Posted on 10/19/2021 8:38:39 AM PDT by elpadre
Four and a half years ago I offered the Trump administration an offramp for the continuous loop of failure America faced in Afghanistan. A similar package was previously suggested to Team Obama and finally to Team Biden in January this year.
Sadly, the administrations’ set of “credentialed” experts rejected a common-sense rationalization letting US troops depart. This summer’s graphic self-immolation of American credibility was the result. It didn’t have to be this way.
A few days after the 9-11 attack, President George W Bush met with his National Security cabinet to plan retribution against al Qaeda. While the Pentagon smoldered, the Department of Defense (DoD) offered airstrikes and a delay of six months for a plodding mechanized invasion of Afghanistan via Pakistan.
The Central Intelligence Agency countered with an immediate unconventional warfare approach using a handful of CIA and Special Forces personnel backed by airpower. Clearly that worked and within days al Qaeda and their Taliban hosts were literally running for their lives.
Within eight months, conventional US forces took over and replicated the Soviet occupation plan of the 1980s while fused to a futile cosplay diplomatic exercise focused on nation-building where none had ever existed before.
This voyage took America on a wasteful fool’s errand thrice costlier than the Marshall plan that actually rebuilt postwar Europe. America and all our technological prowess were defeated by illiterate tribesmen armed with weapons designed in the 1940s.
The US military built the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) to mirror itself, reinforcing a nonexistent central government. The DoD rotated its personnel in-country at least 33 times during the 20-year failure while rotating commanders 18 times.
They never once changed personnel or deployment policies to address the dual conflicts of Iraq and Afghanistan. From the high-water mark of mid-2002, the reach and control .........
(Excerpt) Read more at asiatimes.com ...
Erik Prince - “.....America should unleash its latent private capabilities for partnership with countries wishing to end the scourge of Islamic terrorism, narco-terrorism, state-sponsored drug trades and to deter the resource hegemony pursued by China.
America’s private sector can also build real host nation security capacity across the Pacific Rim including Taiwan to deter aggression without the politics of sending US troops.
The reflection on what went wrong in Afghanistan will go on for some time, but a reminder from Winston Churchill is appropriate: “You can always count on Americans to do the right thing – after they’ve tried everything else.”
Once in a while, we have to get it right or all credibility and deterrence are lost. We are at that point now.
Quite a self-serving article - Erik Prince, owner of Blackwater Inc (Fed.gov’s major mercenary force) suggests Fed.gov should continue its forever wars by hiring PRIVATE armies instead.
Some of the elites feeding at the public trough of massive debt and printed money are also big-government Republicans. That’s why its called the UNIPARTY.
This has never worked in the long run.
He’s a war profiteer. His sis bailed on Trump over Jan. 6 after taking arrows over at Education for 4 years. I don’t recall her record at all, just the mud directed at her. Counts for something I guess but you have to be wary.
Robots and mercenaries…..
That’s the trick!
I don’t think this type of warfare is meant to be for the long term. As I understand, it is a matter of hitting the target hard and getting out. Cut off the head of a snake and leave.
Exactly and I used to work for the guy.
We need private armies. I can do it better and cheaper.
When it came to the protection of diplomats, etc, he did prove that he could do it more efficiently. That cannot be argued. However, that was also done with the knowledge that the weight of the US military could come down on anyone if things went sideways and on the logistical machine that the US military provides.
When I was overseas, initially, my mail was delivered to an APO. The US Army and Air Force was doing that, not a private business. When the Army pulled out of Iraq, no more APO, it went to DPO, the State Dept’s version. Me and my co-workers were immediately limited in what we could send and receive. At one point, after I left it was virtually impossible for guys to get anything.
Anything other than APO/DPO and you’d be lucky if you could get a pack of gum through Iraqi Customs.
So, yes, his private armies can do things “better”. As long as they’re not under UCMJ and have the massive US military logistical apparatus doing its thing.
Every time you kill an enemy, his family and friends hate you.
It’s not some game.
And if they can’t get you on the battlefield, they’ll fly planes into your buildings back home.
Erik Prince should eat a bag of dicks. The profiteering grifter has plans to make money attacking Americans in their own country.
Instead of hiring them, why just “allow” them to go.
They get to rape and pillage in the designated country as much as they want, without criminal procedings being enacted against them. Maybe even make their plunder tax free income.
We did this with privateers back when piracy was the scourge of the Atlantic in the 1790s. Anyone taking over a pirate ship was allowed to keep the loot.
Erik hasn’t been associated with Academi(BW) for many years.
Every time you kill an enemy, his family and friends hate you.
It’s not some game.
And if they can’t get you on the battlefield, they’ll fly planes into your buildings back home.
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So you think we should not fight back because it will piss off the enemy?
North Korea, Viet Nam and this 20 f’n yr Afghanistan war would have all ended in victory if the military was used as it was intended to be used and directed by people actually trained in warfare, which btw involves killing people and breaking things to the point your enemy looses the will to fight. Instead we have politicians making decisions about who we can bomb so we piss off a minimum of people.
Fed.gov should continue its forever wars by hiring PRIVATE armies instead
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The trouble with ‘forever wars’ is that no one told the Muslims that wars are supposed to be over quick. They are under the impression that if you do not kill them, they have every right to kill you, even if killing you and yours takes generations. Pity the West never understood that before undertaking a war to the death.
Cut off the head of a snake and leave.
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Cut off one head and two pop up. Cut off two heads and 4 pop up. Kill them all and there is a fighting chance of winning. Else just resign yourself to becoming a muslim.
They will hate us anyway. The solution is to make them FEAR pissing us off.
Our mistake was in trying to "nation build", to try to introduce feminism and gay rights into Islamic countries. That won't work.
If we had stuck with a very simple message, "attacking us, or giving aid or shelter to those who attack us, will result in us coming in and killing you", we would have been better off.
The US Army had some “Additional Duties” for me as an Officer.
Funeral Detail Officer-In-Charge
Casualty Notification Officer
Casualty Assistance Officer
Really tough duties.
You see the effects of a Soldier’s death on the family.
Hard…..very hard.
It reminds you that there is more to war than moving units around on a computer screen.
I think that Officers conducting these additional duties should be accompanied by a civilian selected from the voter rolls.
Leasing out Soldier duties could open up a horrifying Pandora’s Box.
We should require voters to view the effects of their votes.
Not just about Soldier’s deaths.
Let them see socialism.
Let them see what cowardice and greed bring to people in this world.
Too many people sitting on the couch thinking that they aren’t responsible for any problems.
“...Every time you kill an enemy, his family and friends hate you....”
In Muslim countries they will hate you whether you kill them or feed them. You are damned if you do and you are damned if you don’t.
But sometimes the beast must be faced, one way or another.
‘...make money attacking Americans in their own country....”
I have never heard that. Where can I find more information?
All I have ever heard that he found a niche and has been the difficult work others won’t do.
“They get to rape and pillage in the designated country as much as they want”
I believe you are thinking of the UN forces in Africa.
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