Ralph Peters - 12 Myths of 21st-Century War

American Legion Magazine ^ | 11/01/07 | ponsdorf

[ponsdorf]

We're in trouble. We're in danger of losing more wars. Our troops haven't forgotten how to fight. We've never had better men and women in uniform. But our leaders and many of our fellow Americans no longer grasp what war means or what it takes to win.

Thanks to those who have served in uniform, we've lived in such safety and comfort for so long that for many Americans sacrifice means little more than skipping a second trip to the buffet table.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

” Want to make a terrorist a martyr? Just lock him up.”

Very true. In a few years, the MSM would be showing pictures of the frail, harmless, children’s-book-writing, convert to pacifism that the heartless “war-mongers” are keeping in inhumane, dungeon-like conditions. The terrorist’s face would begin to appear on t-shirts, and the engraved invitations to Park Avenue benefit parties.

[starlifter]

A good read from a very smart and perceptive author.

[F-117A]

Bump!

[Tolik]

Nailed It!
Moral Clarity BUMP !

This ping list is not author-specific for articles I'd like to share. Some for the perfect moral clarity, some for provocative thoughts; or simply interesting articles I'd hate to miss myself. (I don't have to agree with the author all 100% to feel the need to share an article.) I will try not to abuse the ping list and not to annoy you too much, but on some days there is more of the good stuff that is worthy of attention. You can see the list of articles I pinged to lately  on  my page.
You are welcome in or out, just freepmail me (and note which PING list you are talking about). Besides this one, I keep 2 separate PING lists for my favorite authors Victor Davis Hanson and Orson Scott Card.  

[knews_hound]

Outstanding !

BTTT

Cheers,

knewshound

knewshounds blog

[dsc]

” Want to make a terrorist a martyr? Just lock him up.”

Just look at Nelson Mandela.

On the other hand, executing the scumbag Che Guevara has exalted him among the evil.

[Albion Wilde]

BUMP

[shield]

bfl

[MNJohnnie]

Another day, another swing on the Ralph Peters hysteria train. He has to be the most manic depressive columnist out there. One day he is up, the next he is down. One day disaster is just around the corner, the next day Victory.

[neverdem]

thanks, bfl

[ponsdorf]

Yeah, well..

He is an odd duck at times. Still... Each of the myths he’s noted have been exploded by others many times. At the very least he gets credit (from me) for putting them in one place and addressing them.

I don’t shoot the messenger out of hand.

[Popocatapetl]

I was hoping that the focus on this article was not the war already won, but future wars. Since that was not the case, I would like to present my own list of “Myths of 21st-Century War.”

Myths:

1) Myth - It is no longer possible to have a world war.

Ironically, it is becoming increasingly hard to have a war that *isn’t* a world war, in a manner of speaking. To be as objective as possible, I will propose a major war, just to examine the repercussions.

China and India start a war. A worldwide economic downturn is the first consequence. Throughout the world, both nations try to gain allies and sanction their enemies’ allies. The traditional opponents of both countries try to take advantage of the war. Other nations want to make money by selling arms. There are calls for a multi-national peacekeeping force. Russia supports one side and the US supports the other. Unrestricted submarine warfare comes into play. Minor conflicts break out between Chinese and Indians worldwide, including terrorist acts.

2) Myth - High Technology always trumps raw numbers. Short of using nuclear weapons, which is the preferred conflict, high tech weaponry do have limits compared to raw numbers. For example, what could an advanced fighter aircraft do against 100 low tech drones, each of which was carrying an equally low tech air-to-air missile? Can 5 low-tech diesel sub beat a high tech submarine?

Another example: what happens if GPS is knocked out?

3) Myth - Nuclear war means a major nuclear exchange. Many countries think that having even a single nuclear weapon gives them unlimited power, and grants all of their wishes, like a genie. They also think of a nuclear weapon as just being a “big bomb”, they can use to smite their enemies.

The truth of the matter is that a ground or ship smuggled nuclear weapon is a major threat in the 21st Century. It is covert, deniable, and devastating.

