They finally got Osama

Well the US Navy Seals succeeded in eliminating one of the most wanted men of all time. Finally. I was pleased about the turn of events. Not jump for joy & dance in the streets kind of elated, but nonetheless pleased that they finally took him out.. It was far too long coming though. For years it was a running joke among comics that they couldn't find him with all the assets they have available? The US became overly reliant on technology in the War on Terrorism. Satellites, Predator drones, cruise missiles & other costly Precission Guided Munitions have there place but aren't particularly effective at targeting a specific individual & verifying that you have indeed taken him out. It comes back to elite forces that are well trained & equipped.

Watched a piece on 60 Minutes the other night about an intelligence operative with the NSA who blew the whistle on a program called Trailblazer which was supposed to aid the War on Terror by analyzing the huge amount of data collected from the Internet. The system ran over budget to the sum of millions & never worked. The brass at the NSA bought into this boondoggle despite being told that it wouldn't work by the operative in this story. He went through channels including Congress but no one listened. So he leaked details to the press. The short story is that he was right, no one was held accountable for this screw up, but the fellow who brought it to light is incarcerated, charged as an enemy of the state! There is legislation to protect Whistle Blowers but it hasn't been effective - particularly against the rich & powerful when their secrets are leaked. Look at the head of Wiki Leaks, they are trying to put him away.

Do you remember Ronald Regan's "Star Wars" initiative? Another expensive, high tech solution that failed to fly. Sometimes there's no substitute for skilled "boots on the ground" and solid intelligence (something completely lacking with regards WMDs in Iraq).

You also have to have the will to win. The Russians had it during the Second World War at places like Stalingrad. The US didn't have it in Vietnam. Field commanders complained that whenever they made gains they had to hold back or pull back for political or other reasons. It seems to me that if you are in it to win it, then you must be as ruthless as your enemy - even more so. The Japanese were particularly ruthless during WWII. I heard a story that they weren't afraid of US Marines with their superior numbers or equipment. They were afraid of the Gurkhas from Nepal. These soldiers fought for Britain. While the Japanese were adept at jungle warfare, the Gurkhas were supposedly the masters. They could smell the enemy in pitch dark, sneak up silently and strike with their unique knives. But I heard they terrorized the Japanese by such things as cutting their boot laces while they slept. It could easily have been their throats. They wouldn't sleep after that.

In Afghanistan today our troops face a ruthless enemy that beheads journalists on camera or hides explosives behind burkhas. To lessen the number of our people who come home in body bags it makes sense that your troops be well trained, elite soldiers. Not cooks or logistics personnel with some basic training. Likewise they have to be as well armed or better than the enemy to be fearsome. Back in my day, fellow's who were on peace keeping missions complained that when you are armed with a pistol and the opposition walks around with AK 47s, they don't take you very seriously. I recall one fellow's account of how the combatants in Cypress rolled right over their UN position! Being nice guy Canadian peace keepers in blue helmets wasn't a deterrent at all.

We did have the elite Airbourne Division at one time. But I believe it was the unacceptable photos of some members torturing and humiliating Somaliis, that brought down the unit and led to disbandment. We are civilized people and torture is dis-tasteful but one should remember what conditions were like in Somalia. If you recall the movie Blackhawks Down, you may get a sense of the chaos of the warlords with their kids in heavily armed Technicals.

Today units like the Airbourne Regiment would be handy, if you want to win. Obama has his units. The Brits have the SAS. They got Bin Laden. But it's far from over. It would be wise to have more arrows in the quiver.