Hand held lie detectors for the troops

[reason]

man.... we are really scraping for tools agains guerilla warfare

its a simply polygraph device used to narrow the suspect list after a roadside bomb.

they don't guarante results.... but they say it has been helpful in Iraq so far.

trillions of dollars in intelligence, and we end up relying on the most basic of tools ..... this war truely is a quagmire

here is the story from MSNBC - http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23926278/
here is some great audio from NPR - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=89583855

[Sinner]

Originally Posted by reason

trillions of dollars in intelligence, and we end up relying on the most basic of tools ..... this war truely is a quagmire

so you're saying these devices are a bad thing?

[reason]

just pointing out the irony

for all our technological advances in the art of combat science (like the P.L.U.R. powered GPS guided remote control infared laser beams).... we rely on the most basic of resources

[Sinner]

we should be using sharks instead.

[reason]

yyyyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa............. ......

LASER GUIDED SHARKS

[BradH]

Man polygraph stuff isn't even reliable... and now they wanna use portable ones on random Iraqis who are probably nervous as fuck if being interviewed by the military anyway.... doesn't seem like a great idea.

[Nick]

perhaps we should invest in vehicles resistant to roadside bombings.. aka cougars instead of hummers

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by Nick

perhaps we should invest in vehicles resistant to roadside bombings.. aka cougars instead of hummers

We've had a hard enough time getting armor for hummers to begin with. The Clinton regime left them with canvas doors and covers.

[Nick]

clinton cut alot of military spending in an effort to balance the budget. clearly things have changed since his presidency.

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by Nick

clinton cut alot of military spending in an effort to balance the budget. clearly things have changed since his presidency.

Very true but where do you draw the line on that? When I first checked into my unit, I was issued gear that dated back to Vietnam (I really wish I was joking).

Also, the Cougar was specifically designed for withstanding landmines and small mortar rounds so it's no surprise it can take on an IED without a problem. One thing I haven't been able to tell though is it as versatile as humvees are? Can they handle all the various functions and equipment that they currently do?

I've noticed they are already in production for the Marine Corps but if I know anything about how that operates, they will wait until nearly all their humvees are destroyed before deploying those vehicles into a combat zone.

edit: Been reading up on it a bit and apparently there are a few in Iraq now but getting them is a bit slow. They also cost 4x the amount of a normal humvee.

[Nick]

Originally Posted by Nyteshade

Very true but where do you draw the line on that? When I first checked into my unit, I was issued gear that dated back to Vietnam (I really wish I was joking).

Also, the Cougar was specifically designed for withstanding landmines and small mortar rounds so it's no surprise it can take on an IED without a problem. One thing I haven't been able to tell though is it as versatile as humvees are? Can they handle all the various functions and equipment that they currently do?

I've noticed they are already in production for the Marine Corps but if I know anything about how that operates, they will wait until nearly all their humvees are destroyed before deploying those vehicles into a combat zone.

edit: Been reading up on it a bit and apparently there are a few in Iraq now but getting them is a bit slow. They also cost 4x the amount of a normal humvee.

where was your unit stationed? hopefully the guys that went into somalia and yugoslavia had better gear.

[reason]

some of the most advanced enginering goes into the military at the high level... but it takes so long to trickle into the front line.

it's like... lets use this old crap until it breaks... then you can get the new stuff.

at the same time, how could we afford the logistics of updating all equipment as fast as the technology updates?

what would we do to all the old equipment?...... sell it to Iran? lol

[Nick]

Originally Posted by reason

what would we do to all the old equipment?...... sell it to Iran? lol

sometimes i think economic theory is the most powerful tool politicians have... sad indeed

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by Nick

where was your unit stationed? hopefully the guys that went into somalia and yugoslavia had better gear.

Ft. Worth. We got the stuff the Army threw out.

[Nyteshade]

Originally Posted by reason

some of the most advanced enginering goes into the military at the high level... but it takes so long to trickle into the front line.

it's like... lets use this old crap until it breaks... then you can get the new stuff.

at the same time, how could we afford the logistics of updating all equipment as fast as the technology updates?

what would we do to all the old equipment?...... sell it to Iran? lol

That's the general mentality. Up until 9/11, anything the Army considered "unservicable" was given to the Marine Corps as far as individual gear went. Humvees would go to a refurbishing center and get "rebuilt" and then trickle down. Shortly after Bush became President, we started seeing huge revamps in individual issued gear. We were also able to actually have enough ammo to do a practice run of the rifle qualification course when that time of the year came around.

But yes, updating the entire fleet's gear is a very timely and expensive process. It doesn't help that the companies that supply the government/military gouge us.