How Technology Failed in Iraq

synthespian writes "US troops in Iraq were supposed to have a clear superiority in the battlefield because of sensors and networking devices such as aircraft- and satellite-mounted motion sensors, heat detectors, as well as image and communications eavesdroppers. On April 3, 2003, the task to take over a key Euphrates River bridge about 30 kilometers southwest of Baghdad turned into a bloody hell as 'between 25 and 30 tanks, plus 70 to 80 armored personnel carriers, artillery, and between 5,000 and 10,000 Iraqi soldiers coming from three directions. This mass of firepower and soldiers attacked a U.S. force of 1,000 soldiers supported by just 30 tanks and 14 Bradley fighting vehicles. (...) "'We got nothing until they slammed into us"''(...). Read more about this story and the troubles and challenges the US military is experiencing in networking troops from Technology Review."

Technology Failed?

[ExtremeGoatse!]

No way, man. Technology never fails! In elementary school, they told us computers never make mistakes. BTW, ExtremeGoatse! with the FP biatch!

context sensitive ads?

[nounderscores]

the technology review pasted this flash ad right in the middle of the page --

"See How IBM Middleware connects people, processes and information.

Middleware is Everywhere. Can You See It?"



sheesh.

Re:Weapons...

[IvanD]

What about:
"Abort earth destruction, ABORT!"
"Abort??... sh*t... I knew I forgot to declare some subroutine!"

Microwave uplinks that require you to stop

[nounderscores]

Perversely, in three cases, U.S. vehicles were actually attacked while they stopped to receive intelligence data on enemy positions.

Oh great. All that money and all we get is someone yelling "BEHIND YOU!!!"

Re:Seems like the need more a disconnected model

[Anonymous Coward]

A decentralized P2P network would never work. The troops would just use it to trade MP3's and DVD rips, and then the MPAA and the RIAA would join forces with the (non pirating) Iraqi insurgents to bring down this great threat to America[n corporate profits].

In Fahrenheit 9/11, it showed that the tank crews listened to Audio CD's while shooting up the city. I wonder if all of those CD's were purchased through the proper channels? I smell some court martials!

Our troops are doing a great job. Not their fault they're stuck fighting Vietnam II, "Desert of Doom."

1 minute and 30 seconds into combat...

[Daedalus-Ubergeek]

omgzergrush

The difference between those two conflicts

[fluxrad]

is that Bush had a plan to get out of Viet Nam.

Re:Technology? TECHNOLOGY??

[Anonymous Coward]

All US troops are volunteers what is there to support? When you join the US armed forces you know up front there are certain aspects to your chosen profession. As as part of your job, you can be killed, you might be asked to kill other people and all of this killing is decided by politicians. There are plenty of other professions from which they could have chosen, so I feel little sympathy and offer not support for "the troops".

Were this a different war with a draft in the US things would be different but it's not. Were some foreign power invading a sovereign nation I would support the volunteer troops of the nation which was invaded. Seems to me that the insurgents in Iraq are doing just that, volunteering to fight against a foreign invader.

But any talk of supporting US troops overseas reminds me of a different comedy quote [orangecow.org] from Monty Python:

Colonel: Come in, what do you want?

(Private Watkins enters and salutes.)

Watkins: I'd like to leave the army please, sir.

Colonel: Good heavens man, why?

Watkins: It's dangerous.

Colonel: What?

Watkins: There are people with guns out there, sir.

Colonel: What?

Watkins: Real guns, sir. Not toy ones, sir. Proper ones, sir. They've all got 'em. All of 'em, sir. And some of 'em have got tanks.

Colonel: Watkins, they are on our side.

Watkins: And grenades, sir. And machine guns, sir. So I'd like to leave, sir, before I get killed, please.

Colonel: Watkins, you've only been in the army a day.

Watkins: I know sir but people get killed, properly dead, sir, no barley cross fingers, sir. A bloke was telling me, if you're in the army and there's a war you have to go and fight.

Colonel: That's true.

Watkins: Well I mean, blimey, I mean if it was a big war somebody could be hurt.

Colonel: Watkins why did you join the army?

Watkins: For the water-skiing and for the travel, sir. And not for the killing, sir. I asked them to put it on my form, sir - no killing.

Colonel: Watkins are you a pacifist?

Watkins: No sir, l'm not a pacifist, sir. I'm a coward.

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Odds on this being modded funny vs flamebait?

[pjt33]

Ever read Graham Green's "The Quiet American"?

Must be a short book.

Re:Seems like the need more a disconnected model

[antifoidulus]

ightly armed and lightly armored guys carrying PDA's.
Hey, it worked for the Marine in Doom 3.....

Re:Being in the

[Anonymous Coward]

When China develops a Death Star, they'll just use it on their own civilians. No worry for the Americans.

Re:Know what your government is doing: Read books.

[Anonymous Coward]

14 million Jews to get into bloody battles with the 1.1 billion Muslims. Experiment: Go into a very poor area of the U.S. and ask the next 10 street kids you see what they think the outcome of such battles will be. I will accept whatever they say.

My money says the 14 million Jews will win this one, hands down.