4) Myth - There are no historical parallels to our times. The truth is that right now we are seeing dangerous events that happened before being duplicated, and possibly with the same consequences.

To begin with, there is a world buildup of warships of all varieties not seen since before World War I. Back then, they realized the risk, and tried to reduce the raw numbers by treaty. It didn’t work.

Iran has almost eerie parallels with Imperial Japan prior to World War II. As Japan realized that to dominate the Pacific Ocean, they had to kick out the American Pacific fleet, and American forces from the Pacific Islands, so too does Iran realize that to dominate the Middle East, and the world oil trade, America’s forces and fleets must leave the Middle East, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. And yes, there was considerable speculation that the US and Japan would soon be at war, prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

For its part, China faces destabilizing forces not seen since the 14-year long Taiping Rebellion, possibly the second bloodiest conflict in human history after World War II, which was around the time of the US Civil War. But were China to have a major rebellion today, the human cost might be in the hundreds of millions of lives.

[Eagles6]

You are right, but when he’s right he’s good.

[modican]

War doesn't change anything. Wars, in fact, often change everything.

Someone told me this: his Father was 17 in 1944 became a nazi soldier on the russian front, within 3 month he was shut thru the upper body, he was moved to recover in a hospital at the safer western german border. There his war change occurred. He met the 3rd kind, American Soldiers, to his surprise after all the killings on the russian front, they did not treat him as enemy, they gave him good food, coke, cigarettes, hot cocoa, he could not believe it, that was his enemy? All his later talk was centering around that time. Decades later he visited his son in the USA, he only made one statement of importance: it was just like he remembered, the friendliness of people, the openness and down to earth. Things are simple for simple people.
In 44 he met the 3rd Kind, he met the New Man, he met a friendly Warrior. Once you meet a superior race, you have only 2 choices, you try becoming like them or you run around puzzled for the rest of your life and hide in a cave, if you are normal, you will never fight him . This Father became the latter, a broken man and hiding in a cave (alcohol etc.), without ever fully understanding what occurred.
As the song goes: I'm Hard and Yet friendly, War changes everything.

[labette]

Some good points.

I won’t ask your occupation, but it seems that you have given the subject some thought.

[EQAndyBuzz]

“2) Myth - High Technology always trumps raw numbers. Short of using nuclear weapons, which is the preferred conflict, high tech weaponry do have limits compared to raw numbers. For example, what could an advanced fighter aircraft do against 100 low tech drones, each of which was carrying an equally low tech air-to-air missile? Can 5 low-tech diesel sub beat a high tech submarine?’

People tend to forget that even F22 Raptors will eventually run out of ammo.

[gonzo]

Excellent article! The Saudis are our enemies! ..................... FRegards

[grey_whiskers]

People tend to forget that even F22 Raptors will eventually run out of ammo.

What concerns me is a point-strike, "Spetznaz"-type, or sabotage operations against our high-tech assets or C&C immediately prior to hostilities.

We have no depth NOR plan B.

Not a good idea when facing a nation that has younger demographics AND outnumbers you four-to-one.

(...and has no regard for human life anyway...)

Cheers!

[Popocatapetl]

I actually project that there will be several varieties of aircraft in the future.

Manned stealth aircraft will be needed for critical mission attacks in heavily defended airspace.

In a radical departure, there will be high tech high performance drone fighter aircraft, designed to fight against enemy manned fighters and advanced drones, and to attack targets in enemy territory. They will be our first echelon front line aircraft.

With them will be very large numbers, armadas, of much lower tech drones. About as expensive as a luxury sedan, they will be designed to either fight each other with light air to air missiles or machine guns, or carry a single bomb. Otherwise they are expendable. These aircraft can either be like buzz bombs (V1), and will be guided by swarm artificial intelligence, with remote human direction. They would launch literally a hundred or more at a time.

Then, as a second echelon, there will be manned high performance aircraft like F-22s, to catch any enemy drone or manned aircraft that make it through the first echelon. As soon as penetration occurs, they could launch an advanced air to air missile or use a laser against the enemy aircraft.