Comments on: Dummies Guarding Iraq Garrison

By: Triumph

Triumph — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:26:56 +0000

Jeremy Bentham came up with this idea about 200 years ago.

By: legion

legion — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 15:17:37 +0000

Wow. For the second time in two days I find myself agreeing with Steven. While I think it is important to report on things like units being sent out unable to perform their missions - just so pressure can be put on the Powers That Be to actually outfit units properly - even a lefty like me gets itchy at the idea of printing specific tactics like this; especially tactics that require misdirection to keep the troops safe. This story shouldn't have gone through...

By: Patrick T. McGuire

Patrick T. McGuire — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:57:07 +0000

Dummies, huh!!! How do you tell the difference?

By: Steven Plunk

Steven Plunk — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 00:11:54 +0000

I wonder if manpower problems would have been reported during WWII in the same manner? Reports of fake armaments dotting the English countryside in order to fool NAZI Germany before D-day were never published from what I have read.

I guess the English press figures letting the insurgents know that many of the guards in the towers are fake is no big deal.

We let them know our war plans, we let them know our troop strength, what's next?

By: kenny

kenny — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 23:10:49 +0000

"does anyone know what percentage of the Guards’ force 47 men is?"

Well normal strength would be around 550-600[1], so around 7% of their normal strength. However if there had been secondments from another battalion then these probably wouldn't have been counted in the guards strength but counted on the strength of their home battalion. And most battalions will be technically under establishtment strength at any given moment anyway due to training,secondments,illness etc.

I suspect than given there's 2,500 troops based at Shaibah a shortfall of 47 guardsmen isn't really the reason for using fake guards.

[1] A guards battalion will normally be around 100 men higher than this as they have a company for 'public duties'.

By: legion

legion — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 21:25:29 +0000

I'd be more concerned that they were sent out without the manpower necessary to perform their mission - does anyone know what percentage of the Guards' force 47 men is?

By: Veeshir

Veeshir — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 20:11:31 +0000

They stole that from Beau Geste.