US generals given baffling PowerPoint presentation to try to explain Afghanistan mess

MailOnline ^ | 28th April 2010 | Mail Foreign Service

[skimbell]

Its coloured charts, graphs and bullet-points are supposed to make the most incomprehensible data crystal clear. But even the sharpest military minds in American were left baffled by this PowerPoint slide, a mind-boggling attempt to explain the situation in Afghanistan. 'When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war..

[skimbell]

Check out the flowchart at the link. How in the he11 can anyone expect our miitary to be able to function with fool like we have in charge trying to direct everything.

[Old Teufel Hunden]

Sometimes, technology can be a detriment and not a help. Powerpoint overload is one instance....

[Dallas59]

[trumandogz]

Looks like something from Gen. Westmoreland.

[RC2]

If this is truly how they are fighting this war, we need to get the hell out of Afghanistan. These people will never change and nothing we do will change them. All we are doing is getting our youngsters killed and for what. Remember.....back in 1776, our people fought and died for our country. Today, our kids fight and die for someone else they don’t even have anything in common with and those people really don’t give a dam.

[thackney]

[beaversmom]

How Not To Use Powerpoint

[tgusa]

I wonder how much of our tax $$ the Contractor was paid to produce that bowl of spaghetti?

[TankerKC]

BLOC – Briefing Induced Loss of Consciousness.

[jerri]

WTH, whoever did this is a moron. I have never seen a flow chart this bad ever!

[marron]

Patton could probably simplify that chart.

[Falcon28]

Worst. PowerPoint. Ever.

Epic Fail

[JasonC]

Makes perfect sense to me...

What strikes you as so complicated or incomprehensible? They have just tried to label every significant area or measure determining the outcome of the conflict, and then link those directly related to each other. As a means of trying to spot key bottlenecks or focus areas.

[JasonC]

Yes he could. But then he might well lose the fricking war slapping the wrong people...

[paristwelve]

It’s the latest tactic, confuse the Taliban into submission.

[5Madman2]

I understand what they intended to do, but there is a disconnect between intent and execution. They may have been better served if they used a more macro view on this.

On the other hand, if this is the macro view, we have troubles

[ASA Vet]

Yesterday's Power Point Thread

[mowowie]

Looks kind of like the chart on how the cost-saving obamacare will operate.

[popdonnelly]

I think Grant, Sherman, or Patton could solve the problem.

[Buckeye McFrog]

someone need to frame that at the Guggenheim and call it “Portrait of the Ivy League Mind”