Best Powerpoint Evar: Army Captain's "How to Win in Anbar"

[GoreBag]

Well, Tribesman has a point about the police...they're just armed thugs, after all, but they're run by a government, which makes them easier to control, in the American soldier's view, than a tribal leader who is essentially a warlord.

The bit about the moustache strikes very true in my mind, however, but I didn't think US army policy allowed facial hair. Such a backward policy, that.

[Pannonian]

Well, Tribesman has a point about the police...they're just armed thugs, after all, but they're run by a government, which makes them easier to control, in the American soldier's view, than a tribal leader who is essentially a warlord.

The bit about the moustache strikes very true in my mind, however, but I didn't think US army policy allowed facial hair. Such a backward policy, that.

Did DA have a moustache while he was in the Marines? Or does the USMC have a different policy to the army?

[GoreBag]

I suppose you'd have to ask him.

[lars573]

Well, Tribesman has a point about the police...they're just armed thugs, after all, but they're run by a government, which makes them easier to control, in the American soldier's view, than a tribal leader who is essentially a warlord.

The bit about the moustache strikes very true in my mind, however, but I didn't think US army policy allowed facial hair. Such a backward policy, that.

Well for most militaries enlisting means they own your arse, litterally and figuratively. So facial hair requires written permission from ones superiors. Stupid as that sounds. When I was trying to join a reserve regiment a friend who was already in told as much.

[Don Corleone]

I thought that presentation was a hoot. But I thought conservative muslims favored beards over mustaches. Didn't the Taliban require all men to grow a beard?

[lars573]

I thought that presentation was a hoot. But I thought conservative muslims favored beards over mustaches. Didn't the Taliban require all men to grow a beard?

There is a directive in the Koran about men having to have facial hair. Fundie Muslims take this a you must have a full beard that hangs down a few cm from your chin. Moderate Muslims settle for a moustache.

[Crazed Rabbit]

That's what I use it for anyway.

Though I suspect it's just another 4chan relic, moar!

Well, the first time I saw it was on the natural selection forums years ago, though using the word 'hover'. Some quake kiddy was posting ways to make NS better and said they needed a 'scorpion that hovars without flapping'.

Redleg, do you know the reasoning behind the 'no beards' policy?

CR

[Redleg]

Redleg, do you know the reasoning behind the 'no beards' policy?

CR

I was once told it was because with sideburns and beards the protective mask would not seal correctly. I suspect however that it also had to do with fieldcraft and keeping people healthy when they are in the field.

[GoreBag]

Redleg, do you know the reasoning behind the 'no beards' policy?

It's also an old British army policy. Leftover? Maybe.

The trouble is that if you're sending some warlord's armed goons off for police training and equipping, they usually are still the warlord's armed goons when they come back- now just trained and outfitted on the government's dime who can go arrest and murder their enemies under the guise of being police.

I guess the real problem is finding which warlords and goons that you can trust to work in your interest and training them.

This is true. The key is to have precautions in place in order to strictly monitor and reprimand 'unsavoury' behaviour in order for the policing to be effective, which is the case basically everywhere.

[Alexander the Pretty Good]

Re: beards. I don't think it was a leftover British policy - by the American Civil War weren't beards and mustaches in style and worn by soldiers of both sides?

//Sorry for OT.

[doc_bean]

This is true. The key is to have precautions in place in order to strictly monitor and reprimand 'unsavoury' behaviour in order for the policing to be effective, which is the case basically everywhere.

Well, if the police get rid of the insurgents you now have only one group of thugs to worry about. I guess that's part of the reasoning. It's important that they concentrate on getting rid of the insurgents first before starting the in fighting though.

That's one thing they always seem to get wrong in the middle east, you destroy the mutual enemy BEFORE you start the in fighting (see also: Palestine). If they ever discover this principle than God/Allah help us all...

[Redleg]

The bit about the moustache strikes very true in my mind, however, but I didn't think US army policy allowed facial hair. Such a backward policy, that.

Your allowed moustaches that do not go beyond the curve of the top lip. No beards allowed however.

[Xiahou]

Well, Tribesman has a point about the police...they're just armed thugs, after all, but they're run by a government, which makes them easier to control, in the American soldier's view, than a tribal leader who is essentially a warlord.

The trouble is that if you're sending some warlord's armed goons off for police training and equipping, they usually are still the warlord's armed goons when they come back- now just trained and outfitted on the government's dime who can go arrest and murder their enemies under the guise of being police.

I guess the real problem is finding which warlords and goons that you can trust to work in your interest and training them.

[Pannonian]

The trouble is that if you're sending some warlord's armed goons off for police training and equipping, they usually are still the warlord's armed goons when they come back- now just trained and outfitted on the government's dime who can go arrest and murder their enemies under the guise of being police.

I guess the real problem is finding which warlords and goons that you can trust to work in your interest and training them.

That's why you need Saddam back in power. He's proven he can bring a brutal stability to Iraq, and he has broadly the same principal aims as the US, eg. being a fanatical opponent of both Iran and Al-Qaeda.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Thats why we were all friends in the '80s. Ah, for the '80s.

As usual you make a nice point about corrupt Police. The point is though, what else are you going to do? The Sheik is still going to be a big wheel. The truth is that America's pathological hatred of heritory authority has held them back. The Sheiks should have formed the upper house of the Iraqi government.

Either way Iraq is going to stay Tribal so you have to work with it.

[Ronin]

somebody show this to Dubya (then have them explain it to him using really small words) and you guys might actually pull something off over there in Iraq.