ONLY?
This is coolbert:
"I knew it was bad, but not that bad!!" - - General Alexander Lebed
Here are excerpts from a CQ Radio interview with Congressman Duncan Hunter. Republican now running for President.
Thanks to the excellent blog Captains' Quarters for the interview.
"Congressman Duncan Hunter, the Congressman has served 27 years in the House, chairing the House Armed Services Committee for four of them. He fought in Vietnam with Airborne and Ranger units"
"And let me tell you as Chairman of the Armed Services Committee two years ago when our guys started getting hurt by roadside bombs in Iraq, I sent our teams out from the Armed Services Committee in Washington to find an American steel company that could make high-grade armor steel plate that we could put on the sides of our Humvees. We found only one company left in America still capable of making high-grade armor steel plate, and when the Swiss cut off our main guidance devices for our smart bombs because they didn’t like our Iraq policy, we could only find one company left in this country that still made those guidance devices."
"only one company left in America still capable of making high-grade armor steel plate"
ONLY ONE!!??
"only find one company left in this country that still made those guidance devices"
ONLY ONE!!??
coolbert.
3 Comments:
We never seem to learn in this country. After WW2, we reduced our military size and weapons production and development (but not with aircraft, thankfully!) and the nation wiped its collective brow and sighed, "Glad that's over with! We all know the next war will just involve pushing a button or dropping some bombs, etc..." Well, of course just 5 years later we were in Korea. The first battle against the Koreans resulted in a rout and slaughter of our men. Bazooka rockets bounced off T-34 tanks (I can only imagine the fear this must have caused) and we were in full retreat until the country realized that this was a (surprise!) major conflict. The war ened in WW1 style fighting and the stalemate still exists. Things were "better' regarding Vietnam when it came to equipment and preparation. But I am not surprised at the current problems with materials and parts. This linkd of stuff just doesn't seem to be considered "important" until there is a crisis. God knows why, it isn't like don't have any experience with not being prepared. As for the Russian disaster in Chechnya (especially the 1st armored assault into Grozny), read this:
http://www.exile.ru/2002-June-28/war_nerd.html
The Chechnyans blew and the first and last APC and then took care of the rest at their leisure.
But regarding materials, I can't imagine the Russians lettting their manufacturing base disappear like we did in the US. I just think that in the US we always want ot look on the bright side so much that we don't plan for the future as well as we should. Remember the "peace dividend?" What ever happened to that? Nobody vere thinks that we will actually need any old, 20th centruy technology like armor plationg. I mean, we will have composites and satellites and lasers and stealth fighters and we will kick ass with that. Bullets and boots are passe', right?. Somebody forgot to tell our enemies that.
8:42 AM
At least we still have patriotic men like Duncan Hunter, in national politics, to raise necessary alarms. Depending on enemies, weak allies and 'neutrals' like Switzerland for necessary defense supplies, is reprehensible.
5:50 PM
This is Bert: Sweden and Switzerland were not considered to be such prosperous countries PRIOR to WW2. In the aftermath of WW2, WERE prosperous. Traded with Germany during the entire war. This is troubling to the current ruling generation? America receives the brunt of a guilt trip by certain Europeans?
Bert.
8:51 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home