âI freely admit,â Karen freely admitted, âthat when I started this job, I didnât understand some of the deep-seated and deep-rooted issues that there are in Northern Ireland. I didnât understand things like when elections are fought, for example, in Northern Ireland â people who are nationalists donât vote for unionist parties and vice versa.â
Now normally, I can take this piss out of anything, but this has broken me.
http://smallwarsjournal.com/jrnl/art/step-forward-smartwatches-and-ethnocentrism-modern-conflict
Public releases of smartwatch mapping data have recently been identified by the U.S. military to be a threat to operational security, resulting in changes to Department of Defense policies and restrictions on usage. Operational security lapses, like the aforementioned smart watch data release, arenât the result of a lack of training or knowledge, but rather a military mindset thatâs confident in superiority over âthird-world countriesâ and seemingly not concerned by data-driven peer competitors. It is an ethnocentric belief that fails to realize that every little advantage matters in modern and future conflict.
The interviews also highlight the U.S. governmentâs botched attempts to curtail runaway corruption, build a competent Afghan army and police force, and put a dent in Afghanistanâs thriving opium trade.
Essential reading.
That jives with my experience. Lack of strategy, and the unwillingness or inability to give bad news to the boss are systemic problems the government needs to grapple with.
To paraphrase James Caan in Way of the Gun, âThatâs not just governmentâŚthatâs the way of the world.â
Weâre not funding anything properly any more, but Iâll enjoy what weâve got for now, including the stuff we essentially forced the government to buy.
Sheâs huge!
Magnificent! Now, if only we had some planes to fly off it⌠and enough ships for a proper CVBG to protect it properly if it ever ends up in a shooting war⌠and, letâs be honest, a compelling strategic reason to have two of the things, that would even better.