Confronting Iran: Securing Iraq's Border

[S2MSSI]

Reading through this, I'm shaking my head.

Incredibly dumb idea: US troops...Getting involved in the drug trade...As part of their mission. Gee, that can't possibly go disastrously wrong, can it? </sarcasm>

Penta, I read a few of your other posts before responding to your thread. Hope I captured your other past statements on SWJ correctly:

Displaying my ignorance; Just figured I'd poke at this one; And now my bits, from an outsider's POV; This may, or may not, be related to the fact; You would do well to show the intelligence of your namesake; the situation is probably a failure already; came out of college with a 2.3 GPA. Not because I was lazy, but because I...Well, I gave up; For me, the only reason I suffered through high school (where I was bored and depressed)

...and yet I will still respond since, again, it looks like you may be confused.

Getting involved in anything that is unconventional must be very carefully planned and executed or it could go disastrously wrong. This is why we must "not only know our adversary, but know ourselves", so we properly balance battlefield effects with our own resources to both create and contain.

Applying unconventional actions to irregular warfare situations "to seek asymmetric advantage, in order to erode an adversary's power, influence,and will"-- [Working definition of IW approved by Deputy Secretary of Defense, 2006], is not for the squeamish or amateurs--its war. But like playing with matches, those who understand the property of fire and its characteristics and behavior, can work with it to one's advantage as a proper tool given the proper application in proper measure.

[goesh]

Credibility, deniability and plausability are handy tools to have that SOG/covert platforms offer, Penta. The formal actions of nations, i.e. official acts of war, lock any number of players into specific courses of action and reaction that aren't alwasy readily stopped once put in motion. When all else fails, blame it on in-house rebels and malcontents when mischief manifests along the border of an atagonist.

[Penta]

Credibility, deniability and plausability are handy tools to have that SOG/covert platforms offer, Penta. The formal actions of nations, i.e. official acts of war, lock any number of players into specific courses of action and reaction that aren't alwasy readily stopped once put in motion. When all else fails, blame it on in-house rebels and malcontents when mischief manifests along the border of an atagonist.

I know these things. And it's not that that I'm arguing.

It's the idea of our troops getting involved in the drug trade, in specific. That just seems like it can't possibly go well. Is it something to think about? Sure.

But I really don't think it's a smart idea. It'll blow up in our faces politically and PRwise.

[goesh]

disruption/interdiction - a few specialized crews totally off the books to slay key runners and dealers, a little plastique here, a little there, the pffft of a silenced round, that sort of thing though some of the lads from the private sector do want to dip their fingers in the pie, there are off the books consequences for that too. some lessons are learned by the Government and its best to approach this business from a Hollywood perspective. Mom and Pop on the homefront really don't want to hear about it.

[Stan]

Credibility, deniability and plausability are handy tools to have that SOG/covert platforms offer, Penta. The formal actions of nations, i.e. official acts of war, lock any number of players into specific courses of action and reaction that aren't alwasy readily stopped once put in motion. When all else fails, blame it on in-house rebels and malcontents when mischief manifests along the border of an atagonist.

I fully agree with Goesh, and these fine folks are a pretty smart bunch !

By: Brig. Gen. David L. Grange (USA, ret.)
and Scott Swanson, MSI
With contributions from:
Maj. Gen. John Singlaub (USA, ret.)
Billy Waugh (USA Special Forces, ret.)
Rowdy Yeats (USA Special Forces, ret.)
Chuck de Caro (USA Special Forces, ret.)

[slapout9]

Penta, the report does not suggest that US Forces become involved in the Drug Trade, it says we should buy up all the production and either use it in the medical field or destroy it. That is smart. And it is not new as was pointed out in the report. This was done in the Golden Triangle Region in SE Asia until we stopped it.

General Comment:General Grange may be the real Ghost of General Gavin I think we ought to listen to the man on a lot of things not just this.

[Penta]

Penta, the report does not suggest that US Forces become involved in the Drug Trade, it says we should buy up all the production and either use it in the medical field or destroy it. That is smart. And it is not new as was pointed out in the report. This was done in the Golden Triangle Region in SE Asia until we stopped it.

Okay, I did miss that. Thanks.

Fear, though: The guys out in the bush, confronted by the massive profit potential of the drug trade, give in to temptation and mark it as destroyed, while returning it to the illegal flow. Wasn't that part of what happened in SEA? (Vietnam being...rather before my time, I'll admit uncertainty on the point.)

Do I think it likely to occur? No. But do I think it a possibility that we need to think about? Yes.

You might think I'm worrying over nothing.

Meanwhile, my instincts tell me to note even the unlikely issues and ponder them.

Hopefully, you're right, and I am worrying over nothing. But I'm not naive. Pretty much anybody has a price.

Additionally, this seems like one of those things that...It might very well be tactically sound, but present the proposition to the guy on the street.

I think most people would be horrified, or just think you nuts.

We might be able to justify it among ourselves, but could we really justify it unabashedly to Joe and Jane Public?

[Stan]

Hey Penta !

Okay, I did miss that. Thanks.
I think most people would be horrified, or just think you nuts.

We might be able to justify it among ourselves, but could we really justify it unabashedly to Joe and Jane Public?

There are certainly far worse things for Joe and Jane to see and hear in everyday life.

Please, take a look at any search engine result for Gen. David L. Grange. That's an impressive dude, and he did not get 'there' doing things that make people nuts (well, not all the time).

I've been in the Army longer than you've been alive....C'mon, get over it already

[slapout9]

Hi Penta, I would not worry to much about it. The SE Asia experiment went down the drain primarliy because we left Vietnam just as we were applying some inventive ways to handle these problems (CORDS, USMC CAPS program etc.) We can prevent any misuse of drug money pretty easily.

Joe and Jane have more to worry about IMHO, especially when much of the opium will go to legal medical drug production (why would that bug them). The rest can be destoyed as the article says.