Say Anything Blog

Anyone know what MOOSEMUSS refers to?

IMHO I might have run the entire operation a tad differently, right from the git-go.  That we are just finding these munitions now is indicative that it could have been better executed.

Granted may well be that the C-in-C was operating within the limits of the men and material at his disposal, which would have hampered the Move-Zig Plan.

1) SECURE THE OBJECTIVE

Right after the initial objective has been overrun, like we did so long ago, we should have better secured the objective.  In plain terms that meant sealing the borders.  Nobody comes in or out of the border while the state of emergency is in place.  Remember gang, this is war and we just beat the Iraqis fair and square—conduct yourself accordingly;

2) KNOW THINE ENEMA

We have a reasonable belief to guesstimate that Bad Guys will be trying to infiltrate arms, fighters, money and weapons into Iraq from Iran and Syria, focus efforts on securing those shared borders, such as using mines for area denial, intrusion detection devices and ballon-borne sensors, to help as a multiplier for manpower, use those idle Iraqi menfolk to string barbed wire, German tape and the like.

3) CORDON AND SEARCH

You must root out the bad guys and deny them safe haven from which to plan and execute insurgency operations.  This means search every house in the country.

You don’t need to do it all at once, but you DO need to do it.  In Vietnam, we would run something called COUNTY FAIR operations: Cordon off a given area to prevent entry and departure from the area selected.

Use loudspeakers and pamphlet the area with pamphlets written in the native tongue, ALL ARE GURANTEED SAFE PASSAGE UPON DEPARTING VILLAGE FROM DESIGNATED ROUTES, give time limitations. 

Prepare an assembly and holding area for the screened and unscreened populations.  Initially hold all in the unscreened area.  Set up a screening area, which will provide free medical care and dental, if required, shade, food and drink. 

Each resident will be interviewed, fingerprinted, photographed, cataloged for census and issued a social security number and an identity card.  The interview will establish their names, address and any noted relationships.  The faceless mass of people will be transformed to a known populace. 

During the initial screening, those who give indicators of military training or terroristic tendencies will be sectioned off for more detailed screening and interrogation. Those who don’t belong there will no longer have a place to hide.

Anyone who has studied Mao’s theory of guerilla warfare knows that this means drying up the sea of the masses that terrorists hide among.

Then, slowly, methodically, start at one end of the target area and search every house.  Use as many sensors, bomb dogs, what-have-you to speed and make safer the inspection process.  Be sure to include seismographic devices to reveal underground chambers or tunnel systems.

4) PARTITION & SEARCH TOWNS, CITIES, REGIONS

Starting at the Southern tip of the country, move North and cordon and search areas of habitation, allowing no unscreened reentry from unscreened parts of the country into the screened parts of the country. 

5) RULES OF ENGAGEMENT ENCOUNTERING AREAS OF RESISTANCE

Regardless as to the nature of the structure—when enemy fire is directed at allied troops from that structure, the structure is to be destroyed, preferably by pin-point munitions as to avoid collateral damage.  This maximizes the safety of friendly troops and wipes out the enemy wherever they are encountered.  Using the large, Israeli combat bulldozers, all contested areas, after their initial destruction, will be bulldozed clean and the rubble disposed of.

6) IEDs (IMPROVISED EXPLOSIVE DEVICES) COUNTERACTION

Any area where roadside IEDs have been detonated will be cleared to 500 meters on either side of the road for a distance of 3 kilometers forward and beyond the devices location.

That means homes, businesses, structures, all gone, all cleared.  This minimizes the sub-contracting out of the IED implanting process by substantially raising the cost of nearby structures.  Once the word gets out that an IED is going to be put in place, and all nearby homes and businesses know with certainty that it will mean their own destruction, the planting of IEDs will stop, or at the very least, a TIP line will start to be getting calls from concerned citizens.

7) PARTITION THE COUNTRY ALONG ETHNIC / RELIGIOUS LINES

By trying to be as fair as possible, yet as firm as possible, divide Iraq into at least 3 areas: Kurdish, Sunni and Shiite.  Keep the factions, and particularly, their militias, separate. 

Allow no militia to exist without direct US knowledge and control of same.  If they resist control or disarmament, cordon off, engage and destroy them.  Examples once set, will facilitate cooperation in other militia wannabees.

...for great justice