ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by Schaden

Wtf is it with all this self adulation these days? Do these people have American parents or something?

How did you guess?.

Originally Posted by Bowmore_Assassin

When did we just sit in bases and take incoming ? I seem to recall 24/7 ops that were integrated, simultaneous, connected with both the friendly and unfriendly populations and they had an effect.

In BAOR/BFG when a PIRA team were over here in Gemany bombing & shooting.
My parents were visiting us and one time prior to going shopping, my father (ex-forces & had served in NI) offered to check the car for VCIEBs. Just as he was about to rest his hand on the front wing to look under the front of the car, my 7-year old step-daughter called "Stop, stop, stop" and then explained to her granddad in very condescending tones how to do it properly.

Originally Posted by 123

Social experimentation?...

Indeed--according to our current Masters we are to be a kinder and gentler force without the bellicosity of our former selves with all that evil nationalistic pride, colonialism (you Brits have also been tarred with that brush by Him), and all that horrible jingoism.

Originally Posted by ECE-Tech

Didn´t we do just the same in NI and for years, and that is what got us the rep for COIN ops.
You don´t win the hearts & minds battle by hiding behind dark sunglasses and massed armour.

The UK forces were always considered the best at COIN ops. A lot of our training was based on your doctrine.

We were doing it since the Sherriff of Nottingham defeated Robin Hood, since the scottish uprising, in NI during all the troubles.

Australian COIN ops in Vietnam were very sucessfull, until uncle sam decided that Shock and Awe, Carpet bombing, Agent Orange and Raping and Pilliaging innocents were the right COIN ops - how much has that modus operandi forced the re-write of the British Rule book on COIN ops?

However, if that god bother who knocked on my door last week was to beleived, its all because of computer games.

Originally Posted by Rawhide

We were doing it since the Sherriff of Nottingham defeated Robin Hood, since the scottish uprising, in NI during all the troubles.

Australian COIN ops in Vietnam were very sucessfull, until uncle sam decided that Shock and Awe, Carpet bombing, Agent Orange and Raping and Pilliaging innocents were the right COIN ops - how much has that modus operandi forced the re-write of the British Rule book on COIN ops?

However, if that god bother who knocked on my door last week was to beleived, its all because of computer games.

I don't think raping and pillaging were "decided by Uncle Sam" nor we're such crimes as prevalent as the media and Hollywood would have you believe. Indeed the rate of incidence of these crimes was about the same as for Allied forces (that includes Brits when I last checked) in the ETO in WWIi. The FACTs are easily checked by those willing to be intellectually honest rather than merely being on the propaganda bus.

Originally Posted by MuddyOldEngineer

No such thing as finest soldiers or army, they all have strengths / weaknesses.

Yep.

Originally Posted by MuddyOldEngineer

The British Army are the best at punching above their weight on the world stage.

Absolutely !!

Originally Posted by MuddyOldEngineer

Weakness - the politicians using it as a pawn

Not something peculiar to the UK Govt. That seems fairly universal. All politicians are scum.

Originally Posted by MuddyOldEngineer

and scapegoat when things go wrong and they need to blame someone besides themselves.

When was the last time the Armed Services were blamed for anything ?

One weakness you forgot is the latest generation of soldiers bleating on all the time about 'Service to Country' or 'sacrifice' and deserving this and that when they have all signed up voluntarily and knowing exactly what to expect and with the very Service to their Monarch and the Nation being the last things on their minds when they signed up. I suppose it reflects the current 'Entitlement' attitude that everyone seems to have nowadays.

Another weakness is the constant aggrandisement of themselves -WAY too American. The level of whinging seems about the same as every other generation

Another is the reliance on other Arms for support and transport.

Shame to see this going anti Septic yet again.

My TA Signallers (and indeed all TA Corps Units). Not only are they Soldiers in their spare time, they're Soldiers who also have a trade.