[SprCForr]

Reintroduce some old school.

Bring the Brigades back to Wainwright/Suffield, take away air superiority and make 'em fight against say, the Brits or import some Germans for as month or six weeks. It'd get pretty austere again pretty damned fast.

What do you figure, Guy/C_M? Having a scrap with either of them be a challenge?

[Guy_Fawkes]

I think it would be great fun, but cost great amounts of money. Besides LFAA can barely run a worthwhile training ex with its own soldiers let alone those from another country (I havent trained much with LWFA so I cant comment there).

[ShepherdsDog]

Really, everything that has been mentioned are the basic creature comforts that we've all grown up with. With my dad and my grandfather's generation the only means of communicating, while deployed, was through letters and care packages, just as it was at home. For me it was a combination of letters, video recorded messages and telephone calls. Having access to voice and video communication with your family regardless of where you are is pretty standard everywhere nowadays. A happy, healthy soldier is an effective soldier.... bored, restless/distracted soldiers cause trouble and make mistakes

[Canadian_Mind]

Bacardi4206 Bacardi4206:

If I was a soldier in war, I'd like some comfort from time to time. Would be nice to have something to change the pace from the shit but not on a constant basis. If you are given too much luxuries, I'd imagine you would keep realizing of your shitty situation and living conditions. Like how probally most soldiers feel being deployed from there comfortable homes to the frontlines of Afghanistan. When you live in luxury, you get use to it. When you get into non-luxury, you always realize how shit it is. I'd imagine if you were a soldier, you'd be better off living longer without a regular reminder of how luxurious things can be. That way you can atleast get use to it and not have it bother you as much but what do I know

Maybe for the first month or so of tour, but otherwise you got it ass-backwards. Just knowing we would be going back to the FOB and our air conditioned rooms in X number of days was enough to give us the drive to finish off an OP cycle in 60+ degree heat.

[andyt]

Wouldn't it in part depend on who you're fighting and how? If you're fighting a technologically advanced army such as yourself, probably keeping soldiers as comfortable as possible would be helpful. OTOH, I heard that the British troops were much more effective in Iraq than the Americans because they got much closer to the locals and were better at getting info and sussing out the bad guys among the population. In that case, luxing it up while the locals have trouble getting water and electricity might not make you too many friends. Don't know how well that would work in Astan, but even there, the locals seeing you living well and removed from them might not be that helpful.

[EyeBrock]

I don’t get your connection re advanced enemy vs stone age ones. The guys walking the streets of nasty places should be able to relax and contact loved ones off duty, regardless of the economic status of those with whom they fight.


The Army is made up of Canadians who are used to being pretty wired and connected. There is nothing wrong with a bit of comfort.

The guys can still do the hearts and minds thing when they are at FOB’s, sweating like bastards for weeks at a time.

[Guy_Fawkes]

andyt andyt:

Wouldn't it in part depend on who you're fighting and how? If you're fighting a technologically advanced army such as yourself, probably keeping soldiers as comfortable as possible would be helpful. OTOH, I heard that the British troops were much more effective in Iraq than the Americans because they got much closer to the locals and were better at getting info and sussing out the bad guys among the population. In that case, luxing it up while the locals have trouble getting water and electricity might not make you too many friends. Don't know how well that would work in Astan, but even there, the locals seeing you living well and removed from them might not be that helpful.

What?

[ShepherdsDog]

Andy....enough said.

[andyt]

Well, it was just a thought, which is why I put it in the form of a question. But you guys make everything into a war, huh?

[SprCForr]

Guy_Fawkes Guy_Fawkes:

I think it would be great fun, but cost great amounts of money. Besides LFAA can barely run a worthwhile training ex with its own soldiers let alone those from another country (I havent trained much with LWFA so I cant comment there).

IMHO, with the change into a training mission profile in Afghanistan, I think you'll see the Bde Comds start agitiating to get their Bde's into the field collectively. With the dough spent on CMTC by DND, that'll mean deploying to Wainwright as opposed to places like the NTC, 29 Palms, etc.

It also presents the opportunity to face off with BATSU and rip up Suffield etc in at least Combat Team sized elements. Yep, it'd cost money, but the op tempo would go into hyperdrive and may give the troops/staff an exposure to a different form of fighting that they may not be as familiar with.

(Make them bastards in C/S 0 run for their lives! lol)

[SprCForr]

andyt andyt:

Wouldn't it in part depend on who you're fighting and how? If you're fighting a technologically advanced army such as yourself, probably keeping soldiers as comfortable as possible would be helpful.

Mod con comfort is a result of static locations. Fighting against a well equipped and comptetant military force means that static locations become an invitation to slaughter. Gotta keep moving to stay alive.

$1:

OTOH, I heard that the British troops were much more effective in Iraq than the Americans because they got much closer to the locals and were better at getting info and sussing out the bad guys among the population. In that case, luxing it up while the locals have trouble getting water and electricity might not make you too many friends. Don't know how well that would work in Astan, but even there, the locals seeing you living well and removed from them might not be that helpful.

There's a couple schools of thought on that. More contact with the population can permit a better flow of information, it can also work against you in a number of ways too. FWIW, there were a number of factors which the British were dealing with that were different from the US elsewhere in Iraq. As you're aware, it was a little more involved than "rubbing bellies" with the locals.

[Thanos]

SprCForr SprCForr:

It also presents the opportunity to face off with BATSU and rip up Suffield etc .....

It also presents the opportunity to hit the highway, drink like khaki-clad fishies, and rip up Medicine Hat some more when the lads get some downtime. Take some of the Brit goons along and make the Vancouver riots look like a gaywad convention by comparison.

[EyeBrock]

andyt andyt:

Well, it was just a thought, which is why I put it in the form of a question. But you guys make everything into a war, huh?

Come on, my reply was hardly a 'war'. I still don't get your logic.

[martin14]

EyeBrock EyeBrock:

andyt andyt:

Well, it was just a thought

I still don't get your logic.

Don't it make you happy EB ?

[bootlegga]

SprCForr SprCForr:

andyt andyt:

Wouldn't it in part depend on who you're fighting and how? If you're fighting a technologically advanced army such as yourself, probably keeping soldiers as comfortable as possible would be helpful.

Mod con comfort is a result of static locations. Fighting against a well equipped and comptetant military force means that static locations become an invitation to slaughter. Gotta keep moving to stay alive.

$1:

OTOH, I heard that the British troops were much more effective in Iraq than the Americans because they got much closer to the locals and were better at getting info and sussing out the bad guys among the population. In that case, luxing it up while the locals have trouble getting water and electricity might not make you too many friends. Don't know how well that would work in Astan, but even there, the locals seeing you living well and removed from them might not be that helpful.

There's a couple schools of thought on that. More contact with the population can permit a better flow of information, it can also work against you in a number of ways too. FWIW, there were a number of factors which the British were dealing with that were different from the US elsewhere in Iraq. As you're aware, it was a little more involved than "rubbing bellies" with the locals.

+1 Solid post.