Re: DSII Question- Obstacles

On Sun, 22 Feb 1998 13:29:47 -0800, John Leary <realjtl@sj.bigger.net>
wrote:

>     It is possible that the troops would have done better if they
>had gotten the equipment they had requested, But this was a political
>operation outside the original mission statement.   The troops were
>not trained for 'police' work, and the command underestimated the
>enemy.   Result, a high and unnecessary body count on both sides.    

I totally agree. When I read about the Mogadishu raid, the first thing
I thought was, "Hummers? They're sending in Hummers?!? Where the hell
are the Bradleys? If there was any mission that the Bradley was
tailored for, that was it! I can't believe the Secretary of Defense.
He was the one that turned down the Bradleys.

The mistake was entirely one of political interference. I apologize if
it sounded as though I was slamming the Rangers and Delta Force. The
mistake was a political one. Once again US troops bore the brunt of a
political mistake. I think that the US needs to adopt a political
officer position in its ranks. Take a politician--preferably a senator
or a congressman--and make him or her a lieutenant with the job of
observing the carnage. I'd be willing to bet that the mission scope
creep and improper equipment deployment would cease to be a problem...

Allan Goodall	     agoodall@sympatico.ca

"Once again, the half time score, 
 Alien Overlords: 142,000. Scotland: zip."
  - This Hour Has 22 Minutes