Free - You've made many posts bitching and moaning (not a disparaging term) about the lack of infrastructure. Why is that? (The lack of infrastructure, not your pissing and moaning
) I assume that it's because the focus has been on IZ, and with the change of administration, there hasn't been much focus anywhere over there. So, what's needed - other than what GEN McC has requested?
I, too, agree with 7.62. What makes my heart hurt is that we're re-learning lessons already taught. And it's been a pretty short time since we learned them the first time. Hell, it hasn't been that long since the Sovs did what they did -- and we should have learned lessons from their adventures :doh:
What infrastructure isn't there - in your opinion?
No offense taken, Sir.
In no particular order:
Communications: "Net-Centric" may be a cute buzz phrase but it is reality. As you know ISR platforms and methods are data-intensive....they soak up a lot of bandwith. You have to add to it email and Net activity, think of how many documents are sent via email or accessed on a Sharepoint server. This takes a toll on bandwidth, all of which is delivered via satellite. You also have cable, IP addresses, computers, phones..... A lot of moving parts that are not cheap. Without getting into specifics, we need more of the above and adding additional bodies will tax an already strained system.
Land: Some locations weren't built with the number of troops currently in country in mind. I spoke to one camp mayor this week that is looking at projected troop numbers vs. existing billeting and office space and he doesn't have enough of the latter. I went to one camp where the mayor was trying to find space to park all of his vehicles AND house an influx of new troops. Some camps HAVE to expand, they don't have any choice, but terrain is a limiting factor.
Supplies: We don't have Kuwait/ Basra to help keep us going. Karachi plus our air bridge is barely working. The bad guys know that they can attack our resupply routes in Pakistan with relative impunity; commanders are even accepting a certain amount of supplies being lost in Pakistan. The air bridge is too costly and can't support us, we need Karachi and Pakistan.
Buildings: B-huts that were supposed to be torn down in 2006 are still being used because we aren't buildinig permanent or semi-permanent facilities fast enough. We've tried employing the locals to help us build them.....some barracks and even pre-fabbed steel buildings are taking over a year to complete. Afghanis make our DOT look efficient. Our Corps of Engineers, Combat Engineers, and Red Horse units are.....not here and if they are we don't have enough of them and besides, building materials have to travel through Pakistan.
Aircraft: We don't have enough of any type, combat or support.
Here's what killed us: we spent 2003-2007 staring at Iraq while Afghanistan burned. We funneled money and support into the country, staffs were ordered to ignore Afghanistan in order to focus on Iraq (phone calls and email went unreturned for days while staffs in the rear worked on Iraq), officers and NCOs viewed Afghanistan as a career-killer and preferred to go to Iraq.....
Iraq is a major reason why were are in this boat today. I think our rapid, SOF-based victory made us think the war was over and if it did continue it would be easy to deal with. I am still amazed at the officers and senior NCOs who don't grasp that Afghanistan has mountains in excess of 15k feet and that many location are inaccessible during the winter.
We have enough challenges here without being our own enemy.
