View Full Version : Afghan uniform boondoggle?
What the hell, it still looks better than the USAF's current uniform:
"The Combined Security Transition Command-Afghanistan (CSTC-A) is the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) organization responsible for overseeing efforts to train and equip the Afghan forces. As part of that effort, CSTC-A oversaw the design of a new uniform for the conventional ANA forces and the selection of the proprietary camouflage pattern used. Though the pattern was selected without determining whether it was appropriate to or effective in the Afghan environment, DOD has spent approximately $93.81 million procuring uniforms for the ANA’s conventional forces."
https://www.sigar.mil/interactive-reports/ana-uniform-procurement/index.html
I would rather buy every homeless kid a sandwich then spend 93 million on uniforms for Afghans. First off, aren't they the same people who make the worlds best rugs? Are you telling me Vietnam era mamasan's could knock out in country tiger stripe but nobody over there can make uniforms for their own people? Why are we paying for this crap exactly?
And is there a reason we simply aren't dumping the remainder of our chocolate chip stuff on them? I go into army / navy stores and see BDU's "Made in Pakistan", why exactly aren't they making stuff there?
HardToHandle
06-24-17, 20:49
Well, Soldiersystems has been talking about this report with some depth for days.
http://soldiersystems.net/2017/06/22/28-million-well-spent-a-critique-of-the-sigar-report-on-afghanistan-national-army-camouflage-uniforms/
So some IG accountant is trying to make a name calling out a $28 million contract that was actually successfully fielded and met an identified need? Yawn... There were hundreds of millions in other more questionable spending.
The whole inpropriate woodland color way criticism is BS on the face. Wasn't the main Taliban threat in the Korengal and Far East when the uniform was selected? That was that place full of trees I.e, a woodland environment. The classic M81/woodland BDU pattern would have been great and cheap, but the Soldier Systems story explains how limited the savings would have been.
And to Slater's point, the camo selected was better on its face than the primary combat camo of three of the U.S. Armed Services fielded in a similar time period. The Army and Navy are DXing the camo patterns that were barely a decade old.
I would rather buy every homeless kid a sandwich then spend 93 million on uniforms for Afghans. First off, aren't they the same people who make the worlds best rugs? Are you telling me Vietnam era mamasan's could knock out in country tiger stripe but nobody over there can make uniforms for their own people? Why are we paying for this crap exactly?
And is there a reason we simply aren't dumping the remainder of our chocolate chip stuff on them? I go into army / navy stores and see BDU's "Made in Pakistan", why exactly aren't they making stuff there?
Next thing you know we'll be sending them $93 mil in toilet paper and another $93 mil in tampons.
Isn't most of A-stan desertie anyway?
Defaultmp3
06-24-17, 21:46
Isn't most of A-stan desertie anyway?Korengal Valley:
https://www.army.mil/e2/-images/2009/08/15/48203/size0-army.mil-48203-2009-08-18-060822.jpg
https://www.army.mil/e2/-images/2009/08/15/48205/size0-army.mil-48205-2009-08-18-060829.jpg
https://www.army.mil/e2/-images/2009/08/15/48204/size0-army.mil-48204-2009-08-18-060813.jpg
Afghanistan has quite the varied terrain.
Korengal Valley:
Afghanistan has quite the varied terrain.
Thanks, guess I hadn't seen enough pictures of it.
Next thing you know we'll be sending them $93 mil in toilet paper and another $93 mil in tampons.
Isn't most of A-stan desertie anyway?
It's all kind of shit. Not even sure why uniforms are being bothered with. Plenty of guys in uniform are playing for the other team anyway. They'd probably all be better off dressing like the locals and looking like some half assed militia.
We don't seem to have positive control of anything, we don't seem to be doing anything meaningful beyond presenting our enemies with some US soldiers to shoot at, perhaps it's time to cut bait and unass. Seems to be an endless money pit with no meaningful returns, especially in light of the recent attacks on US forces by members of the Afghan military.
It would probably require a genuine cooperative effort with Russia to truly bring the entire country under control and that would mean a lot of irony.
The US and Russia have both tried (with very different methods, of course). Hell, let China have a crack at it. Of course, they use flamethrowers against their own home -grown Islamic militants in certain cases so their bedside manner may be open to question.
The US and Russia have both tried (with very different methods, of course). Hell, let China have a crack at it. Of course, they use flamethrowers against their own home -grown Islamic militants in certain cases so their bedside manner may be open to question.
