Learning Curve: Chicagoboyz: News from the front (detailed evals)

More good stuff. Lexington Green at Chicagoboyz (a high-end blog and a favorite of Tom Barnett's) posts detailed e-mail evaluations of equipment, troops and the enemy in Iraq - TTP (tactics, troops and procedure) type stuff. Great insights.

Excerpt:

A friend who is a former Navy pilot and is now a re-mobilized reservist is
part of a large email network. He occasionally circulates very interesting
things. Below are two long emails from a Marine and an Air Force Forward Air
Controller currently in Iraq. Much detail on weapons.

A few points stood out. (1) Many of our modern weapons do not work in Iraqi
conditions, and Vietnam and even World War II era weapons are considered
superior. (2) The enemy’s infantry tactics are very poor, though their
Soviet-era weapons are decent. (3) The enemy’s IEDs are “first rate”. (4) The
Iranians are smuggling very effective armor-piercing shaped-charge IEDs into the
country. “Each of these is individually machine milled in Iran and sent across
the border". (5) The “Former Regime Elements” are no longer a significant part
of the insurgency – it is all Jihadis. (6) The troops believe they are winning,
and are outraged by the media’s presentation of the war. (7) The Iranians have
heavily infiltrated the Iraqi local government, police forces and the Army in
the south. (8) We have far too few troops to block the Iraqi borders with Syria
and Iran, hence the insurgency has permanent access to new personnel and arms.
(9) Insurgents have no regard for civilian casualties routinely use civilian
non-combatants as cover, and use schools, hospitals and especially mosques stage
for attacks, cache munitions, etc.

Make of these facts what you will. I am still digesting.

Click for full text of the emails.