The Economics of Roadside Bombs

[Stan]

This is probably the strangest thing I’ve seen to date. Something like the old lady in tennis shoes processing my TDY voucher and asking me why the rental car company won’t cover the shattered windshield from a burst of 7mm rounds.

I certainly never expected the Economics Department of William and Mary to cover IED and IEDD.

I began to enjoy the paper until economics and IED jamming devices went overboard. Frankly, the more relevant issue that escapes this lengthy paper is that not all military forces are taught IED countermeasures during basic training.
EOD and Law Enforcement levels were at an otherwise adequate level before IEDs became so prevalent. Fact is we adapted and overcame the issue in record time. The costs of doing this are in no way relevant when our soldier’s lives are at stake. We can’t do that cookie cutter approach with a calculator…or can we?

Their conclusion is mind-boggling and I conclude the author(s) should be forced to join the Army for a period not less than 2 years in Iraq or Afghanistan with principle duties as a MSR-1 jeep driver, MOS non-specific

[patmc]

I too will argue that their conclusion is a little off.

Countermeasures do work, and did reduce successful attacks. The enemy just switched his triggers.

It was my impression that discussing our countermeasures was a no-no, but a Newsweek story kind of ruined that (2006). I guess there is still a lot more info out in the open than I thought.