This is a dumb idea

[Ken White]

into Political Correctness and recycling.

[Brandon Friedman]

Uh oh. Looks like somebody in the 101st is gonna be in trouble:

In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee, General McChrystal said the measure of American and allied effectiveness would be “the number of Afghans shielded from violence,” not the number of enemies killed.

[AmericanPride]

And why is a BG commanding the division?

BG Townsend is the deputy commander.

I don't know if the issue is as "epidemic" Army-wide, but the 101 leadership has admitted that it does not know the origin or solution to the problem.

[Blackjack]

The 101st Airborne's senior commander in effect ordered his soldiers Wednesday not to commit suicide, a plea that came after 11 suicides since January 1, two of them in the past week.

So when are the posthumus Article 15s going to start happening? If a soldier is truely intent on ending his life. The last thing he is probably going to be thinking about is that a deputy division commander ordered him not too. In my mind there are two types of of potentially suicidal soldiers. Those who truely wish death will meet the tasks, conditions and standards of suicide and execute accordingly. The second catagory are those who are screaming for help and/or attention. As rash as the actions of the latter may be, it is not too late to help them. Sadly, powerpoint presentations, risk assesments, and saftey stand downs will not help the latter much.

[AmericanPride]

I'm no psychologist (but what do they know?), but IMO, the Army's programs don't work because they are artificial and imposed top-down. The daily grind, the optempo, and the constant moves make it difficult for natural mechanisms and relationships to develop; things that would otherwise deter some of these problems.

[Coldstreamer]

Body counts became discerdited in Vietnam not least because they only measured attrition as oppose to other conditions for COIN success, but also because there were suspicions of exaggeration.
In the usual western, risk averse manner, they have been exorcised from any discussion of operations. But I think they have a place, provided they are placed in the correct context. This is why comms needs to be done sensibly, and under control.

But a more effective measurement is number of incidents. If a sector is experiencing markedly fewer shoots/bombs/kidnappings etc, and the civil population is still there and extant - then that is success.

Sadly, military institutions still tend to get excited about the amount of ordnance going off and how many rounds are being fired. It takes a lot to move past kinetic hardwiring.

[Ken White]

New boots on old ground...

"Reporting from Kabul, Afghanistan -- U.S. military officials in Afghanistan have halted the practice of releasing the number of militants killed in fighting with American-led forces as part of an overall strategy shift that emphasizes concern for the local civilian population's well-being rather than hunting insurgent groups.
. . .
Last year, the 101st Airborne Division began releasing numbers of militants killed, and the practice soon spread among U.S. forces. Public affairs officials in the 101st Airborne began publicizing militant deaths to counter the perception among Americans that the U.S. military was losing in Afghanistan."

LINK.

[IntelTrooper]

New boots on old ground...

Well, at least someone has some blood flowing to their brain over there.

Public affairs officials in the 101st Airborne began publicizing militant deaths to counter the perception among Americans that the U.S. military was losing in Afghanistan.

Because that public affairs tactic worked so well during Viet Nam...?