Last night I had a discussion with a military intelligence officer, who did not know my background. This officer had spent time in Afghanistan and I asked the officer about U.S. operations in the country.
The officer told me that the U.S. was unlikely to reach its goals in Afghanistan. The officer said one problem is that the Taliban simply don't have a timeline. They have no goal that they want to reach X objective by a given date. They can wait things out forever.
The officer said that the U.S. was trying to create a western style type government in Afghanistan that will never work because the tribal mentality in Afghanistan is too strong and that's where the power centers are and where they are going to stay.
The officer said that most Afghans just go about their daily business and don't get involved in the fighting . The officer said that the people have seen too much war and they expect that the U.S. will pull out of Afghanistan, like other foreign troops have for centuries and that the Taliban will still be there. And, thus, it makes sense for the average Afghan to side with the Taliban.
The officer also said that it is much more difficult to get information out of Afghans, than it was Iraqis. Iraqis were soft and rolled over quickly. Afghans, on the other hand, are hardened fighters. You interrogate them and they just look at you coldly and give you a look of "so what do you think you can do to me," said the officer.
I asked if the military waterboarded any Afghans, the officer said it was illegal to waterboard and then winked.
Then out of the blue, the officer asked me if I was familiar with Ron Paul. Not giving anything away, I simply said. "Yes."
The officer said that Ron Paul had it right that we shouldn't be in all these foreign military adventures and that the government domestically should be much smaller.
I asked the officer if this view was very prevalent in the military. The officer told me that 50% of the military didn't care and just took orders and would never question orders. The officer told me there are some thinkers in the other half.
I asked the officer if the military conducted intelligence operations in the United States. The officer said no, but that there were plenty of domestic agencies that do and that intelligence collection was very important.
i hope you suggested he read EPJ!
ReplyDeleteThe more important statistic is the split between the officer and enlisted ranks.
ReplyDelete"The military didn't care and just took orders and would never question orders."
ReplyDeleteOR
"People don't care and just accept the status quo, and will never question the status quo."
More then you think in the military side with Ron Paul.
ReplyDeleteIt's a given that the military absentee ballots will be delayed or misplaced (i.e., lost or destroyed) once ObamacRATS see which way the wind is blowing. In the end, when two branches of the same statist tree fight over the political spoils, it matters not which branch wins.
ReplyDeleteAnd young people endorse Ron Paul OVERWHELMINGLY
ReplyDelete(Why shouldn't they? He's the only one not willing to make them pay for OUR sins)
http://www.huntingtonnews.net/7990
Two gentlemen I know both graduated high school in 2001 and enlisted in the military. One was a Marine and was in Iraq, the other in the Air Force and all over the Mid East. Both of them are huge Ron Paul supporters and not just in the superficial sense; they read Austrian economics and blogs like this everyday. My suspicion is that their experiences may have inclined them toward a more libertarian/Old Right foreign policy position. This very awake officer's comments do not surprise me!
ReplyDeleteI believe I read a statistic that said that Ron Paul got the most donations from military ppl in the last election. Supporting the troops = support Ron Paul. from a non-American :)
ReplyDeleteI'm a military officer as well and I have devoted every bit of spare time I have to supporting Ron Paul and the cause of liberty. There are many, like myself, who agree with Ron Paul and the Austrian Economists on both foreign and domestic policy. That number is growing all of the time. I would agree with the person from the story above that about 50% who don't care and simply follow orders. Among you the other 50% you have real thinkers, and among those a good portion are coming around to the ideas of limited government and the problems with intervention overseas. I got to hear my commanding officer about a year ago, a Colonel, talk about how we created the present-day situations in both Iraq and Afghanistan by our meddling in the affairs of those countries. The military culture is changing. Nobody hates war more than the soldier who has been there.
ReplyDelete@Lila, are these the same young people who voted for Obama after graduating from 4 years of Ron Paul schooling? I doubt they outnumber the senior citizens?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous
ReplyDeleteNo. I should have been clearer. I meant young Republicans.
I think it's amazing really.
My childhood friend recently left the Army after 20 years (and told me 2 years ago that he would quit and forfeit his pension rather than go back to Iraq for a FOURTH tour) and he is a huge Ron Paul supporter. He says many members of his squad are also RP guys, and the number inside the military grows every day. These guys are tired of fighting an unwinnable war against innocent people, and the chances of mutiny are high. He fears that our military has been fatally compromised, and won't take much more of it. A full-scale revolt by the enlisted active and reserve duty soldiers is a distinct possibility according to him. Morale is very low, and EVERYONE is looking to get out.
ReplyDeleteGood news in one way, bad in another,,,
Dale Fitz
i know ron paul doesnt like to boast,but anytime a defense related question comes up in the debates,he should start with a cliche:that he supports the troops and then drop the real bomb that he gets more donations from military personnnel on duty than ALL others including obama -combined. i am sure it WILL become a talking point amongst the left and will befuddle the warmongers
ReplyDeleteI too work in military intelligence, support Ron Paul, and proud to be a member of that other half. The officer was a bit too dismissive with the 50% don't care bit. It is not that they don't care; it is more like they have been conditioned well my the machine. I do not mean by the military either. There are high-level officers who just are unable to comprehend that the status quo is a broken formula. There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding the proposal to change our retirement system...plenty of hurt feelings. But the powerless look in people's eyes are a stark reminder of what most of our populace's reaction to current events.
ReplyDelete@James, if these high-level officers (careerists) are so conditioned that they are unable to comprehend the status quo, how much confidence can we have in the military to avoid fighting the last war? Will they support martial law and order their troops to shoot Americans? Are any military personnel truly supporting the US Constitution to which they swore an oath?
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 2:39 am,
ReplyDeleteI am of a similar mindset.
I believe he (RP) could deliver a devastating blow to ALL his challengers with such a tactic and carry it right on through to his challengers from the Dem's later.
I mean really, what credible response could any of them formulate without digging a very deep hole for themselves?
I was stopped by a very polite, well-spoken state highway patrolman in Utah in June. After he determined that I was just tired, not drunk, he asked if the 'Ron Paul' sticker was mine, and told me that RP was 'his man'. He understood all the reasons to support RP, so smart people everywhere are changing their opinions.
ReplyDeleteA great video of an RP speech by Sean S. at Yankee Daily.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXwejQJzrJQ&feature=player_embedded
I'm an enlisted infantryman in the NG and would not blindly follow any order such as in a martial law scenario. Unfortunately, I suspect many of my brothers and sisters would if Uncle Sam instructed. However, before I swore in I promised to obey the Constitution over superior authority. This is why I joined the Guard instead of Active, a closer lineage to the militias of our founders, with interest in the common good of the American people over politics.
ReplyDelete