Go on over to Winds of Change and read this post about Military Transformation. Then if you haven't been bored to death, come back and read my bloviations, below. CPT H, got some thoughts here?
No one can argue I am overfond of new stuff (just check the Arsenal*), and I make a living pushing ways to use miltech, and I don't have a huge argument with Lance's comments, just some observations.
1. The problems he points out have been endemic to just about any big-ticket item you can name, and usually only come to resolution or innovation under the pressure of war. And people like him (and me, too) have been fighting these battles with little change in the system for decades. But - if the battles aren't fought, it would probably be worse. My bottom line is really that the system is so large and complex, that absent scrapping it altogether, most fixes will be incremental and the system will tend back to equilibrium anyway (that's what being a retired warfighter does to you - you lose the fire of the young'uns...).
2. The reason that the above happens is that many of the 'bloated systems' end up working pretty well. Many of the complaints about the F-22 and such are the same as were leveled against the M1, M2, M3 series of vehicles. Of course, against that you have the F111 and other similar things, like SGT York. All four services need their John Boyds.
The rest is in the Flash Traffic.
3. As for not having enough of everything "right now", well, we never have, and absent a year to plan for a war that Congress has already funded, we never will. That's the nature of the budget process of a democracy. Even in times of plenty, the services don't get enough money to fund everything, and so the little, pedestrian, 'interstitial' stuff is what is underfunded. Like small arms ammunition. Why? Because in their heart of hearts, the Generals know/believe that under pressure, it's a hell of a lot easier to gin up the production of those things than it is to develop a weapon system. Sure, in absolute terms, there probably is money for all that stuff in the wastage of the large projects - but in reality it's very hard to capture those dollars. Having managed large procurements while I was serving, and now as a 'beltway bandit' providing services to the DoD, it's amazing how hard the government makes it for itself to do business. But, if it wasn't hard, it would be worse, lemme tell ya. Look what happens anytime the controls are eased. Someone dicks it up, bigtime.
For an example of what we can do when we're fully funded... well, the depots are still surplusing out unused equipment from WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. We don't have that kind of stockpile any more, and we didn't have it until we'd been in a huge war (all wars are huge to the private on point) for three years.
Don't think the senior leaders don't know that, either. They do. And they understand that when the fecal matter hits the ventilation device, it's measured in terms of lives. But people like Captain/Major Lance, Col. John Boyd, and other, faceless action officers have to keep squeaking - but the armed forces of a democracy, absent several years into a war the scope of WWII (and this isn't there, in terms of threat - not as far as the populace is concerned) is *never* going to have all it's warfighters need when they hit LD. And probably not even then.
Which makes Lance's main point, well, the main point - the basic material, the soldier, sailor, airman, Marine - and their leaders, have to have the basic competencies and organizational gestalt that make it possible to adapt around the inevitable shortages and problems. And *that* generally is an attitude issue, not a budget issue. It doesn't take money to do that.
Just good old fashioned leadership that develops competent warriors. The basic foundation upon which all else rests. As the Arab armies have demonstrated time and time again - having good equipment will only take you so far - having good basic fighters and leaders will make the difference. As the Israelis, using Ishermans against T-64s, showed in the Golan, or as then General (now PM) Sharon and his forces showed when they went around the Egyptian 3rd Army and crossed the Suez...
*If you want the pictures without all the erudite and witty comment, go here.
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