The Wages of Incompetence — Paris

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Bid Red Car here in the middling ATX with a high of 73F but cloudy. The Boss, meanwhile, is in the sunny and cool NYC feeding off the fat of the land. If the weather cooperates, me and the housesitter are headed out for a little drive through the Hill Country. Do not tell The Boss.

So, the blood from the horrific murders in Paris is not yet dry and already the world has begun to adjust and accept the outcomes.

The talk shows were alive with . . . . . nothing. The new norm — we do nothing and simply move beyond the horror as long as it doesn’t touch us directly.

Declaration of War

The French President, Francois Hollande, has declared war on ISIS — yawn, excuse me. More importantly, ISIS continues to declare and execute war on the French keeping promises they have openly made from their position in Syria and Iraq.

The told the world they were coming. The world did nothing. They came. The world will continue to do nothing.

Why?

Simply — we are led by men of no conviction — they cannot even say ISLAMIC TERRORISM.

Islamic Terrorism, Radical Islam

ISLAMIC TERRORISM is the bastardization of the Qu’ran which calls for waging jihad against the infidels and enemies of Islam. It is a preposterous notion and is an affront to even below average levels of intelligence. It is not sophisticated. It is not subtle. It is not intellectually sound.

It is bloodthirsty and worthy of being eradicated from the earth in the same way that the Nazis were. It is the latest embodiment of evil in a world that is otherwise good.

Our Feckless Leaders

Our leaders are terrified and tongue-tied at the prospect of speaking the truth. This attack — this jihad — is intended to kill infidels and to show the strength of the Caliphate of one Abu Bakr al Baghdadi.

The caliph rules the religious and governmental fortunes of Islam. He is a religious leader. He is a governor. He is a military leader.

In this instance, Abu Bakr al Baghdadi is the leader of IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh (different names for the same bunch of shitheads).

Caliphs and caliphates have come and gone and this one, too, deserves a similar fate. Let’s hurry him along into history and his grave.

What will it take, Big Red Car?

It is so easy as to be laughable.

It will take American military leadership and two divisions — the 82nd ABN Div and the 1st Cav Div. Picked because of their mobility and their ability to move quickly great distances in short periods of time.

The French will contribute their Foreign Legion Command (1st-4th Foreign Infantry Regiments, the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, the Foreign Airborne Combat Engineers (1st, 4th, 6th regiments)). Selected for their speed of movement and their ability to fight in desert climes.

The English will contribute their Parachute Regiment and some SAS units.

The Germans and the Italians will contribute what they can which is likely to be not much.

US close air support (A-10s, please) and artillery will support operations which will find, fix, and destroy ISIS anywhere they exist.

The entire exercise will not last three months in much the same way that the Iraqis and their vaunted Republican Guard were ejected from Kuwait.

Militarily, ISIS is not much of a challenge. Tough on women, children, and killing innocent civilians. On the battlefield? Not much. They are pussies.

This will not be a hard fight. It will be easy and it will be successful. It will take some resolve and therein lies the real problem. Leadership.

Leadership — Article 5 of the Atlantic Charter

Article 5 of the Atlantic Charter (NATO) requires the entire alliance to support and defend any ally who is attacked by a threat.

France is a signatory to the Charter.

It is important to know that NATO invoked Article 5 as part of its response to 9-11 and the subsequent attack on Afghanistan.

The French President, in essence, invoked Article 5 when he said this attack was an act of war.

What is required now?

American leadership.

Good luck with that. Our President is not capable of such leadership. It is not in his head, his heart, his DNA. It is why much of the expansion of international terrorism has happened.

Our President believed that Al Qaeda was decapitated and that ISIS was contained. It was a political utterance and he was and is WRONG.

The dead in Paris scream from their graves — “Not so!”

But, hey, what do I really know anyway? I’m just a Big Red Car. Let’s get this job done. Now.

 

 

17 thoughts on “The Wages of Incompetence — Paris”

  1. So I looked into linking up with a foreign fighting group with the Kurds this week. This is what I found.

    One aspect that does not really get spoken about are the white hat foreign fighters. This group generally consists of 2 types. Quality former soldiers who want to help defeat ISIS by helping our friends the Kurds who can’t find jobs or fit back in to society. The second group can’t find jobs or fit back into society and just want to run around wearing cool guy gear.

    The first group is really effective, loved by the Kurds but gets chased off by the US CIA paramilitaries and JSOC forces.

    The second group is not chased off because they generally are not effective and dont really get in the way the former groups. They generally hang out in vehicles or stand behind a berm looking cool.

    We need more of the first group who are given a specific mission and objectives. Generally pre mission planning and in the fight coordination. The Kurds do well in the training and fighting departments

  3. (FYI, France just bombed Syria.)

    I’m one liberal who agrees. Perhaps not on some specific tactical details but on the overarching viewpoint. It’s like we’re the German people sitting around waiting while Adolf Hitler slowly builds his military regime right under our feet.