The Russians used a lot of nasty tools on their own to keep folks in line and failed in Asscrackistan. I'm 100% ok with letting China sink a couple of trillion an thousands if it's youth there.
I'd rather use $93MM tax dollars to make a giant bonfire at a coke fueled transgender LGBQTDJIRSCHURD gang bang than spend another cent on that shithole.
SomeOtherGuy
06-24-17, 23:16
Step 1: Bomb the whole territory until it's nothing but a giant gravel pit.
Step 2: Issue ACUs.
Step 3: Issue floral couches to fill in gaps as needed.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a387/Winter775/Miscellaneous%20Stuff/ACU2.jpg (http://s15.photobucket.com/user/Winter775/media/Miscellaneous%20Stuff/ACU2.jpg.html)
FromMyColdDeadHand
06-25-17, 00:31
Is it reversible?
SeriousStudent
06-25-17, 00:48
No, I don't think the couch is reversible.
But I could be wrong.
No, I don't think the couch is reversible.
But I could be wrong.
The music is reversible, but time is not.
Ive never been to Afghanistan, however Multicam is very green overall and is used successfully all over that country. It works really well in the deserts of Az as well. I bet that new Afgan uniform works better than ACU.
Afghanistan is a shit show. Look for the story about the Afghan boot factory nonsense. We have wasted so much money there that it's simply mind numbing.
It's all kind of shit. Not even sure why uniforms are being bothered with. Plenty of guys in uniform are playing for the other team anyway. They'd probably all be better off dressing like the locals and looking like some half assed militia.
We don't seem to have positive control of anything, we don't seem to be doing anything meaningful beyond presenting our enemies with some US soldiers to shoot at, perhaps it's time to cut bait and unass. Seems to be an endless money pit with no meaningful returns, especially in light of the recent attacks on US forces by members of the Afghan military.
It would probably require a genuine cooperative effort with Russia to truly bring the entire country under control and that would mean a lot of irony.
I was actually reading this about the same time I was reading this thread last night.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2017/06/afghanistan_just_walk_away.html
Because of my view of Islam in general, my understanding of it's history, I thought it was a huge mistake from the very beginning to get into a protracted war in A-stan or Iraq. Nation building in the sense that most Americans understand it, with some idea of liberty at it's root, is TOTALLY impossible with Islam as a dominate ideology. GWB foolishly thought otherwise, and thousands of our men and women payed the price.........and for what?? IMO it's far past the time to leave these people to their own devices. Let them reap what they have ALWAYS sown.
Doubt it would matter if the Afghan army wore pink tutus or anything else at this point.
"I'd like to have two armies: one for display with lovely guns, tanks, little soldiers, staffs, distinguished and doddering Generals, and dear little regimental officers who would be deeply concerned over their General's bowel movements or their Colonel's piles, an army that would be shown for a modest fee on every fairground in the country. The other would be the real one, composed entirely of young enthusiasts in camouflage uniforms, who would not be put on display, but from whom impossible efforts would be demanded and to whom all sorts of tricks would be taught. That's the army in which I should like to fight.”
― Jean Lartéguy ---Author, "The Centurions", etc.
Because of my view of Islam in general, my understanding of it's history, I thought it was a huge mistake from the very beginning to get into a protracted war in A-stan or Iraq. Nation building in the sense that most Americans understand it, with some idea of liberty at it's root, is TOTALLY impossible with Islam as a dominate ideology. GWB foolishly thought otherwise, and thousands of our men and women payed the price.........and for what?? IMO it's far past the time to leave these people to their own devices. Let them reap what they have ALWAYS sown.
We don't often agree, but we completely agree.
I understand going after the bad guys where they live following 9-11, but rack up your bad guys and head out.
I understand determining the status of Saddams chemical weapon capability after 9-11 but go grab your primaries and name somebody to run things with the admonishment "don't make us come back."
If Asscrackistan wanted western democracy, they'd already have it. It's been around for 2,000 years. So we fight for free elections and they vote for the muslim brotherhood, it's what they want.
Iraq was already a mostly modern, secular arab state and despite being run by an ahole it was as good as things get over there which is why Reagan spent years creating an alliance after Iran went theocracy. It's a shame Bush 41 sold them out over the Kuwait oil dispute. The entire matter could have been largely avoided.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.