The thing that bothered me about the AUSDPR's letter was one of the explanations she chose to use. The posts in this thread all cite historical precedent or show a full appreciation for the unique situations that exist in Iraq and Afghanistan. In my searching around for her actual letter, I saw that she did mention the prevalence of IEDs, so that was good as far as it went.

But the part about "precision guided, stand off weapons" etc. sounded as if it was part of a brochure promoting the Revolution in Military Affairs. If that hadn't been in there and her letter read like the things you guys have written that would have been much better. It was in there though, like a ghost from the past still stalking the halls and entering the minds of people in high places.

I think that the "push button, clean, techno war" idea has gotten us into trouble in the past and I worry when I see signs that it is around. Like Ken says, it might be just awkward wording but she seemed quick and handy with that bit of boilerplate.