During my time in the RAF, there was an almost universal body of opinion which said, 'The Yanks are dorks and the Brits really know what they are doing'. I initially believed it, but as the years went by I felt more and more ill at ease about that view. I came to see that the big difference between the Britis and the Yanks is that the Brits often live in unreality about their mistakes and capabilities, whereas the Yanks are very open about them. Add into the melting pot a slightly superior attitude that can be found in British military circles when dealing with anything American, then you have a recipe for disaster.
In my own Service, we found Senior Officers who decided to remove cannons from both the new Harrier and the Eurofighter, despite the fact that nearly every American fast jet since the war has had them. What do the Americans know after all? Then who would have believed it - the Americans were right and we do need the capability to fire heavy calibre cannons onto targets in a war we never planned for. We now have the wrong aircraft with the wrong weaponry fighting in a war that no one ever believed would happen. Similarly, in the army, when all US infantrymen (in all their various guises) are issued with night vision devices, body armour, guns that work etc, the Brits who know so much more have not bothered to acquire enough of the right equipment and now find themselves stuffed. We are making all the same mistakes in Afghanistan the Russians did before us. A shortage of helicopters, food, weapons, ammunition, manpower and ideas is crippling us.
In short, there is a shameful arrogance about much of British military thinking that took me in for years. The Americans know nothing and can tell us nothing about weaponry and equipment and certainly know nothing about tactics. I suddenly woke up and saw just how good the Americans are - not perfect but very good nonetheless. I am under no illusion about American military failings as they make no attempt to hide when things go wrong. The facts are, however, that they are better briefed, better trained, better equipped and better supported than their British counterparts. I am British to the depths of my being but I am heartily sick of wooden-headed foolishness displayed by Senior Officers in all branches of the UK Armed Services when it comes to learning from the Americans. This foolishness and arrogance, which runs from top to bottom, has caused an ill-equipped and under-supported force to war in Afghanstan. This force may yet face a fourth great British disaster there if we are not very careful (get into your history books and read about the first three if you want a real fright).
I back our troops 100% and am willing them to stuff the Taleban. This is a war that we must fight and we simply must win. Talk of withdrawal here is only from people who have no grasp of the dangers posed by a resrugent Taleban to the world community. Let us have the humility to learn from the Americans who have much to teach us, and then let us get out there and win this war for future generations.
Last edited by Norman Stanley Fletcher; 24th Sep 2006 at 00:02.