modern technology

[phaloides]

The Americans spend billions on armaments; they have aircraft that can spot a gnats knackers from 60,000 feet and shoot a missile up a rattlesnake,s chuff from 20 miles. They have tanks that can knock out another tank over the horizon.

Why are they always getting their butts kicked by groups they denigrate. Is General George Armstrong Custer still in charge of US forces? Are the Little Big Horn or Vietnan just urban myths?

[WaldoMcFroog]

Tanks and field guns and carpet bombing and what have you cannot be easily or effectively deployed in insurgency situations, such as that in Iraq, where the battles tend to be skirmishes between small groups of fighters rather than massed groups of men and machines and its this kind of scenario where hardware is less of an advantage. However, even then, whilst there may have been losses, it's difficult to argue that US have lost in Iraq from a military perspective, since they clearly control the country overall. Whether it becomes another Vietnam is to be seen, but if it does, it's likely public opinion in the USA will be a key factor.

As for whether Little Big Horn or Vietnam are urban legends, er... no.

[jno]

I think this is the asymmetrical warfare they were grumbling about a few days ago when prisoners committed suicide. Nuclear weapons are of limited use in a situation of guerrilla warfare; they could make Iraq an irradiated wasteland in five minutes, but where would that get them? So they must resort to face-to-face fighting on the ground; they have better arms but are in trouble if they misuse them (to kill innocent civilians, for instance), since this seems to contradict the notions of democracy and peace they say they are trying to impose. A good big'un does not always defeat a good little'un, contrary to boxing lore. This was one of the lessons of Vietnam. I wouldn't say they've forgotten it, it's more that they hoped things would be different this time. So far they haven't been.

[jake-the-peg]

As we found on the streets of Northern Ireland

As the French found in Algeria

the list goes on

[Big Al1st]

The French had the same problems in Indo China ( Vietnam ) They pulled out after getting nowhere. The Yanks did'nt learn a lesson there either. I believe that more bombs were dropped on Vietnam than in the whole of the second world war.

[Trotbot]

The bombs were largely dropped on Cambodia and Laos, making Laos the most bombed country per square mile of territory.

[phaloides]

Further to my question...What has happened to all the urban weapon technology,minature unmanned air vehicles that can fly into a room , perch on a terrorists nose and count his whiskers; guns that shoot around corners; small tracked vehicles for searching buildings and many more.
Have they sold them all to foreign countries and have none for their own troops? I'm sure terrorist groups would make very good use of them when supplied with them by so called friendly governments ( er.... cash customers)

[qapmoc]

Most of the gadgets you mention work great for checking out empty buildings but are not very good against the average man (sorry (person)) with a AK47 or whatever, who can blast the b*lls off the gadgets long before they get close enough to be effective.
Dont forget that humans have spent hundred of thousands of years being hunted by things which are steathly and we are very good at spotting furtive movements or things creeping up on us. Not that you would believe it if you watch war films etc.. were the good guys always manage to creep across a compound without being seen by 197 fully alert guards.