'Maginot line' arsenal is losing smart-weapons war

the australian ^ | 7/6/09 | the australian

[Flavius]

WASHINGTON'S traditional means of projecting power abroad was growing "increasingly obsolete" and its billion-dollar military hardware could be as ineffectual against future threats as the heavily fortified Maginot line was in defending France against the Nazis, a senior Pentagon adviser has warned.

In a wake-up call to US military chiefs, Andrew Krepinevich, a leading architect of the counter-insurgency strategy in Iraq and Afghanistan, argued that the Pentagon was ill-equipped to counter rising powers such as China, hostile states such as Iran, the threat from irregular forces such as Hezbollah, and terrorists such as al-Qa'ida. It was also wasting billions on outdated weaponry.

In an interview in the July issue of Foreign Affairs Mr Krepinevich said the military was in danger of "drinking its own bathwater" and discounting new challenges, including the proliferation of precision-guided weapons and threats from space and cyberspace.

[Flavius]

weapons shmapons, now back to more crucial all important things

Military board calls for discharge of gay Tustin officer OCRegister - Martin Wisckol - ‎Jul 1, 2009‎ "There is no question that you don't want a man who has gender identity conflict laying next to another man on a ship," Sheldon said. ...

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/choi-military-don-2480161-gay-national

[Grimmy]

All our super duper weapons are only capability enhancers.

The US military still has the ability to get down and dirty in the old up close and personal.

Where the US may be lacking is in political will to do whatever has to be done, and senior officers with more military spine and less PC appeasement.

[Dapper 26]

Grimmy, you hit the nail on the head. In addition, we suffer more from our enemies within than any foreign threat.

[RobbyS]

Yes, unfortunately, this sort of thing is what ranks up there in priority for our “top” civilian leadership and their civilians sycophants (there is more than one Powell in the world)

[Myrddin]

Obama is anxiously killing "programs that don't work". They are actually programs that do work, but put America's enemies at a disadvantage. Those are the ones getting the axe.

[2harddrive]

This particular worry, though it exists, is WAY overblown.

[TalonDJ]

Where the US may be lacking is in political will to do whatever has to be done, and senior officers with more military spine and less PC appeasement.

Right on, and people are shocked that our arsenal is not tailored for fighting blindfolded and our hands tied. They want to rearm in such a way that we can do a better job fighting 'half@55ed'. Makes me sick.