Quote Originally Posted by Rex Brynen View Post
The ponderous, hierarchical, Soviet-style Iraqi military was, by any possible measure, for more successful at suppressing insurgents than has been the much more flexible, modular, networked US military... quite the reverse of what Arquilla's argument would suggest.
Was it? Or was it the Ba'athist political system that was more effective.

US forces seemed just as adept at crushing flare ups (Fallujah) as the Republican Guard. The Ba'athist Regime dealt with the day-to-day stuff and Paul Bremer and CPA Law simply could not.

Juxtapose the two - would the ponderous, hierarchical, Soviet-style Iraqi military be effective at suppressing irregular opponents in Texas? They would probably be aiming to "modularize" and gasping for a "population-centric" solution by now as well....

As for the swarming bit, I'm having trouble following it - is an area ambush a swarm? Satellite patrols? What's new about "spreading out"?