Amateurs Talk "Tactics" While Professionals Talk Logistics...

Summary:

In Afghanistan (the Stan as our soldiers and Marines are calling it), bridges are more important than any other engagement in modern memory. WE, meaning of course the Americans, since Canada and the Brits are doing their usual cut-run-then blame someone else for their failures, must move tanks, armored vehicles, heavy trucks, HUMVEES, etc, and ASAP over the existing dilapidated bridges, while the enemy can take as long as he wants navigating mountain trails or muddy streams with nothing more burdensome than a recalcitrant donkey or two.

WE own the roads and bridges, THEY still own the hills.

Until a week ago.

On March 1st an important bridge was bombed by an enemy vehicle laden with explosives. An American was killed because no one seemed to bother to erect an effective checkpoint. The responsibility for security of the bridge was a joint RAF/Canadian one, and for the better part of a week both Canada and Great Britain passed the buck until a ground-pounding British Brigadier took full responsibility, even though it was the Royal Air Force that did most of the fucking up.

A war cannot be won without at least adequate logistics. Just ask the Russians. In the Stan, American troops are being led by Brits who take forever to decide when to stand and fight, and/or Canadians who have shied away from anything that goes bang-bang.

This means that Americans are dying needlessly because of major logistical screw-ups. Not to say that Canadian troopers are incompetent. It is to say that the political end of the Canadian spectrum is a morass of impenetrable misdirections that have evolved to make believe that they are helping us fight a war, when they are, in reality, looking after their own asses while ours get burned. And I happen to share George Patton's opinion of the modern British military officer. Marvelous defenders but horrifically inept on offense.

In you've the time please read the following dispatch from Michael Yon. Who is referred to as a "war correspondent" whenever the Yellowstream Media agrees with his dispatches, and a Blogger when they do not, even though he does not have a Blog.

THE BRIDGE