Question: Were WWII,
9/11, Putin and ISIS preventable? Can computer models and algorithms be used to
greater effect?
During/after Vietnam, our government was slammed for keeping troops
in-country so long. Anti-war-ers bullied returning troops! Now our
government gets slammed if we leave prematurely. Even men and women who
are/were engaged have differences of opinions. I thank God they do. Ones who
remain guarded keep everyone alert. The others keep us from over-reacting.
Long-term consequences are anyone's guess. Castro started as an
up-standing man--look what happened. And who would've suspected the Reagan and
Gorbachev relationship? Hippy ideals and technology worldwide impacted their
ways of thinking and respect for each other. Now it’s back to when one
side is kind, an opposing side takes advantage.
One of my husband’s groups focused on pertinent questions. Answers
were only springboards; responses and results
were monitored constantly.
1) When is enough, enough--body count of our dead?
size of territory captured and contained? when munitions become
scarce? when public outcry reaches a certain level?
2) What’s involved to keep our troops supplied and safe? Are
civilians supportive? When does sending war-time needs abroad make our
homeland vulnerable?
3) What about transparency? Open comments about pull-out
dates or troops and munitions being sent in or taken out help the enemy know our
intentions and locations.
4) What are our rules of engagement when the enemy plays by
rules our troops have never seen the likes of? Other cultures have different
levels of values, including life and death. How much restraint must our
troops use in order to "walk our talk" versus throwing our own values
to the wind to "get 'er done?"
At brain-storming meetings, even the brightest minds and experienced
bodies could not agree 100%. But all had experienced more than one rodeo
and could attest that no two engagements are the same. It is hard to rely
on past experience or current algorithms and theories. Our leaders need to know
how much human energy we have, what our stockpile of materials is, how long we
can afford to remain
engaged, plans we have for within our own borders; turn a deaf ear to the
public, read/listen to Intel and witness of troops and others; let people savvy
in warfare formulate the best strategies, insights, actions.
Copyright © November 2015 by Maeke Ermarth
Cheyenne, WY
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