Wars 'useful', says US army chief

[zimv20]

link (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3419715.stm)


The head of the United States army has said that the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have provided a "tremendous focus" for the military.

General Peter Schoomaker said in an interview with AP news agency that the wars had allowed the army to instil its soldiers with a "warrior ethos".


He said it was no use having an army that did nothing but train.

"There's got to be a certain appetite for what the hell we exist for," he said.


back in march or april, i suggested that a motivation for the iraq war was to give the US troops combat experience, 'cuz most of the members hadn't had any.

boy did i get flamed.

[pseudobrit]

Rush Limbaugh regularly proposes that the best way to get rid of nuclear weapons is to use them.

And I thought he was just being cheeky. Is the whole of the right wing stoned on OxyContin?

[g5man]

Originally posted by pseudobrit
Rush Limbaugh regularly proposes that the best way to get rid of nuclear weapons is to use them.

And I thought he was just being cheeky. Is the whole of the right wing stoned on OxyContin?

You actually listen to Rush?

The fun part is that they are stoned and dumb while kicking liberal butt in California and that landslide I have been predicting.:D :D

[numediaman]

Mind if I hijack this thread for a second? Here's part of a story from todays Telegraph.

Unveiled women are root of all evil, says Saudi cleric
By Robin Gedye, Foreign Affairs Writer

Saudi Arabia's most senior Islamic cleric has condemned women who mingled unveiled among men at a business conference this week, saying their actions could cause "evil and catastrophe".

Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah al-Sheikh, the grand mufti of the desert kingdom, made his comments after the country's top businesswoman called for reform and pictures of her supporters - without headscarves - appeared on newspaper front pages.

"Allowing women to mix with men is the root of every evil and catastrophe," he said. "It is highly punishable. Mixing of men and women is a reason for greater decadence and adultery."

I don't make these things up:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml;$sessionid$EHCNQD24KWTMHQFIQMFSFFOAVCBQ0IV0?xml=/news/2004/01/22/wsaud22.xml&site=5

I don't see what the Bush administration has against these guys -- maybe Georgie will add this to his marriage initiative.

[Desertrat]

"Hijackers welcome, but leave the flight controls alone." :D

Any idiocies of Dubya, his advisors or the generals pale to insignificance when compared to the sheikh's comments. It's no wonder the whole world seems totally nutzoid...

Back to the thread: The general is factually correct, insofar as the quality of military units is concerned. That's been a major problem for the U.S., ever since the beginning of the Cold War. (Well, not just for the U.S., really, and since long before the Cold War.) How do you maintain any sort of quality armed forces, given the boredom and therefore attrition (turnover) of "just the same damned thing" of endless training?

Note that my question doesn't mean I want wars and police actions. Let's don't go sailing off in that direction.

'Rat

[IJ Reilly]

He said it was no use having an army that did nothing but train.

And here I thought the best kind of army to have was one that never needed to go to war. Beware the military mentality.

[zimv20]

Originally posted by numediaman

I don't make these things up:
[big url chomped]


try:
http://tinyurl.com

[zimv20]

Originally posted by Desertrat

Note that my question doesn't mean I want wars and police actions. Let's don't go sailing off in that direction.


believe me, i understand the argument. that's why i was able to postulate the possibility in the first place.