Military Taps Social Networking To Hunt Insurgents

Hugh Pickens writes "The New York Times has an interesting article about the thousands of analysts based in the United States for the Central Intelligence Agency and the US military who are showing how the Facebook generation's skills are being exploited — and paying dividends — in America's wars. Analysts monitor enemy communications and scan still images from drones in Afghanistan, then log the information into chatrooms, carrying on a running dialogue with drone crews and commanders and intelligence specialists in the field, who receive the information on computers and then radio the most urgent bits to troops on patrol. Marine intelligence officers say that during an offensive in February, the analysts managed to stay a step ahead of the advance, sending alerts about 300 or so possible roadside bombs, paving the way for soldiers to roll into Marja in southern Afghanistan with minimal casualties. 'To be that tapped into the tactical fight from 7,000 to 8,000 miles away was pretty much unheard of before,' said Gunnery Sgt. Sean N. Smothers, a Marine who stationed as a liaison to the analysts. New analysts, who were practically weaned on computers and interactive video games, have been crucial to hunting insurgents and saving American lives in Afghanistan. The Air Force, which has 4,000 analysts, is hiring 2,100 more. For the most part, the networking has been so productive that senior commanders are sidestepping some of the traditional military hierarchy and giving the analysts leeway in deciding how to use some spy planes."

Comments

Re:Let's summarize the summary a bit

[Jeng]

If blowing things up in Afghanistan solved the Afghan problem, there wouldn't be an Afghan problem anymore. It didn't work for the British, it didn't work for the Russians, and not it's not working for NATO.

It worked for the Afgans with foreign invaders. They blew their enemies up and eventually the enemies left, but then they went after each other.

Perhaps the Afgans should quit blowing people up in general. Someone needs to stop, and if the Afgans had stopped then the US probably would not have had a reason to invade. If the US stops blowing up the Afgans then they will just go back to blowing up each other again/still.

YOU'RE NEXT!!

[czarangelus]

Sing and dance to the tune of your corporate overlords, suckers. Because you are the next insurgents. The government has said as much, many times, smearing military veterans and Ron Paul voters and people who can name at least two amendments in the Constitution as "terrorists." All these fancy weapons they're testing in Iraq and all these "non-lethal" systems that turn out to be quite lethal exist to make sure you don't demand restitution for the crimes that have been committed against the American people.

The same politicians who don't give a flying fuck about civilian life in Afghanistan and drop cluster bombs on Yemeni children - and they don't care about you either. They are going to suck us dry like the leeches they are and when they can't get any more money out of us they'll come for our blood. And you can all cheer this on like you was Jews celebrating German conquests in North Africa because when they are done with the Middle East you're next on the agenda.

You must all be stupid to think it's a coincidence that every day there's a new story about warrantless wiretapping or cameras everywhere or a new spy satalite like the All Seeing Eye up there in space. The same eye watching you in the celestial spheres is watching you on your dollar bills and your cellphone keeps a record of everywhere you go. But close your eyes and don't believe it, deny deny abort retry. Because there's already a hit list of American citizens and if you think it ends with Anwar al-Awlaki it must be because you were born yesterday cousin.

You don't believe in the New World Order but you better believe the New World Order believes in you. You're an ATM to the people in charge and when you run out of money and sweat and tears you are scheduled for demolition just like an Afghanistani wedding.