[Stepan12]

This may make good television back home, but Sharp said "loud voices, full body armour, wrap-around sunglasses, air strikes and daily broadcasts from shoulder-holster wearing brigadier generals proudly announcing how many Iraqis have been killed by US forces today" was no "hearts-and-minds winning tool".

To eff with this hearts and minds garbage. One kills the enemy and breaks his morale. We tried that hearts and minds stuff in Vietnam and it didn't work.

[pierrem15]

The parts of the anatomy that need to be placed firmly in grasp are lower than the heart and dangle from the thorax.

[frankiep]

BINGO!!!!

Wars are won by killing the enemy and destroying their will to fight. This "hearts and minds" crap does nothing more than convey weakness, and an unwillingness to fight to win, and ultimately only costs more lives and prolongs conflicts.

[Nip]

"proud announcements about how many Iraqis were killed"

This is, unfortunately, a hold over from Robert Strange McNamara and his attempt to quantify combat and effective combat leadership. His tour as SecDef (1961 - 1968 ?) was the beginning of the downfall of the American military.

By definition combat is not something that can be managed - prepared for, survived, endured - yes! But how do you manage chaos?

Combat has always been to effect the hearts and minds of the enemy. The quickest effect is to stop their hearts and minds. But, if war is a form of semi-controlled violence, the near total destruction of a society might not be the real end goal.

In 1919 World War I ended without affecting the hearts and minds of Imperial Germany’s population - twenty years later the world was at it again.

Yet in 1945 World War II ended with heavy effects on the German hearts and minds. That ended that particular European flash point (no new wars in/over Germany in 60 years (a record since the mid 1800s).

We can argue the Cold War details later. But, IMHO, it ended when the Soviet leadership cadre had a serious change of their hearts and minds (minimal destruction of the general, supporting, society).

In 1991 DESERT STORM ended without affecting the hearts and minds of the Iraqi population/leadership cadre. Twenty-one years later we were at it again.

I think that Brigadier Sharp might have a valid explanation for the “out break” of General Officers b**ching about Bush and the SecDef. These men got to their position through showmanship and self-advertising. And now, they are just one more retired officer who must continue to sell themselves to get, in their minds, their just rewards.

[castlebrew]

when you've got 'em by the ba!!s, their hearts and minds will follow...

[Brit1]

OK no hearts and minds stuff then .
Napalm the children first(always makes good pics remember the little girl runninig across the bridge in VN).Did wonders for the US's credibility world wide didn't it?
Then what? Irradiate all the women..no more children. Then what ? Kill all remaining life and turn the whole place into a parking lot. Hey you guys John Wayne killed himself smoking and never fired a gun for real and much more importantly was NEVER SHOT AT FOR REAL ! Remember that.