Well this has got me really thinking and I have to say that I don't know the answers to some of these questions.

Modern day warfare is very, very different from how it used to be: people lining up nicely, nobody firing before they were supposed to, and not killing officers because it was bad form etc etc. But things really are different now. We, and by we I mean the western industrialised world, mainly Europe and America, think that we have the best armed forces in the world, talk to anyone and they will tell you that, instantly, and without any hesitation. Now it got me thinking about certain things:

The most recent conflict that we have been involved in has been Iraq. Now politics aside whenever 'our' troops get involved in a fight, they seem to cause more casualties than the enemy cause to us. (bare with me on this) Unless an ambush happens or a plane is brought down: that is our infantry is 'better' for some reason that theirs is. Why is this? Is it down to better training? Weapons? Body armour? Tactics? I mean I really am stuck on this one, a bullet kills you if you are Western or Eastern just the same.

The other thing is the emergance of Guerilla style tactics to beat or at least counter this modern army, by blending in and mingling with the population, you can effectively hide and escape when things turn bad. Now Guerilla tactics have been countered sucessfully in the past by surrounding the area that they are in and flushing them out, and then to stop it happening again, by killing the village or town that these people came from (World War 2 Nazis in France and Chinese civil war) These tactics work wonders but are utterly ruthless, usually involving the deaths of many people who have nothing whatsoever to do with the war in question, so what is the modern day equivalent? If there is one of course. No snide jokes here by the way.

Finally, what are modern day defensive positions? In this age of airstrikes and cruise missiles, no matter what defensive positions you have, surely they can be take out without to much stress? What sort of buildings or fortification designs are there that are classed as a 'strong point'?

I said finally but there is one other thing: when assulting a building that has people garisoned in it, there are certain tactics to use: namely, putting a grande in through a window or blasting a hole trough a wall. The counter to this is to fortify the walls and reinforce them, thereby making the attackers need higher explosives to get through the walls, is this right?

Anyway, writen responses are preferable but I'll read links too!!]

Thanks in advance.

Ben