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Old 31st Mar 2002, 18:56
  #13 (permalink)  
Nick Lappos
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Helmet,
The real issue was not C&C, it was the confusion in the mix of missions, really the "mission creep," that took over. An index of how serious the problem became is that the senior brass felt that the lack of armor was the reason the mission was a disaster. Lack of armor! We went there to pass out food, became embroiled in the internal politics, started attacking selectively, then got stuck to the tar baby.

We didn't learn in Lebanon, and lost many good men in the barracks in Beruit. If you are a peacekeeper, don't attack anyone, don't get down to enter the frey. How can you have a double mission - pass out food to people, and also shoot some of them?

Here goes a controversial point of view:

This is a lesson that nobody can learn in Israel, or Northern Ireland. In modern time, conventional military methods can't work in urban guerrilla operations. The only military answer is to either stay away, or kill everyone. Otherwise, seek political answers, use police and the courts, and the ballot box to win the populace.

I wonder if the Israelis will figure out that using tanks and F-16's on their own people will not work. Probably not.