We had a media talking head retired LTC on our local radio the other day....Dean Smittle (sp?). The morning host is a bit of a lib, and the topic was "body armor." There were reports of troops complaining about the weight.
The LTC was asked his opinion, and he decided they should just shut up and wear it...best in the long run was his take.
I remembered your post: different missions require a different load. Excellent advice. They should have interviewed one who knew.
The same with this "civil war" stuff. I don't know if anyone has an official definition of what constitutes a civil war, but this sure isn't as ugly as the American variety.