Attack on Camp Bastion: The Taliban strike on Camp Bastion in Helmand Province destroyed more than $150 million worth of planes and equipment, Western officials said on 16 September. Military officials said the insurgents destroyed six AV-8B Harrier jets and three refueling stations. Two other Harrier aircraft and six soft-skin aircraft hangars were significantly damaged in the attack.
Comment: An investigation of this security breach is in progress. As with other similar attacks, the success of this attack almost certainly indicates the attackers had extensive intelligence provided by insiders and inside assistance in penetrating the bases at the time of attack
Phi Beta Iota: After 9/11 we and others pointed out the 1:500,000 ROI for super-empowered individuals (aided by Dick Cheney and the Mossad). Today that ROI is closer to 1:50 million (it passed 1:5 million within months of US entry into AF and IQ). Politicians focused on the short-term and delusional about continuing to print money simply do not respect the concept of strategic sustainability. Threats must always be evaluated at four levels: strategic, operational, tactical, and technical. Strategies, campaign plans, and tactics must always integrate an understanding of all threat all the time, and provide for Whole of Government engagement, particularly in the Stabilization & Reconstruction arena. A major short-fall in the profession of arms has been its willingness to accept short-term illegal orders from political leaders, instead of publicly presenting a full appreciation of the threat, the policies that must be integrated, the multinational historical and cultural equities to be respected, and the true cost of all alternative courses of action. Now is the time to appreciate the Captains and Majors coming up from a decade of combat — instead of the post Viet-Nam reaction of “never again,” we need a post-Asia emphasis on “let's start doing the right thing” beginning with an honest threat appreciation that includes ALL threats, not just military threats. At this time, the greatest threat to the security and prosperity of the USA is domestic — a two-party tyranny so corrupt it will sanction any atrocity, any waste, any fraud, any abuse, to keep itself in power. In the face of such domestic treason, no military (or any other element of government) can be successful.
See Also:
Rule 1: Don’t Throw Stones From a Glass House
