Imitation is not the most sincere from of flattery
Quote:
Originally Posted by
G Martin
...when they write their own threat assessment and campaign plans ... I bet they won't match the ones that back our interests...
Nor should they.
If we could park our egos and our control fetish -- both overweening -- they'd probably get on with it. Our 'interests' there are for the most part fantasies in any event.
Imitation is flattery and that is a form of pandering -- it does no one any favors. We're making precisely the same mistakes we made with the Koreans and with the Viet Namese. Dumbbb. Of course, a cynic might say "but we don't know any better..." :rolleyes:
We diligently ignore the fact our 'experience' shows us that trying to change other nations to our models of anything just simply does not work. This cynic says we know better but are afraid to embrace the changes required because that might be seen as an acknowledgement that we've, collectively, gotten a lot of things wrong and given the added fact that change is hard work, it's just easier to do what we've been doing. :(
No matter how wrong it is.
Terribly, horribly true...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Bill Moore
That was frowned upon, because obviously some bored U.S. General would show up in the middle of no where and ask why were teaching non-standard tactics, and that would destroy everyone's career from the team leader to the Bn Cdr, so just shut up and teach U.S. doctrine.
Conformity kills...
Quote:
The answer really wouldn't have been that hard, based on their culture, ... What General wouldn't understand that? Too many I suspect :(
Sadly so
Quote:
I sure as heck don't expect the GPF to get it.
Not so. They get it -- in my observation usually as well as and often better than nearby SOF elements who can also be hidebound or far less than superbly competent.
As you know, "getting it" and competence are 'people' things and good people are in both types of units -- as are less than good people. I've known people in SF, Ranger, CAG, SEAL and other elements that had no business being in those jobs -- so have you. The selection process helps winnow out some and the independent duty bit gets a few more but some will always slip through. The GPF just must be less selective, they don't have the RTU hammer...
In any event, the issue is not the type of unit or even the people aspect, it is the culture. Conformity, uniformity and risk aversion are the culprits. That culture applies to both SOF and to the GPF. The latter just has more visibility to more Generals and marginal but loyal CSMs who are the supreme conformists and who want no deviation from the party line. The SF guys just get less direct 'supervision.' :wry:
I'll also point out that such interpolation was far less an issue in either force before the McNamara introduced military as management fetish and the slightly later terribly debilitating BTMS Task, Conditions and Standard straitjacket. We've simply lost our way due to those two factors. We better get our head out of our second point of contact (or fourth if one is a conformist...) and dump both those things or someone is going to go in and slice that head out to hand it to us on a plate...:mad: