03 August 2010

I see what you did there, Gen. Petraeus

A while back, I discussed the alienating effects of driving around in armored vehicles and wearing so much body armor that modern counterinsurgents resemble Imperial Stormtroopers.  (As have David Kilcullen in "The Accidental Guerrilla" and Greg in Mexico) 

The concept isn't lost on General Petraeus, who offered this advice for troops in Afghanistan.  

Walk.  Stop by, don't drive by.  Patrol on foot whenever possible and engage the population.  Take off your sunglasses.  Situational awareness can only be gained by interacting face-to-face, not separated by ballistic glass or Oakleys.

To emphasize this point, check out this recruiting ad for the British Army:

1 comment:

El Goyito said...

Hey Starbuck, the link to my blog on the Mexican Drug War is here:

http://suppliants.blogs.com/the_suppliants