    I read all of the comments before posting this. Some of the posts are compassionate about civilians and finding a solution that spares their lives but what people with said viewpoints are failing to comprehend is that the Islamic Regime is building a foundation — a framework — that is spreading on both land and in minds and souls to rid the earth of infidels. Infidels being anyone who does not adhere to their archaic laws. Why do you think so many people — Islamic people — are fleeing their home countries? Because they will be subjugated by the regime. And, let’s face it, innocent blood has already been shed. Over and over and over again it has already been shed.

    This is both a human rights issue AND an act of war. Sometimes we have to compromise between conflicting principles within our own selves. Americans, in general, are failing to comprehend this. Are Americans just going to sit back and wait until something like Pearl Harbor happens again? (Truthfully, it has already happened.)

    • .
      Your comment is quite good. BRC thinks you must be an adult. A rare thing these days.

      We ended WWII brutally with an atomic bombing of Japan and since they have not started any wars

      We occupied Germany and during our period of occupation, they didn’t start any wars. Previously, they could be counted on for a war every 25 years.

      Both countries became strong economically and prospered.

      We can do more than one thing at a time.

      Let’s eliminate ISIS while figuring out an adult foreign policy in the Middle East.

      But, first, let’s eliminate ISIS.

      BRC
      https://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

  4. Sorry, there’s not much for such a military force to do. Instead just use airpower, maybe with just cruise missiles or drones.

    Use intel to find the ISIS leaders, and bomb them until all or nearly all of them are dead. Then destroy the oil infrastructure. Then any buildings larger than a tent. Then any vehicles. Then all that will be left are tents and camels. Then destroy the tents and camels.

    I am not joking. This will be our third time giving lessons in Western Civilization to a culture 1000+ years out of date. This third time, no more nice guy.

    Then the place will calm down, and they will no longer attack outside their areas and no longer claim to want to nuke the US.

    Civilian casualties? Most of the casualties will be civilian. Women, children, sheep, and camels — yup,
    same as in Paris and 9/11 except for the sheep and camels.

    Maybe we will leave a few alive, but that’s not really necessary.

    Then we turn the area into a US colony, have any natives in tents with flocks and camels and no weapons at all, and take the oil.

    We can do the military part just from the air and in less time than Schwarzkopf needed, that is, less than six weeks. We don’t go in on the ground until the place is quite safe. Goal: Zero US casualties from enemy action.

  5. Jeff, you are correct! Again! Remove them from power. Cut off the head of the snake. Scourge them from the land and access to resources in Iraq and Syria. Then hunt them down wherever in the world they may be.

  6. Would it be that simple BRC….

    The Iraqi war (at least the first, military, part) worked because there was an actual army to fight. Army vs army? No, problem. The US and NATO will win every time. The most relevant quote from that era was GWB’s “I’m tired of swatting flies”. What’s the point of having the world’s most powerful armed forces, if you can’t actually employ them? Hence the invasion of Iraq, some good old fashioned ass-kicking, and everyone, at least in West, felt better. For a while.

    But, unfortunately, this all about swatting flies. You’re right that they’re pussies. They’re pussies because they won’t gather in a single spot and say “bring it on”. But they won’t do that because they know they’ll get stuffed.

    What’s the difference between them and us? Values. They shoot people in restaurants and music concerts. Shows them for what they are. This is why we can’t carpet bomb Syria. Same concept, larger scale.

    We must continue to swat flies because at least we know each fly deserves to be swatted.

    • .
      Fair play to you, my friend.

      There is still the matter of the land from which ISIS operates and the wealth they acquire from holding the land. Wipe them out in the Middle East first and then we can get back to swatting flies.

      We left a void in Iraq and we cocked up Syria — then ISIS filled the void and began to export their radical islam and jihad.

      BRC
      https://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

      • You know the resistance to “boots on the ground”, and where it comes from. The rules of asymmetrical warfare say you can’t shell a town to soften it up prior to attack because of the civilians. And then when you enter the town (perhaps unopposed) they pick you off with sniper fire and remotely detonated blasts. Thereafter the body bags, and protest marches back home.

        Until we find a way to fight them on our terms instead of theirs, then I believe the current policy of surgical strikes is the best compromise.

        • > surgical strikes is the best compromise.

          Okay, on the ISIS leadership.

          If that doesn’t work, then leave out the “surgical” and, instead, destroy all the oil infrastructure, then all the buildings larger than a tent, then all the vehicles. Then all that’s left are tents and camels, and then destroy those, two. Somewhere in there, ISIS will calm down.

          Then make the place a US colony, keep the natives in tents with camels, and keep the oil.

        • .
          The term “asymmetrical warfare” refers to warfare between sovereign nations and movements — such as Hamas, Hezbollah, Al Qaeda, ISIS — which are not the armed forces of other sovereign nations.

