We're the Military and Airpower Guys of Jonah Goldberg of National Review Online + a stray we found wandering around looking lost. All original material JHD, BHD, JR, WT, and KA 2003-2010 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html Sat, 24 Mar 2012 15:29:29 Z Movable Type 4.12 en Copyright 2012 http://www.rssboard.org/rss-specification Snerk. JTG, the "Non-Line-of-Sight" moniker came from... Fort Leavenworth. Along with other silliness, such as UEx, UEy, and UA. In a comment on yesterday's H&I Fires post JTG said: Non-Line-of-Sight? Is that like, you know, Indirect Fire, which everybody has been doing for, oh, about a hundred years? Shooting over hills? Pointing the sights one way and the gun, another? Estimating windage when shooting a BB gun? They sure picked an unfortunate Marketing Name for that. Gravity does affect trajectories. That is a very silly name, unless and until they do ome 'splainin. This was in response to my whinging... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html Sat, 14 Jun 2008 08:38:13 -0600 One of my AF counterparts is doing C&GS by correspondence. He's now at "Joint Operations: Logistics" and finding the concepts of Reinforced Battalions, Augmented Regiments and Brigade Combat Teams a bit confusing. I told him he was lucky they weren't making him study the RMA verbage. As soon as I got to Unit of Employment and explained that there were *no set numbers* for a UE, he started giggling. "Dude, just give me the numbers. How many of what and how far." I think I discovered the real reason nobody talks UE and UA and Ux-y-z anymore. The logisticians all laughed themselves to death. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74291 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74291 Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:18:27 -0600 The second is... Bum Fodder, or toilet paper, from around 1890 Brit usage, usually applied to pointless paperwork. Except that true bumf *isn't* pointless. At least not if you're the one doing the laundry. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74284 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74284 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 23:33:15 -0600 How about BUG, or BUMF? The first one is Big Ugly Gun. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74283 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74283 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:40:09 -0600 I'm glad I'm not the only one who wondered about that! I did think it was odd, but thought there must be some new wrinkle. Nope. Just a dumb name. And, 100 years is way too short. More like thousands, with ancient siege engines, trebuchets, and all those things. Not to mention firing thousands of arrows over city walls, and from behind hills, tree-lines, etc. They had black powder mortars way back when. Ain't too much new under the sun. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74282 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74282 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 22:33:20 -0600 Feh, as a Marine NCO, I rated a 'swagger stick' and a sabre too! Though not the coolio Officers Mameluke sword type sticky, slashy thingy... http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74280 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74280 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:28:17 -0600 Give War a Chance) ]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74279 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74279 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:22:58 -0600 Brigade: BSM Regiment: RSM Squadron: "Sar't- Maju" Never called the BSM or RSM "Sergeant-Major". Massive Double-plus Ungood. At Anytime. Cheers http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74278 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74278 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:17:43 -0600 Notional Land Operational Specimen- Compound Cheers http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74276 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74276 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:30:35 -0600 With a swagger-stick. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74272 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74272 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:07:16 -0600 A Brigade has a Sergeant-Major. A Regiment has a Sar'n-Majah. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74271 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74271 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:03:58 -0600 Why, that's *obvious*... Brigades are combined arms, Regiments aren't. Oops. Damn Cav. And those Airborne bubbas, too. Feh. 8^ ) http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74270 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74270 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:51:53 -0600 I've been out for a decade now and I'm still trying to get my family to understand the differnce between a regiment and a brigade. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74269 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74269 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:39:17 -0600 Actually, Bill - that sounds more like Murray. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74268 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74268 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 15:13:20 -0600 Oldthinkers unbellyfeel Ingsoc. http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74267 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74267 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 14:19:08 -0600 Nother Large Overweight Shot-Catapult. [Geez -- I can't believe I beat JMH to that one. Uhhhh -- he's not sick or anything, is he?]]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74266 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74266 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 12:18:52 -0600 Regarding that "non line of sight" thingee... does having that then assume that the army is still dielfing direct fire (line of sight) artillery? Seems to me to sort of defeat the purpose of support fires when the battery will be within small arms range of it's intended target.... As to the newspeak... lets just carry it to it's logical conclusions, shall we? SHOT= single human operator terminated KILL= kinetic impact laid low RIFLE= ranged infantry formed lead expender WATER= work and training electrolyte restorer You get the drift. I pray there is a special hell for the dolks who come up with these monikers, and and even more horrible fate for those who allow them to continue to do it. besides the special hell for PP rangers, and the worse jell for the creator of PP. TTFN, http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74265 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74265 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 11:11:24 -0600 I don't know how well it worked as a tactic for getting people to think outside of ingrained structures... Seems to me the *old* terminology fit quite nicely into the RMAs initiated by Napoleon, Gustavus Adolphus, Rommel, et alii. And I seem to remember that the only people who didn't laugh themselves silly over UA, Ux and Uy were the originators...]]> http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74264 http://www.thedonovan.com/archives/2008/06/on_newspeak_and.html#comment-74264 Sat, 14 Jun 2008 09:34:36 -0600