This has been debated, redebated, reguritated, and debated again. LINK No one is going to tell someone else how to suck that egg. Bottom line, politics and public opinion have driven that train off the end of the bridge to nowhere and it's still going. Until commanders are willing to assume risk, we will have to figure out ways to make things happen.

If you checked the article I linked in my above post, the main threat is not all that different. When entire vehicles are being blown to hell in Feb in Afghanistan it tells the enemy is changing. Afghans historically do not fight through the winter months, but guess what they are this year. So we can play the who is outfitted properly with what equipment and what training game all day long. Bottom line, you go to war with what you got, not with what you wish you had. I'm not going to say it, aw hell.......TRAINING. Does not matter what country, basics are basics and they apply no matter where you go to fight.

Lastly what are the statistics of gun shot wounds/deaths vs IED wounds/deaths? If I was a betting man, I'd bet a paycheck IEDs are winning in Afghanistan. Answered my own question here OEF Database

Did the leg work

US Deaths
IED - 183
Small arms fire - 84
RPGs - 61

Total CF Deaths
IED - 329
Small arms fire - 122
RPGs - 80