This whole thing is bull****, a fabrication (or an exaggeration stretched to the point of fabrication) by sensationalist blogger David Axe, whose byline is on the Diplomat piece. If you read the TBO blogger’s piece, BG Tolley is clearly talking conditionally. If we go to war, I want to put my men here, and some new gadgets you guys could invent and make would help me do that.
Axe misheard, or was stoned, or just wanted to make the story more exciting. That’s how he rolls. I thought he was going to be better after embedding, but he’s the same old hack.
Guys, here’s the original David Axe story that all these stories (the one on Yahoo, the one at Daily Caller) are based on. I’ve written the ed. of the DC with my real name and background in hopes he will correct his story.
http://the-diplomat.com/flashpoints-blog/2012/05/28/u-s-commandos-spy-on-north-korea/
David Axe is NOT a trustworthy source on military affairs.
Without having been there, I read BG Tolley in Axe’s report as saying that in the event of war his forces would do SR (Strategic Reconnaissance), not that they are doing it now. He goes on to say that he’d like to have better sensors, DF-proof commo, and a wireless power system so as to unleash SR teams from betteries. Those are all reasonable requests and the audience at this conference includes the Tony Stary kind of guys who can do that kind of thing — if it’s possible at all.
It also includes a lot of foreign special operations officers from friendly and neutral nations — not the place where a very senior officer lets his freak flag fly.
Axe is jonesing for a scoop so badly, he connected some dots that don’t go together.
This post by the Tampa Bay Online military buff/blogger/reporter seems to reinforce that Tolley was talking about what he’d like to have in his quiver for wartime, NOT what he’s doing today.
Deep breaths, people. The generals and admirals in charge of SOF are still on America’s side. So are the guys under them.