This was posted on Gab this morning. It made me agree, vehemently, out loud.
The so-called "generations of warfare" are often taken as Gospel truth by academic military theorists. On the other hand, those of us who've been "up the sharp end" know full well, from often-bitter experience, that anyone can be killed by any enemy, no matter what the degree of sophistication on either side. I nearly died when a primitive African tribesman armed only with an iklwa hid behind the corner of a building, waited until I came around the corner, and lunged at me. His spear point pierced my thick leather belt, and I only survived because the belt resisted further penetration. As he pulled back his weapon to try a little higher up, I "took care of business" and made that step redundant. It was the closest call I ever had in combat. I still bear the scar left by his spear point. The fact that I'd been trained and equipped by a first-rate army by African standards didn't intimidate him in the slightest, and didn't do a darn thing to save me from a tribesman who'd probably never handled a firearm in his life. It was pure luck that allowed me to live.
The same goes for people who claim that there's no point in civilians resisting a government, that the former need an F-15 fighter or a nuclear weapon to succeed. Nope. When push comes to shove, it's the fight in the man that counts. Rudyard Kipling's "Arithmetic On The Frontier" put it well.
(A superb history, and highly recommended)
America learned the same lesson in the same country rather more recently. Technological and educational sophistication only count for so much. People talk about the new era of drone warfare, where the individual fighter is outclassed and outmatched by artificial intelligence and technology that he can't resist . . . but we deployed that to the Nth degree in Afghanistan, and look where that country is today. In the end, it came down to the willingness to fight, and to sustain the fight until the end, no matter what the cost. In Afghanistan, the Taliban had it. America's leaders did not.
There are lessons we should all learn from that.
Peter
"it was pure luck that allowed me to live"? More likely God's grace.
ReplyDeleteAnd you can't do 5th gen information warfare if the Internet is down. Many others have noted the fighters and armored vehicles don't do much good if they can't get parts or fuel. Kim duToit had a link to a bunch of guys in Texas who do a 1,000 yard No Spotter challenge. A guy with his well-loved Moison-Nagant shooting commercial match ammo hit the 10" target on the 6rd round, but his first 3 shots were on line, just high. Some guys can make first round hit, some in 3 rounds. Some can even hit a 5" target (0.5 MOA)
ReplyDeleteHow about that for harassing fire for the airbase or laager?
The Taliban also had a safe haven in Pakistan, where they were trained and equipped with our money.
ReplyDeleteWhile the US Department of State paid Afghan farmers to grow opium poppies.
The recent US-Afghan war is interesting. It started when non-Afghans with no serious link to Afghanistan flew airliners into the WTC, Pentagon, and Flt 93 that the passengers took down. Because we couldn't attack our ally Saudi Arabia or go in there and clear out the Wahhabist scum from among their ranks we pulled a Wag The Dog and attacked Afghanistan.
ReplyDeleteIt's seriously difficult to bomb people back to the Stone Age when they live in the Stone Age + equipment that the USSR left behind.
More Kipling (inevitably)
Now it is not good for the Christian's health to hustle the Aryan
brown,
For the Christian riles, and the Aryan smiles and he weareth the
Christian down;
And the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of
the late deceased,
And the epitaph drear: "A Fool lies here who tried to hustle the
East."
I see the warfare generations as being more about how you fight than what you fight with.
ReplyDelete4th generation has one big problem in today's closely monitored world, "spread out network of communication and financial support" is going to be hard to slip by the watchers.
The 5th generation stuff I've seen is far too academic and theoretical for my tastes but I do see it having promise as reality adds focus.
Let me assist you.:
DeleteChina has been engaging in 5th gen warfare w/us for quite some time. Visualize this.: 5th gen has enabled China to put the U.S. in a virtual fishbowl. China stands outside this fishbowl observing how we in the bowl react to different inputs & stimuli. The first thing they did was to paint the outside of the bowl (digital horizon/matrix) to insure we never discover we are helpless in a fishbowl. They will continue to play with us, handing us useless feedback until they have better things to tend or find us dis interesting. At which point we will become dis interesting & perish. The fishbowl does perfectly represent the essence of 'being on the defensive' unfortunately we don't even know we are under attack or how. We are as barnyard animals, our fates to be determined by others.
I am reminded of a line from Starship Troupers that talks about being so distracted by your technology that a primitive manages to sneak up behind you and bashes your head in with a rock....
ReplyDeleteGreat Britain found this out when it tried to put down a rebellion in the 1770's. Unfortunately, the UNTIED STATES found this out when it went against a bunch of people armed only with homemade bombs and ANCIENT firearms gleaned from RUSSIA when THAT country learned the same thing.
ReplyDelete...The warrior that WANTS IT is the warrior that will most likely WIN IT...
Everybody got a plan til you hit them in the face: Mike Tyson
ReplyDeleteOr, to put it another way, it's not the dog in the fight that matters, it's the fight in the dog.
ReplyDeletePhil B
Rick T: and that guy shooting the Mosin had a SWFA scope and said he couldn't remember who made the mount. He was very consistent with his shooting.
ReplyDeleteYou can get soviet made mounts online. BigCountry had a link to a place when he detailed his druganov scope.
DeleteI think the real lesson learned with our foray into the Middle East is you can bank some serious cash (if you're in the right industry) by starting a war with no intention to win, but keep from losing as long as possible. After it has run its course, start all over in another part of the world. Wash, rinse, repeat.
ReplyDeleteYaknow, yer not 'spoda say that part out loud....
DeleteA college roommate of years past told me how he got a medical discharge from Vietnam. Walking through a field carrying a couple thousand dollars worth of gear with million dollar airplanes flying overhead when a guy wearing a loincloth pops out of a hole and puts an arrow into his guts (below the flak jacket).
ReplyDeleteNope, the Afghans would support whoever paid the most. They had no loyalty, no national pride, and no honor. They fucked goats. The Afghans were an inbreeded lot with a low IQ that were easily manipulated by the Taliban who were Packi fanatic's.
ReplyDeletetsquared - don't forget the boys, Afghans loved boys too!! Bacha bazi.
ReplyDeleteThere's a reason why "Man Love" Thursday exists as well...
Chaplain Tim - guy I knew was with his unit on patrol when a tree stump they had gotten close to suddenly lifted its top and a Viet Cong popped up and tried to bring his AK to bear. One guy in the unit lifted the cover off his holstered .45, brought it up, racked a round, and popped the VC first. After that they started calling their buddy Wyatt Earp :)
ReplyDelete