MUDGE’s Musings
Well, most of our robotic forces are air forces these days, but we keep learning about “spiders” and the like that are meant to assist ground troops.
It’s not just about protecting precious lives, although heaven knows that should be a sufficient rationale for investing in this sci-fi like technology.
It’s about substituting for Army and Marine ground troops that simply aren’t available.
Fred Kaplan, who writes most cogently on military affairs for Slate.com, has an intriguing analysis.
The Army’s Math Problem
We don’t have any more soldiers to send to Afghanistan unless we take some out of Iraq.
By Fred Kaplan | Posted Monday, May 5, 2008, at 4:56 PM ET
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates wants to send 7,000 more U.S. troops—about two brigades—to Afghanistan, according to the May 3 New York Times. But there’s a problem, which the story underplays: We don’t have any more troops to send. The Army is in a zero-sum state: No more soldiers can be sent to Afghanistan without a one-for-one reduction of soldiers in Iraq.
Posted by mudge 
Left-handed Complement 