US Army Snipers face charges.

[shark0311]

Re: US Army Snipers face charges.

I am so glad that the majority of you folks were not working in my area of operations.

It is imperative that a professional soldier demonstrate the ability to follow simple instructions. To understand and make judgment calls in a very dynamic environment.

For all of your discontent and anger towards what you perceive to be a failure of our leadership, one thing remains true.

Those knuckleheads disobeyed orders.

Slice it anyway you want THEY fucked up.

 

[JSTARSZ]

Re: US Army Snipers face charges.

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Shark0311</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Those knuckleheads disobeyed orders.
Slice it anyway you want THEY fucked up.</div></div>

not sure I understand exactly where you are going with your comment - my point is that we do have a ROE that we follow and I understand that; however, I don't know what their individual orders were for their mission so I will not "Monday morning Quarterback" what they were supposed to do. If they didn't follow the ROE then they will be dealt with accordingly. My point is the disparity in the ROE and what levels of positive identification are needed to dole out kinetic activity.

The Predator and Reapers seem to use a different level of PID for their targeting while troops on the ground have another. If the individual was ID'ed as a target for airborne assets and whether he had a weapon in his hand or not would not have stopped them for shooting a missile at him IF, it was ID that the target was the individual needed to be killed as in a Taliban leader or his form ID is available (i.e. Cell phone activity etc.) And, believe, me I have sat in on targeting in Afghanistan with what I am saying and the limits are lower for Preds and Reapers as they would be for individual shooters. I just say, why the disparity in the ROE's for the ground and air. PID is PID no matter where you are in order to use kinetic activity or so you would think – guess not.

 

[Graham]

Re: US Army Snipers face charges.

I just read this Thread, and 41 gets it.

As much as some people desperately <span style="font-style: italic">want</span> to believe that the goal of soldiering is only use of force, it's really more about using your head.

Militaries don't operate in a vacuum. Hollywood "B" movies aside, they never have. As long as the organization has a clear belief in its purpose, those in charge will find a sensible way to run it. But if the core of that belief is rooted in structure and process, then the people in charge will gradually lose their sense of direction and the ability of the organization will degrade. I am concerned that events such as the one discussed above are evidence that methodology has replaced direction and purpose.

That said, for the actor on the ground the choce is: ROE's or war crime. That's the line. So, those at the bottom of the food chain better pay attention. Because the might-is-right justification simply isn't their call to make. Those have always been the rules. And rules are what make it a game. It's the consequences of not playing well that make the game as challenging as it is.