Huffpost Brimstone?
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Huffpost Brimstone?
Exclusive: RAF Brimstone Missile Has Not Killed Any Isis Militants In Syria, And Only Seven Hit By UK Bombs
So why are we there and what are we doing?
So why are we there and what are we doing?
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The Brimstone missile is mainly used against vehicles or where it's smaller warhead means less chance of collateral damage. Otherwise, the Paveway IV seems to be the weapon of choice.
It would also seem that much of the anti-ISIS activity carried out by the RAF has been in Northern Iraq in support of Iraqi ground forces.
Whilst the Reaper has seemed to be more in use over Syria and, of course, uses the Hellfire missile.
It would also seem that much of the anti-ISIS activity carried out by the RAF has been in Northern Iraq in support of Iraqi ground forces.
Whilst the Reaper has seemed to be more in use over Syria and, of course, uses the Hellfire missile.
May I offer a few points...
1. Body count is not a measure of success.
2. Our people are perhaps not slavishly scouring the ground and adding up the number of body parts to make whole corpses. What has been given is probably a total of confirmed kills.
3. Would the media prefer it if Brimstones were fired off indiscriminately to ensure more casualties?
Honestly, there's no pleasing some people.
BV
2. Our people are perhaps not slavishly scouring the ground and adding up the number of body parts to make whole corpses. What has been given is probably a total of confirmed kills.
3. Would the media prefer it if Brimstones were fired off indiscriminately to ensure more casualties?
Honestly, there's no pleasing some people.
BV
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Fo this Op the media have some sort of a ' Vietnam' style fixation on the ISIS body count. FOIs and the MODs daily MISREP summaries online don't help in my view. Or rather the fact that the MoD answer the question of how many have you killed so far rather freely. That was not the case in previous recent Ops. I suppose if the MoD release the level of mission data they currently are, then answer the FOIs on body counts the media will make headlines of it.
I am stunned that the estimated casualty figure was released by the MoD under FoI. There has been an enduring and very well reasoned argument why we should not. This is an uncomfortable and most unwelcome change and I hope the policy is reversed asap.
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See I'm the complete opposite - I think the number of people we kill, their pictures of their corpses and the whole nine yards should be shown to the British people. For some reason I think this is important, but sometimes find that hard to articulate or formulate.
Its all being done, or not, in their name. Or in whose name>?
If you go out in any UK street today and tell them the people that RAF crews at great personal risk to themselves are actually carrying out killing missions in their name- they are baffled.
Why is this? It should be brought home to what we do. Whether you agree with it or not.
Its all being done, or not, in their name. Or in whose name>?
If you go out in any UK street today and tell them the people that RAF crews at great personal risk to themselves are actually carrying out killing missions in their name- they are baffled.
Why is this? It should be brought home to what we do. Whether you agree with it or not.
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So why are we there and what are we doing?
What we can, which is very, very little. You didn't fall for the pompus politicians debating Britains monumental descision to attack Daesh, did you? Any targets were attacked long before the UK got involved, and it was country number 18 in the queue to bomb Syria.
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ISTR the Americans were very keen on 'body count' in Vietnam, which eventually proved absolutely nothing.
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A problem that I see is that the general public, who are funding the operations and who are the people that the operations are to help, have no visibility whatsoever of what is being achieved. It's all very well saying 'fails to recognise the huge number of more vital and successful strikes in Iraq' but how can any successes be recognised if they are not discussed or promoted?
I'm afraid 'take our word for it' won't wash for very long with the press and those keeping a close eye on what seems to them to be an ineffectual Syrian air campaign that many opposed.
Compare the West's operational visibility to that of Russia, who have been, quite understandably, very pro-active with videos, press reports and regular official briefings.
Rightly or wrongly in these days of huge public debt many will be looking at the number of expensive weapons dropped to what has been achieved. To think otherwise would be very naïve.
I'm afraid 'take our word for it' won't wash for very long with the press and those keeping a close eye on what seems to them to be an ineffectual Syrian air campaign that many opposed.
Compare the West's operational visibility to that of Russia, who have been, quite understandably, very pro-active with videos, press reports and regular official briefings.
Rightly or wrongly in these days of huge public debt many will be looking at the number of expensive weapons dropped to what has been achieved. To think otherwise would be very naïve.
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I suspect a lot of people will be surprised at the low body count and will question what the RAF are doing. The problem is that they don't understand air power and how it can be very effective without actually killing anyone.
The second problem is that many of the populus wouldn't spare the time to hear how air power has already changed the modus operandi of Isis in Syria because it's not sexy, doesn't involve a celebrity or reality tv star.
The second problem is that many of the populus wouldn't spare the time to hear how air power has already changed the modus operandi of Isis in Syria because it's not sexy, doesn't involve a celebrity or reality tv star.
All the best to all who are out in theatre putting themselves on the line for us every day, you are not forgotten and your efforts are appreciated.
