Re: Toys from Jane's...

Re: "Stupidity" of military personnel.

I've been involved in the design of several bits of military kit.

Some principles we applied:

a) There is no such thing as idiot-proof. There's always a bigger
idiot than you've bargained for. Deal with it.

b) Try to make the gear operable by people who are rather stupid.
Literally Stupid, as in stupified, sleepy, semi-conscious, rather than
moronic or lacking intellect.

This can be simulated adequately by getting the admittedly
very-intelligent designers to operate it having had no sleep for 2 days.

Because the people who have to use it in the field may well be suffering
exhaustion, wounds, and combat-stress. In fact, when the chips are
down and its most important that it will work, this may be more common
than not.