Quote Originally Posted by Outlaw 7 View Post
I look for the open and deep discussion of what is occurring and why we are failing and we are failing in Afghanistan to occur, but maybe this location is the wrong place for that--for to look at failure means one is willing to challenge and challenge hard current doctrine but maybe that is not in the DNA of this blog site.

WHY is it that much of the latest open discussions are in fact occuring outside of blogs like this and and are not occuring inside the military or defense contracting world?

I can see why a large number of military personnel no longer return to this site
I'd second Ken's challenge to review older threads on this site before you start accusing folks here of "not challenging current doctrine." I'd also repeat what I said earlier and what some others have said in different ways: this is nothing new. Swarming...horde tactics...flash mobs...it's nothing new and has been around for as long as there have been tribal-based groups that function in conflicts in that way. Maybe RAND has just 'discovered' it again, but that does not make it new.

What I would say, and have said before, is that the Army seems determined to relearn almost every small wars lesson the hard way...and has manifested this particular training defect since before Vietnam. It accelerated after VN to be sure, but the trend had been there before. As a student of history this particular blind spot concerns me a great deal, but it appears to be built into the institution's DNA...and has been since before the Civil War.

How do you deal with "swarms"? If our own military history is any guide, you focus on being VERY solid at the basic tactical levels and develop strong unit solidarity and integrity. Rotating units as units and not individual replacements is a good start for unit integrity, but training is a different matter.

Those are just starters.