They had a fantastic solution for the ambush problem way back in Vietnam...gun trucks. Worked like a charm. Perhaps this is something worth looking into.
Posted on 09/14/2003 3:30:23 PM PDT by yonif
In light of the steady killing of US servicemen in Iraq, a senior IDF officer had some advice for the American forces there: Start using heavily armored vehicles and more tanks.
"When the bodies of more American boys return in plastic body bags, the Americans will learn they have to start driving in armored cars," said the senior IDF field officer.
At least 155 US troops have been killed in Iraq since US President George W. Bush declared the war over on May 1. The latest was Sunday when insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a Humvee, killing one soldier and wounding three. The attack occurred in Fallujah in apparent retaliation for the accidental killing of 10 members of a local security force by US forces, apparently mistaking them for resistance fighters.
US forces come under fire more than a dozen times daily in Iraq. Most of the fatalities are from attacks on Humvee vehicles. These are only equipped with "soft sided" light armor, which is not effective against RPGs, and their windows are not bulletproof. The Bradley fighting vehicles, on the other hand, are very heavily armored.
Israel uses heavily armored Humvees and APCs in the territories as much as possible and sometimes employs heavy main battle tanks as battle taxis. A senior IDF officer said that the army would continue to use tanks against Palestinian gunmen no matter how damaging to Israel's image overseas.
"The IDF uses tanks and Special Forces and everything it can to beat the Palestinians according to a consideration of what is good for us. If we don't have an alternative to tanks, then we use tanks," he said.
"I don't care how it looks on TV in California. My consideration is to protect our forces and if we hadn't used tanks then we would have had greater number of casualties," the senior officer said. According to the senior commander, the Americans sought Israeli advice on waging an urban war prior to the Iraqi invasion. Most Israeli commanders have enormous praise for the speed and swift success the US military showed in the initial campaign to conquer Iraq.
"The Americans created a strategic shock through air power and special forces. They shaped the battlefield during the course of the war and showed remarkable flexibility," said commander of a main IDF battle group.
Israel is enjoying a benefit of a boost to its deterrence by the American show of power since Arab armies know that the IDF's capabilities, using US weaponry, are similar to the American capabilities. According to top IDF officers, the effect of maintaining and developing its large armored-based ground forces is a deterrent to Arab countries, which decided long ago not to attempt to reach tactical parity with the IDF.
"The moment they understood that capability they opted for the other options, like using proxies to wage campaigns and developing weapons of mass destruction," said the senior officer. But he strongly insisted that no major change in Israel's strategy of maintaining a mighty ground force potential was likely.
The officer said the IDF would reduce its battle order, but that force multipliers that have come into fruition have been introduced and the firepower, maneuverability, and command and control of the IDF Armored Corps today makes them far superior than past larger formations.
"Even if there were not the economic problems facing the nation today, we have understood for some time the need to trim down the [ground] forces," he said. "Israel is taking the older tanks, saluting them, and getting new ones. This is the time to do the reorganization in the IDF, but we won't be taking risks."
"When a general says there is significant force, he isn't just saying it to scare someone. He needs to know he has the capability to stand behind this statement," the senior commander said. "The IDF divisions are very, very powerful."
"Every change that we undertake in the IDF is based on strengthening the IDF through introducing newer items and getting rid of older ones. On land, sea, and air.
"There is a reduction in the size," the senior officer said. "But the IDF is not for one moment giving up on the need for a strong army. A state defends its sovereignty with military might even if there isn't a threat."
At least 155 US troops have been killed in Iraq since US President George W. Bush declared the war over on May 1. The latest was Sunday when insurgents fired a rocket-propelled grenade at a Humvee, killing one soldier and wounding three.Time for more Bradleys
US forces come under fire more than a dozen times daily in Iraq. Most of the fatalities are from attacks on Humvee vehicles. These are only equipped with "soft sided" light armor, which is not effective against RPGs, and their windows are not bulletproof. The Bradley fighting vehicles, on the other hand, are very heavily armored.
Let's hope this years CPAC won't be during a tragedy (like last year's, during the shuttle disaster).
President Bush never said that this was the end of the war. President Bush said that it was "the end of major hostilities." What is it with these dolts? These assholes can't even recite / write down their names and then they think they can write a column filled with BS. Well, speaking of BS, maybe a FReeper can remind the hypocrite living in CA that she needs to talk to the new husband. Sick couple. Babs is an intellectual boob.
Stay Safe !
http://www.israelnn.com/search.php3?word=anti-Tank
Reports of RPG usage
http://www.israelnn.com/search.php3?word=RPG
If this had been an issue of offering food stamps or welfare checks, I would have had more patience.
Unfortunately, this is a life-or-death issue; I see Americans being killed every day, and I’m not happy about at all.
There is no reason for our GIs to be enforcing traffic laws or chasing carjackers in Iraq. None. Iraqis should be doing all the policing, since it’s been several months since the Saddam Hussein was deposed.
I’m tired of hearing about excuses not having trained all the needed Iraqi police officers. The latest suggestion was to ship them to Hungary for training at a US base, starting later this month, IIRC
And neither do I.
One thing you can say about the Israelis: they learn from experiencse and their mistakes... So, why do we have to learn from experience and our mistakes when someone else has already learned it for us?
You never learn success from the failures! You learn success from the successful!
They had a fantastic solution for the ambush problem way back in Vietnam...gun trucks. Worked like a charm. Perhaps this is something worth looking into.
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