 chest- and backplates, thigh guards, groin guards, shoulder plates and helmets worthy of one of Henry V's men-at-arms. When I was last in Tikrit, I saw them literally unable to sit down for the bulk of the kit. And US bases, like those in Afghanistan, are laid out in a way that would be recognisable to a Roman legionary. Their entrances, with the outer ring of defences, the blocking ramparts channelling those coming in, the guard towers, would not be unfamiliar to a Crusader.
But where war often now differs from previous eras is the way campaigns are led. American soldiers in Iraq sally forth from their bastions every day or so, complete their patrols and then return to hot showers, beds, internet, gyms and their own food, flown in from the States. Though the British troops in Afghanistan have less in the way of home luxuries, they are only marginally less isolated from the population around them. Previously armies fought and lived on the terrain during campaigns, in and among the population. This profound gap between local people and the |
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troops may constitute one of the greatest differences with previous militaries, certainly with those who led the more successful of the imperial wars of the 19th century. Clearly there are armies with whom no one wants contact - the Germans or the Japanese between 1940-45 are just two of many examples - but the consequences of this particular glaring isolation are unlikely to be positive.
In Iraq, a few thousand interpreters, only some of whom are representative of the 24m Iraqis, filter the few contacts that troops have with locals. No contact means no understanding and badly executed, badly conceived strategies and tactics.
The anti-tank missiles, 1000lb bomb and the rest that comprised the UK response to the single Taliban mortar round that missed us on the ridge cost around £200,000. It killed two enemies. The money would have been better spent on language training. 
FIRST POSTED APRIL 26, 2007
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