Summary: The Washington Times gives us some Christmas Eve war advocacy. Very suitable for 21st century America — all war, all the time, for every problem.
Hat tip for this to Winslow T. Wheeler, Director of the Straus Military Reform Project at the Center for Defense Information: “High-tech, low-risk wars“, Tim Haake, Washington Times, 24 December 2009. The WT editors call this as “opinion/analysis”, and describe Haake as…
“Retired Major General Tim Haake is a Washington lawyer who served on active and reserve duty in special operations for 36 years.”
They neglected to list his clients. His firm’s website provides a partial list, which includes General Dynamics, Corporate Training Unlimited, SecurityPoint Media, United States Protection and Investigations (article here), and Cohort International. Plus some I cannot identify, like Stag Mountain.
This timely article reminds us of an important truth, to be told children gathered tonight around the Yuletide fire:
Peace does not pay in modern America. War does, more for its advocates and corporate profiteers than the men and women actually fighting.
Now to General Haake’s Christmas sermon. Picture in your mind the excitement with which he writes these things, imagining all the future wars these will facilitate. And profits, profits, profits.
… Nowhere is the American affinity for technology in warfare more decisively demonstrated than in Operation Desert Storm of the first Gulf War. Gens. Colin L. Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf Jr. were able to take down Saddam Hussein’s Iraq in a matter of hours thanks to their critical weapons initially conceived and developed during the Carter administration a decade earlier. The cruise missile, the Abrams main battle tank and the Apache helicopter demonstrated conclusively that technology in well-trained hands and integrating all branches of the military can achieve impressive results.
If we combine these two elements, casualty reduction and technology, how should we organize, train and equip the force that will defend the homeland and our interests in the future? The answer has to be Predator-like remotely controlled and robotics weapons. Imagine the land and sea equivalent of the Predator system that permits the destruction of al Qaeda leaders in North Waziristan and is piloted by an Air Force major in Arizona who has dinner with the wife and children every night; lots of technology and no U.S. casualties.
The Army is not far behind. The Stryker vehicle is the workhorse of the Army. Armored and agile, it moves an 11-man squad quickly around the battlefield. With 10 variants and 25 million combat miles it is a proven system.
… Also under development is an unmanned ground autonomous mobility vehicle that could have myriad uses, all of which would eliminate causalities and free up soldiers for those tasks best performed by humans. Beyond the remotely controlled vehicle is the autonomous vehicle that operates on a combination of Global Positioning System, FLIR (forward looking infrared) ground surveillance radars and sensors of varying types. Such a platform could find its own route to a predetermined point, conduct a mission such as surveying a road junction with real-time uplinked video feeds and then return; lots of technology and no casualties.
No longer would it be necessary to risk a Special Forces team on such a mission.
… From a maritime perspective, the potential is also limitless. The Navy has wisely developed an unmanned autonomous antisubmarine craft ideally suited to that mission – and it doesn’t complain, get sick or go AWOL and has no dependents. Applications for this combination of technologies is limited only by the imagination of the combat developer.
… The American way of war in the future will employ the maximum use of technology while safeguarding our personnel to the greatest extent possible. The Buck Rogers Death Ray From Above will soon be a reality.
Merry Christmas to all.
Afterword
Please share your comments by posting below. Per the FM site’s Comment Policy, please make them brief (250 word max), civil and relevant to this post. Or email me at fabmaximus at hotmail dot com (note the spam-protected spelling).
FM: “War does, more for its advocates and corporate profiteers than the men and women actually fighting.”
This “troops as victims” routine is getting old and thin. The so-called War on Terror has been going on for eight years years now; so those who sign up or re-enlist, who are adults, know or should know what is involved.
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FM reply: There is nothing in my sentence that implies soldiers are victims. Executives are paid better than workers on the assembly line — are they victims also?
Know what they are signing up for ? I dont know if FM posted similar links , but if anyone fancies a break from peace and goodwill , or like me, is working … “KABUL: CITY NUMBER ONE, 1971“, Adam Curtis, blog of the BBC, 18 September 2009.
Anyone with aquaintances in Helmand might like Part 3 of this blog –The Lost History Of Helmand . Part 1 has some juicy bits to go with the turkey. The index of all the sections of the blog ,is right at the bottom of each section ,after comments .
General Haake describes the path to a bankrupt military which can’t even afford the basics for the troops which will deploy these high tech wonder weapons. Considering many military projects run late and over budget, assuming they aren’t cancelled for failing to develop a working product. This plan would see America waste billions to procure advanced weaponry for fighting unnecessary wars against mostly imaginary threats, until the money runs out.
“The cruise missile, the Abrams main battle tank and the Apache helicopter demonstrated conclusively that technology in well-trained hands and integrating all branches of the military can achieve impressive results.”
* What freaking BS! A well run, big army, beat a badly run, very small army!
* The main use of the Abrams, was to use it as a bulldozer, and throw a wall of sand, burying the troops in the trenches. It takes an Abrams to do that?
* The Apache 64 inspired an awsome arcade game (Steel Talons, and I’m the best at it!) but really. some other chopper couldn’t herd the retreating enemy?
* And once the cruise missles took out the power station, (which any A-10 could have done) then what the hell good were they, except as excuses to order more?
What crap.
Wow, where do i get one of those ricie thingies? Do i have to have a website?
There is another angle to the link ( which FM corrected , thankyou. Of course , Obama and co would be aware of this history …wouldnt they ..)
The argument seems to be that even if we cant win militarily , reconstruction will solve the problem . The history suggests otherwise; but
counterargument to that , is that there is a new generation , longing for water ,wi fi and white teeth .
However , if one looks on U tube at Afghan related clips – warfare , dancing , music , etc -the comments suggest many reject anything to do with western / irreligious supremacy .Of course , most of the negative comments may be from ex-pat Afghans rather than ones living in Afgh . ( NB , think the ex pats werent allowed to vote .)
What the new generation will be able to do , I reckon , is play games with your Predators .But dont tell those in power that , you keep developing those robots .
Kyle Reese: The 600 series had rubber skin. We spotted them easy, but these are new. They look human… sweat, bad breath, everything. — The Terminator (1984)
Mikyo , yeah , I deal with them every day . Just bow and slobber and they are programmed to go away .
Every time mine says, “By your command.” it looks like it would really rather shoot me.
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Don’t miss the Borscht bowl!
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How much is it if we split three ways?
This could be expensive.
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