Re: china donates bulldozers to pinas military


"Congenital Kano" <jrsdaddeletethis@xxxxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
news:XP6dnQyuB-BQTFzeRVn-jg@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> "Sylvia Knörr" <Sylvia.Knoerr_NoSpam_@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:dpsask$jgo$03$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > "raven simone" <bernardsongco@xxxxxxxxx> schrieb im Newsbeitrag
> > news:1136348317.542650.212930@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

> >> you need attack planes to bomb rebels

> > It didn't work in Vietnam, it didn't work in Iraq, so why do you think
it
> > could work in the Philippines? Rebels don't make good military targets.

> This is debatable. In Vietnam, the evidence is that Rolling Thunder, the
> 11-day bombing campaign designed to bring the NV back to the bargaining
> table by taking the bombing to Hanoi, was a success. The VC (the rebels
> sponsored and supported by the NVA) had been eliminated as a viable
military
> force in the Tet Offensive. According to Sir Robert Thompson, a counter
> insurgency expert, "In my view, on December 30, 1972, after eleven days of
> those B-52 attacks on the Hanoi area, you had won the war. It was over."
> The bombing in Vietnam was controlled by politicians, not military men,
and
> severely restricted, making it hard to determine whether a military-run
> bombing regimen would have had more demonstrable and decisive effect.
While
> many point to the lack of effectiveness of the bombing in Cambodia, no one
> really knows who was killed and what was accomplished (metrics of
civilians,
> etc., killed are derived from statistical analysis and not very
dependable).
>
> In Iraq, hundreds if not thousands of terrorists and insurgents have been
> killed in air strikes. Standard procedure is to call in an air strike
when
> an enemy stronghold is located, it is an allowed target (i.e., not a
mosque
> or hospital) and the likelihood of civilian collateral damage is minimal.
> This can be 5 guys holed up in a deserted apartment complex.
>
> Doctor O may wish to dispute the Vietnam analysis, but I doubt even with
his
> particular position on Vietnam he will deny that we cannot judge the
> effectiveness of air strikes there when there were so many constraints
> imposed by the politicians in the US who were micromanaging the war from
> Washington. And air strikes have been a potent weapon in Iraq (you just
> never hear about that in Germany - heck, the media here doesn't want to
> report any positive news, too, so you have to dig to find the facts).


Air strikes are effective if the enemy is gathered in certain places (like
barracks, army bases or ships) or if you can hit facilities where the enemy
produces weapons or keeps food and energy resources. Air strikes were very
effective in WW 2, no doubt.
But if you have to deal with insurgents, it is a different thing, the enemy
does not gather in large groups but is rather scattered in small units,
often among the civil population or in hiding places which ar hard to
localize.
Flying air strikes against small groups like the Abu Sayyaf would surely
yield *some* hits, but you will have high collateral damages which will
upset the ordinary people, so you might produce MORE insurgents
involuntarily.
This is why I think that air strikes are NOT effective when you have to deal
with insurgents. It is more effective to improve the living conditions for
the ordinary people, then they will consider insurgents as THEIR enemies and
will help you to fight them.
A fly swatter is effective against flies, but not effective against lice.

Choosing Arms Carefully Piggy




.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: china donates bulldozers to pinas military
    ... hundreds if not thousands of terrorists and insurgents have been ... >> effectiveness of air strikes there when there were so many constraints ... Are you not a supporter of terrorists? ...
    (soc.culture.filipino)
  • Re: china donates bulldozers to pinas military
    ... effectiveness of air strikes there when there were so many constraints imposed by the politicians in the US who were micromanaging the war from Washington. ... yield *some* hits, but you will have high collateral damages which will upset the ordinary people, so you might produce MORE insurgents involuntarily. ... We have used air strikes to kill hundreds, if not thousands, of terrorists. ...
    (soc.culture.filipino)