In the New Army, Your Commanding Officer May Be Your Rifle

The New Army: Not Dumbing Down; Just Building Up Backwards…

Facts: Rumsfield seeks to lower qualifications for the Army even though
Mastering all of the complex technology requires greater sophistication and knowledge that any Army in history has possessed. It is Rumsfeld intent to switch over to robotics where possible to make up about 15% of the short fall over the next several years. I interpret that to mean eventually soldiers will be taking orders from machines… Instead of putting the money into people, the Army of today intends to invest in machines to do the hard work of thinking and lower the skill levels precipitously to meet quota demands. It is a policy that is destined to see robots supervising the work of humans. Straight out of sci-fi circa 1984..

General Ball-Les Wonder, Head of Recruitment speaking to the Press..

Reporter: It is said general that you've had to lower your standards in order to meet your quota... That nobody wants to join your Army of One…. And that’s what it’s rapidly becoming, an army of one..…

General: Balderdash!... We have not lowered our standards; we have redefined them.

Reporter: Meaning?

General: It means that we are mission-compliant!

Reporter: Okay, let’s cut the Govspeak for a moment, what do you say when everyone says that you are ‘dumbing down?’

General: Oh, are you referring to Operation House Plant?

Reporter: I don’t know what you’re calling it; but is it true?…

General: We are changing the mandated skill levels decision making so that the enlisted forces can be counted on to follow orders; not ask questions.. We don’t want troops thinking ahead of their leaders…

Reporter: But how will that affect performance.

General: It will improve performance...

How's will redefining your standards improve performance?

Because now we will have an Army that better understands what motivates the enemy; an army where it becomes easier to communicate among all levels. All we will need to do is what we want done; and less confusing clutter. It’s the Army’s culture that had to change. The men and women had to learn to be able to respond more quickly, more obediently.

And that’s why you are seeking lower IQ people? Give us an example:”

General: Instead of saying to the troops sitting in their tanks to download all of the onscreen maps and charts relative to the screen and reposition workable parameters so that on screen designators are committed to in the sequence of battle, we can cut through the language and make things easier.

Reporter: Okay, so instead of the above what would you say?

General; We would simply say "Fetch..."

Wouldn’t they consider that insulting?

General; Not with the appropriate conditioning and obedience training…

Reporter: To what end?

General: So as not to alienate the machines…

Reporter: The machines?

General: Yes, the machines will eventually be in charge according to the new doctrine…

Reporter: So, the men and women of this new Army will be reporting to the machines?…

General: Something like that…

Reporter: And you think people will hold still for that?…

General; Rumsfeld thinks so if we pay them well. . After all, he is investing hundreds of millions of dollars to achieve an army of machines…

Reporter: And the machines will make war?

General: Yes, that’s the idea!

Reporter: What about if one machine doesn’t like another machine…

General: We still have a few bugs to work out…

Reporter: What if one machine gets the other machines to turn against us…

General: Well, we have to work hard to stay on friendly terms.

Reporter: This is the best you can do?

General: Actually, It is quite compatible with the Bush warfare doctrine of KISS...

Reporter: What's that?

General; Keep it simple, stupid!

Reporter: Ah, I see...So, we can turn the whole shooting match over to the machines who can make war so that America will stay a superpower; that is, unless they get mad at us and then who knows?

General; No plan is perfect!


Les Aaron

See The Blue Blog: http://lesaaron.blogspot.com