How the Soviets Won in Afghanistan; And how the U.S. will win

Politicalusa.com ^ | 9/17/2001 | Dr. Jack Wheeler

[tet68]

What sayeth the Brethren?

[f.Christian]

bttt

[doxteve]

Bump.

[appeal2]

If memory serves me correctly, the US didn't just send in crates and crates of stingers. Even at that point in time the CIA was wary of these fanatics. They knew very well that the Aghan's hated us almost as much as the Russians. Therefore, they would only give the rebels only a few stingers at a time and would require the empty tubes before they gave them more. In addition, I believe that they have a limited shelf life and any left over have long since gone bad.

In addition, our planes and choppers have electronic counter measures far superior to anything that the Ruskies possessed. Many of the items are still classified by can be seen on Airforce 1.

The mountains are a little freaky there and definitely a challenge to our forces. The local goat herders know every nook and cranny. However we will be sending drones and recon planes all over the place. At the end of the day you can expect our boys to win resoundingly. If the opposition joins in it will be a total romp.

[RHINO369]

No a ground fource of 50,000 is not the answer. If the need for ground troops presents it self you must go with atleast a 500,000 army. Veitnam should have taught you that when you try to just full fill the requirements you get your ass kicked and take heavy loses. In any case ground troops are not nessary. We have the Northern Alliance to help on the ground. We destroy all afgansitan infastructure and let them mop up the rest. Mean while we use small speacal forces units and appache helicopters to fight the terriorist. We cut off their supply and "smoke em out".

The thing that you guys are forgeting is that Afganistan isnt the only nation supporting terrorists. Libya Suddan and Iraq have to be main US targets. Iran may even be on that list. Afganistan is the least foridable enemy we face.

[Coyote]

I ask you: Who had more wisdom and foresight? The simple-minded "airhead"-actor from California? Or the pointy-headed intellectuals from universities of "higher learning"?

Bravo. Excellent post!

Schlesinger, Galbraith, Samuelson, Thurow.... members of the ivory tower team known as the best and the brightest.

The best and the brightest, MY AA$$! NOT educators, but pure paid cultural propagandists.

I had gut wrenching, throat choking trouble reading these required college course jerks at the time, and in retrospect, I'm vendicated by my evaluation of these banal, arrogant, self-centered crypto-Marxists. They proved themselves not only wrong, but traitorous. They should have been imprisoned for treason.

God bless Ronald Reagan.

[Landru]

"...the US caused substantial casualties to the combined communist forces on the battlefield. The US utlimately lost the war not through military defeat but through political defeat. An example of how both war has changed dramatically and how the US policy makers have been unable to respond accordingly."

I'd have to say there's no arguing that statement a'tall.

btw; I must say I'm find your writing style remarkably familiar, SOL2.

[Landru]

Yes, that's true, alright.

Still; I'm left wondering who we were communicating as.

In any event, it's not important.

[Spook86]

A better question is how many "working" Stingers are left in Afghanistan. The answer: zero. Like any weapon, a man-portable SAM requires periodic maintenance to remain viable and the Afghans lack that capability. Beyond that, the shelf life on the Stinger battery packs--used to power the missile--expired long ago. At this point, it seems highly unlikely that any of the Stingers given to the Mujahedein in the 80s are still functioning. However, you can acquire older Stingers on the arms black market, and those weapons might be used against our aircraft. Still, you should note that our infrared countermeasures are extremely effective against the basic Stinger (model often available on the black market), or Stinger POST, a slightly more advanced variant. Fortunately, we've never exported Stinger RMP, the most advanced model ever built. Stinger RMP can be "tweaked" to overcome virtually any countermeasures on the market. It's the most leathal MANPAD in the world today--definitely a weapon we DON'T want the Taliban to get their hands on....

[rightwing2]

Interesting post and quotes for Bush Sr. and Rumsfeld re: your Post #48. Where did you get these quotes?

[rightwing2]

Great work on these surprising cites from the mouths of our current batch of Rockefeller Republicans!

[TKEman]

This is right on the money. I moved to the Washington D.C. area in June 1986. Approximately 1 year later, I went to a meeting where an Afghan was telling all of us young conservatives about how the Stingers were changing the situation. He was real animated about it.

We will win.

[TKEman]

This provides an obvious lesson instructive for any US military assault on OBL (Osama Bin Laden) forces and their Taliban supporters. Massive Gulf War-type assaults are not the way to go. Swarm the country with teams of Navy SEALs, Green Berets, and other Special Forces. The Afghan people as a whole have been tyrannized by the Taliban worse than the Soviets, so legions of informers should be willing to provide accurate intelligence. It must be assumed that part of the deal Pakistan made with the US is the cooperation of the ISI, Inter-Services Intelligence, the Pak CIA. The Taliban were placed and kept in power through the support of the ISI, as a business arrangement between them to operate a billion dollar heroin smuggling operation. No folks know more about the Taliban than the ISI, who will now have to fork the info over. So the intel the Special Forces need will be available.

I think all this is pretty obviously the way we're going here. Duh!!

[CIB-173RDABN]

From 9/17/01 to today 12/17/01, so much has changed.

Some who posted here got it right, and some, got it wrong.

Interesting reading all the same.