Best Defense

Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

A marine’s Afghan AAR (XII): Technology can’t replace being there

Here CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine warns that high-tech surveillance gear is nice to have, but can’t be seen as a substitute for getting out there yourself, and can get in the way, too. Technology. Used appropriately, can be a force multiplier. Unfortunately, Marines look at our technology as short cut tools. If I got my trusty ...

Here CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine warns that high-tech surveillance gear is nice to have, but can't be seen as a substitute for getting out there yourself, and can get in the way, too.

Here CWO2/Gunner Keith Marine warns that high-tech surveillance gear is nice to have, but can’t be seen as a substitute for getting out there yourself, and can get in the way, too.

Technology. Used appropriately, can be a force multiplier. Unfortunately, Marines look at our technology as short cut tools. If I got my trusty G-Boss aimed down that road, I don’t need to patrol it or if there is a boom in the area, no reason to go and investigate as I will just track it on my handy G-Boss. No doubt these things are impressive tools and can help considerably but nothing compares to a Marine being there or seeing it with his own eyes. I don’t know how many times I have seen stuff on G-Boss that I was 100 percent convinced a hostile act is occurring but when I got down there, I found the guy was slaughtering a goat in the middle of the road at five in the morning and that historic IED spot was just the place to do it at or just farming at night because it’s hot in the day time. Things aren’t always what they appear, especially when it’s two clicks away and at a sloping angle. We used to claim that the difference in the Marine Corps and other services was that we trained the man and equipped him, where the other branches just manned the equipment and it did the job. Most of our leaders are doing the right thing but some have become trapped into the economy via G-Boss and Scan Eagle.

The image on Scan Eagle does more harm than good; I can’t honestly tell what is going on the screen. The sound will compromise continually and the folks from MEB love flying it over your patrols and when you tap into the image it is only focused on your guys, not the surrounding area. Easy fix for this is to get on the radio and tell your CP, to get on the mirc and task them to go somewhere else. Have them push off where it will not notify everyone of your patrols location but they can support contact. Push them to an area where you expect the bad guys to be operating in since you aren’t there. Have those following convoys to catch the enemy trying to backfill a route with IEDs that has just been cleared.

Thomas E. Ricks covered the U.S. military from 1991 to 2008 for the Wall Street Journal and then the Washington Post. He can be reached at ricksblogcomment@gmail.com. Twitter: @tomricks1

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.