Afghan soldiers die in the crash
- President Obama mourns this ‘extraordinary sacrifice'
- Afghan president sends condolences to Obama
Read more–includes video and map.
Phi Beta Iota: DoD has not had a global engagement strategy nor a mature joint/multinational acquisition strategy that we know of….the Services have refused to work together and fought for budget share rather than for capabilities relevant to reality and to the safety of the individuals actually going into combat (4% of the force that gets 80% of the casualties and 1% of the budget). In a word, DoD lacks integrity at the policy and acquisition levels such that no degree of operational excellence can overcome. The top speed of the Chinook is 185 mph but that is when it is empty, flying below 6,000 feet, and on a delightfully warm not humid day. These people were sent to their death because DoD does not have the integrity to plan for combat helicopters capable above 6,000 feet. Sending them into combat like that is the equivalent of sending a SWAT team into a gang fight aboard a train of golf carts. SHAME!
See Also:
Reference: The Pentagon Labyrinth
Journal: A Tale of Two Flying Pigs
USA National Military Strategy 2011 + RECAP
Journal: DoD QDR–incomplete, incoherent, incredible…
Journal: Pentagon’s Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) as a Metaphor for a Predictable Defense Meltdown
Reference: Intelligence Support to Small Arms Acquisition–A Brilliant Indictment
New Army Chief of Staff: Out of Touch? NEW: Blistering Bullshit Flag Waved from Afghanistan
