I Approve

[BLAZER PROPHET]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35093060/ns/world_news-washington_post

 

[RR7]

I wish we would push for less troops, but better ones, like these guys. I wish most of our military was special forces-types. Seems like it would be more beneficial in conflicts like this.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

I wish we would push for less troops, but better ones, like these guys. I wish most of our military was special forces-types. Seems like it would be more beneficial in conflicts like this.

There's something to be said for that. I like strike teams that move in and kill terrorist leaders.

 

[RR7]

Agreed. Seems like an effective way to eliminate the actual targets, and not risk the collateral damage of larger bombings, or civilians getting in the way of larger scale attacks. Or, even, civilians siding with the enemy during a fight, and picking up a gun to help. Move in, eliminate, move out. I know it's not that simple, but still.

 

[Natebishop3]

I wish we would push for less troops, but better ones, like these guys. I wish most of our military was special forces-types. Seems like it would be more beneficial in conflicts like this.

Most of the people who go SF are a cut above the rest of the military. I've worked with regular ground pounders, Rangers, and guys who have been there done that. Regular infantry is necessary. Can't have an entire army of SF guys. There simply isn't enough talent available to fill that many teams.

 

[BrianFromWA]

SF guys are generally the cream of the infantry crop. The crazy thing about infantry is that it generally takes about a 10-to-1 support system (docs, cooks, motor transport, aviation, etc.) for each member of the infantry to do his job. I don't know as much about how spec ops work, but it seems just from the few articles I've read that they farm out to private contractors a lot of their infrastructure. I don't know yet whether that's good or bad.

 

[STOMP]

There's something to be said for that. I like strike teams that move in and kill terrorist leaders.

my favorite part of the link...

Obama has ordered a dramatic increase in the pace of CIA drone-launched missile strikes into Pakistan in an effort to kill al-Qaeda and Taliban members in the ungoverned tribal areas along the Afghan border. There have been more such strikes in the first year of Obama's administration than in the last three years under President George W. Bush, according to a military officer who tracks the attacks.

even better then special forces killing terrorist leaders is remote controlled drones scouting and killing terrorist leaders. This has got to be disheartening for their moral. I'm pretty sure that those drones are controlled by operators somewhere in the SW like New Mexico

this article makes it seem that the heat that Obama took over the underwear bomber and not wanting to be involved with national security issues over the Christmas holidays was political nonsense... with some perspective it seems that he was very involved with national security issues at that time.

STOMP

 

[TradeNurkicNow]

The American advisers do not take part in raids in Yemen, but help plan missions, develop tactics and provide weapons and munitions. Highly sensitive intelligence is being shared with the Yemeni forces, including electronic and video surveillance, as well as three-dimensional terrain maps and detailed analysis of the al-Qaeda network.

Looks like we did none of the killing, but supplied intelligence and resources. Better tactic than unmanned bomb drones, I reckon.

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

Looks like we did none of the killing, but supplied intelligence and resources. Better tactic than unmanned bomb drones, I reckon.

It keeps our hands a bit cleaner.

Not that I care about that.

 

[STOMP]

It keeps our hands a bit cleaner.

Not that I care about that.

That the Yemin soldiers own the killings doesn't let the Taliban blame us nearly as directly for their recruiting... and as an added side benefit, it spares American soldiers from dying.

I'm big on that

STOMP

 

[BLAZER PROPHET]

That the Yemin soldiers own the killings doesn't let the Taliban blame us nearly as directly for their recruiting... and as an added side benefit, it spares American soldiers from dying.

I'm big on that




STOMP

True, but it pretty much places a death on the Yemen leaders. Then we'll have no support there.

 

[STOMP]

True, but it pretty much places a death on the Yemen leaders. Then we'll have no support there.

we shall see... al-Qaeda isn't exactly the popular kids in Yemin from what I gather and now a portion of their local leadership is dead. Continued support like we're providing would seem to give the Yemin gov't the upper hand in future conflicts.

STOMP