          They can be proxies undertaking mischief for state sponsors — Iran is a good example.

          Urban warfare — fighting in built up areas — is a method of making war and has been around for centuries. One phase of Ranger School deal with urban warfare — the City Phase. It has become progressively more important as busting down doors and killing HVTs (high value targets) was a big part of Iraq and Afghanistan. Not everything but a big part.

          An artillery prep is an element of the combined arms approach — infantry, artillery, armor — to making war. It is a more classic approach in which one thinks about taking geographically significant terrain features or breaching the lines of a defense in depth.

          In urban warfare today, it is often enough to find, fix, and kill the enemy. To kill the maximum number of enemy soldiers. Trap them and slowly annihilate them.

          It is a nasty kind of fighting but it doesn’t require large artillery fire — nothing bigger than mortars. It is very up close and face to face.

          The American Marines and Rangers excel at this type of fighting.

          Sometimes you engage the enemy for such a protracted period of time that they run out of ammunition and the final stage may be hand to hand combat.

          There is nothing to suggest that Al Qaeda or ISIS is trained, excels at, or likes this kind of fighting.

          In Syria and Iraq wherein ISIS has gone to ground and occupied territory, it is absolutely applicable to go in there and take them out with a spoon. Civilian populations will have to similarly go to ground and flee or take root in basements or other safe locations.

          ISIS will be annihilated if we can get then to decisively engage in such fighting, Of course, we will have to commit the right amount of manpower and resources.

          We can make up manpower losses. ISIS cannot.
          We can make up ammunition expenditures. ISIS cannot.
          We can use stand off weapons. ISIS cannot.

          We just have to get into the fight. There are no likely more than 25K ISIS fighters in the entire Middle East.

          BRC
          https://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

          • The “ISIS fighters” look just like the civilian population of the same age, etc. Indeed, likely all males of military age, and some females, are required to be ISIS fighters.

            Given an attack by US ground forces, ISIS fighters will not stand and fight. Instead they will just hide their AK-47s and blend in as sheep herders, camel drivers, cooks, whatever.

            What the US did in Fallujah was brilliant soldiering, but some US soldiers got killed or wounded — not worth it. Instead, we could have just leveled Fallujah safely from the air, air conditioned planes, and not very many, from however high, maybe even 40,000 feet.

            In Gulf War II, I doubt that Schwarzkopf had the US do much house to house fighting — maybe none. And none was needed except maybe near the end in Kuwait City. Instead, Saddam had a seven million
            man army, maybe lost half a million, and came for an unconditional surrender. In Gulf War II, when we did an M1-A1 “thunder run” into Baghdad, no house to house fighting at all.

            No house in enemy territory is worth a US casualty. Instead, for a house with hostiles, just level the house. Can do it with a guy in a trailer in Arizona with a mouse click.

            One result: The locals will fight against the Jihadars just to save their houses.

            Net, the Jihaders are beating us simply by our unwillingness to inflict civilian casualties. They are willing both to take and inflict civilian casualties, We have to take civilian casualties but won’t inflict any. ‘Nuff of that stuff.

            And where and when did that *politically correct warfare* of “no civilian casualties” come from? Some clever Soviet propagandist? In WWII we were perfectly willing to inflict civilian casualties with B-17s over Germany and B-29s over Japan. In both cases, we had enemy civilians burning like torches.

            First cut, ISIS won’t calm down before they have no more population able to do a suicide bombing. For more, each day ISIS exists is another day they might use some of their oil money to buy a black market nuke and have some of their people, soldiers or civilians, call them whatever, light off the nuke in a US harbor.

            Today France dropped a total of 20 bombs
            on some selected ISIS “targets”. Maybe more ISIS Jihaders died from
            laughing at the French pinprick. The French might as well have dropped croissants.

            The rules are simple: In ISIS territory, there’s something 30,000 feet down there — level it. Otherwise, with the attitude of ISIS, they just see no good reason to stop trying to kill us. It’s not our fault — they can have peace anytime they want.

            ISIS will become peaceful, the easy way or the hard way. And we will do it all from the air, no boots on the ground. Of course, now the French should do it.

          • You make it sound so straightforward. But look what happened to the Russians in Afghanistan and to a certain extent the allied forces in Iraq. What comes afterwards? If you simply retreat after you’ve done the job then you leave another void and the cycle repeats itself. If you stay, they’ll pick you off.

          • .
            Since the beginning of war, the peace has been, arguably, more challenging than the war.

            Your comment in regard to the Russians is a fair one though I would contend they never won militarily.

            There is an exemplar for a good peace — the postwar occupations of Germany and Japan.

            They — and the ROK — developed into economic powerhouses.

            Unfortunately, the US does not have either the stomach or pocketbook for such nation building.

            If we had occupied Iraq, ISIS would have been killed in the cradle.

            War is simple. Find ’em, fix ’em, kill ’em. Peace is a bitch.

            BRC
            https://www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com

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