Posted on 07/25/2020 12:24:08 PM PDT by Carl Vehse
That's right: The U.S. Space Force has horses. No, they're not going onto orbit—or attacking an enemy spaceship—but the actual explanation for why the Space Force has them is almost as absurd.
Are you ready? They used to be the Air Force's horses....
"We are able to go through creeks and water with the horses, high hills that we wouldn't be able to get through with off-road vehicles," U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Terrazas explained in a 2019 profile of the program.
Yes, yes. If only the Air Force had the means of getting to places that are difficult for earthbound troops to access, right?....
Whether they're air horses or space horses, the real question is why any branch of the military is doing this. Would America's national security be weakened in any measurable way if the Space Force horses were put out to a privatized pasture?
(Excerpt) Read more at reason.com ...
After all, the Army Special Forces rode into battle in Afghanistan on horse-back.
Which option is cheaper, keeping a few horses or paying for a helicopter (and the fuel and the logistics) to access places that are inaccessible to ground vehicles?
Perhaps the horses in the Space Force and the Air Force should be transferred to the U.S. Army Special Forces.
Well said but falls on more deaf ears than not. Education has become so bad that fewer people understand logical concepts than those who don’t.
Horses might be the best thing for patrolling perimeters and exclusion zones that include rough terrain.
It was good enough for Ptolemy.
Probably written by a city bound fool who know so little, he doesn’t know what he doesn’t know about goings on and terrain beyond the concrete jungles.
Horses will be a vital transport resource if the chinese emp us. At least for a short period of time.
This author needs something to write about - something that he knows something about.
His argument reminds me of Obama saying, in effect, bayonets were obsolete.
It makes perfect sense to me. I would love to be the Space (Force) Cowboy.
Perhaps the horses in the Space Force and the Air Force should be transferred to the U.S. Army Special Forces.
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I don’t know about the Space Force, of course, but the USAF does provide special operators to the Special Forces.
Shouldn’t they also have the opportunity to train on modes of transport that might be required for their assignments?
Also, just so’s people know, the USMC also has a program for teaching the use and care of mules for transport purposes as part of the Mountain Warfare School.
Horses serve a mainly ceremonial use today, and like many animals they are good for morale.
An honor guard of horses attends each departing and returning ceremony of the 2nd Armored Division, and I’ve attended a few. The carry the battle ribbons, flags and often perform a cavalry charge for the appreciative crowds.
The military keeps alive a strong sense of its history, the soldiers of the 2nd Armored wear silver spurs with their dress uniforms. This custom leads to careful movements around the floor at their dances!
The reason we have horses is the same reason the Army still has infantry. Vandenberg AFB is not in the flatlands. There are many places there you can’t take even a jeep. Helicopters need flat spots to land. They’re even more limited in some ways than a jeep. Horses can go just about anywhere a human can go, and carry more stuff.
Freaking city boys. Even in California, there is country. Check out Google Maps on your cellphone, and use the terrain overlay on the map. You’ll see.
Sorry, above should read the 3rd Cavalry, 2nd Armored Division, 3rd Army. Brave Rifles.
To bad President Lincoln didn’t accept King Mongkut’s offer of War Elephants.
Greek horses could fly.
Boston Dynamics Spot Dog:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlkCQXHEgjA
They have a bigger one too.... a mule and slow to ride.
“To bad President Lincoln didn’t accept King Mongkut’s offer of War Elephants.”
I think you’re missing the point. There is considerable rough terrain there. Horses work well in rough terrain. Just that simple. It’s not a park. It’s not flat, groomed lawns. It’s also a fairly large area. 250 square miles, according to these folks: http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/vandenberg-abandoned-missile And while these guys are probably harmless, not everyone who wants to visit there is.
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