That IS well done. Certainly explains the fear US forces have of fighting in urban environments. And their resulting tendency to just flatten the cities instead.
Of course, that doesn't work well in anything but a straight-up, knock-down drag-out war against another hostile nation. Any other sort of engagement (peacekeeping, counterterror, police actions) would basically make those tactics worse than useless.
Such as, say, Iraq right now. It's hard to "win the hearts and minds" of a people whose homes you have just bombed to smithereens.
The US is not particularly afraid of urban fighting. The Marines, in fact, have been training for it for years, and are pretty skilled at it.
The US tendency to use artillery and airpower instead of people is a national doctrine characteristic, and goes back to World War II at least. It doesn't have anything to do with urban warfare in particular. In fact, the US forces in Fallujah have been, by all accounts, quite skillful in using massive force in a very careful and targeted way, given the circumstances. Compare what the US has done in several urban combat settings in Iraq with, for instance, the Russian performance in Grozny. Now *that* is an example of simply levelling everything in sight.
US doctrine tends to be a lot more like the IDF's without, thank goodness, some of the IDF's more recent cold-blooded and unconscionable tactics.
Primarily the use of human shields. In the fighting in Jenin and elsewhere in 2002, the IDF would, if they suspected a building was boobytrapped, take a local resident and make them lead the way. Likewise, if they thought militants were hiding out in a house and would shoot the soldiers entering the building, they'd force a local resident to go in ahead of them to take the bullet or deter the gunman from shooting. Can you imagine what would happen if it were discovered US soldiers were doing things like this? Court-martials and long prison terms at the very least.
I'll look over the evidence you presented in the other comment.
Regarding our own forces, however, I know exactly what would happen: a few underlings would get token courts-martial and prison terms or demotions, while the brass and the civilian leadership would cover things up by protesting "We had no idea!" I know this because our own forces were doing far worse at Abu Ghraib, and that was the result.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 05:39 am (UTC)Of course, that doesn't work well in anything but a straight-up, knock-down drag-out war against another hostile nation. Any other sort of engagement (peacekeeping, counterterror, police actions) would basically make those tactics worse than useless.
Such as, say, Iraq right now. It's hard to "win the hearts and minds" of a people whose homes you have just bombed to smithereens.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 06:02 am (UTC)The US tendency to use artillery and airpower instead of people is a national doctrine characteristic, and goes back to World War II at least. It doesn't have anything to do with urban warfare in particular. In fact, the US forces in Fallujah have been, by all accounts, quite skillful in using massive force in a very careful and targeted way, given the circumstances. Compare what the US has done in several urban combat settings in Iraq with, for instance, the Russian performance in Grozny. Now *that* is an example of simply levelling everything in sight.
US doctrine tends to be a lot more like the IDF's without, thank goodness, some of the IDF's more recent cold-blooded and unconscionable tactics.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 07:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 03:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-14 03:39 pm (UTC)Regarding our own forces, however, I know exactly what would happen: a few underlings would get token courts-martial and prison terms or demotions, while the brass and the civilian leadership would cover things up by protesting "We had no idea!" I know this because our own forces were doing far worse at Abu Ghraib, and that was the result.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-13 03:06 pm (UTC)http://www.btselem.org/English/Human_Shield/index.asp
http://www.hrw.org/press/2002/05/israel0509.htm
and the practice continues
http://www.freepress.org/departments/display/9/2004/581