Just to clarify, I agree with all the above.... I just got a bit carried away. :)

I was thinking more in the lines of moving in as a peace keeping force to seperate waring parties and negotiate a truce prior to nation-building, as more directly relating to the Kosovo context, which of course does not apply directly to Iraq or Afghanistan.  But I do see old lessons being neglected.

 

pretty good.

 

showed that the level of fighting is pretty low key compared to how many will imagine it. temperature and altitude playing big roles. lots of hiding behind walls and calling in air support. and where were the snipers????

 

scary how the Afgan army behaves and very sad how the British officers seemed to have to be concerned with munition usage and accounting for cost rather than actually concentating on getting the job done. they should get some artillery in there as that is far more cost effective than calling in CAS and ECAS.

 

basically, if you want the job done properly then a lot more money has to be made available so the troops can get on with it.

 

 

Paul

I'm not sure that we are all that concerned about munitions cost... if we were, we would probably not be deploying and loosing off so many Javelins. There are not too many armoured columns in that neck of the woods, but that doesn't stop the Javelin being used as needed. As for low key, I'm not sure thats applicable across all Afghanistan at all times. Having just finished '3 Para', decidedly little of that seemed low key.

 

Agree with resources, but I'd say the real 'force multiplier' will be when the ANA units become ready to take responsibility. Did you mean additional forces for the fight, for training the ANA, or maybe for CIMIC/development work?

 

 

regardless of trying to save money/ammunition, you don't just go firing full auto bursts like the ANA lad did. it's pointless, the muzzle creeps up (especially on an AK) and you're further off target than before. the spread off rounds heading down range becomes useless, they've got there heads down after the first couple rounds go whizzin' past, the rest sail about 20 feet above them, pointless. you can have all the bullets in the world, full auto does nothing to further you in a battle. absolutely nuts whe his mag was shot off too, happened to me once (although i wasn't running out into a firefight like a prat), that'll make you f**kin' nails in a hurry.

it just seemed that the bosses were worried about how much they were using. this should never be the case. you use what you need to to do the job. if you start to run out then call in some more.

 

the Afgan guys may have been blasting away with little point but there should never be a case where you have to stop because you might run out. and the bloke standing there getting his mag shot of means that the firer should have been sniper bait...   :-)

 

javelin as direct fire against buildings not too good... an artillery battery a few miles back would have been more use them or calling in those airstrikes.

 

have you been following the RM series on ITV?

 

 

Paul

i agree that lack of rounds shouldn't be an issue, and that ANA muppet was very lucky, didn't seem too concerned either by the smile on his face after.
arty fire brought down would be more effective than a jav' but it seems not all doors of opportunity were open to the patrol on this one.

i've not been able to watch the RM series on telly, my visits to the UK aren't very frequent at the moment, but it appears the video tube poster that posted "taking on the taliban" has it all there. i'll have to watch when i find some time.

perhaps the passing around of splifs may have something to do with the ANA guys smile....    :-)

considering that the patrol was going to areas that they were trying to keep free of Taleban then I would have thought positioning artillery within range of the patrol area as prudent (to use a G.Brownism).

 

one the bit where the Taleban simply retook the place the next day.....    emplaced snipers!!!!!!

Brits tend to knock on doors they should be kicking in.

 

I don't mean this statement in literal terms but as a metaphor.

the slogan that followed on from 'hearts and minds" reads like this "kicking down doors, doesn't win wars"
it has value. take malayan emerge as a valid example.