Rate a military Analyst

ircoha

What does the forum think of Dr. Tom Clonan as an analyst.

http://www.zoominfo.com/people/clonan_tom_806284000.aspx

He has been very visible this past while between his commentary on the current war in the middle east and the John Carthy report.

muletide

Why not start the ball rolling and let us know what you think.

pucan

Hes a smart dude with a good read on international politics, good knowledge of current flashpoints and the parties involved backed up by his military experience.

hmmm

His knowledge of small scale engagement/tactics seem good, but his strategic analysis I find frequently hopeless.

From that page you quoted (may be a bad example)

Thus far, 2,113 US soldiers have been killed in Iraq. A total of almost 16,000 US troops have also been seriously injured - many of them amputees - and medically evacuated from Iraq. Taken in tandem, these figures would represent approximately 10 per cent of the US's total frontline combat strength.(Tom Clonan)

That's 18,113 out of the total combat strength that rotated through the area, not "10% of ...frontline combat strength". Comparing apples and spoons.

pucan

Think you're nit-picking there.

total frontline combat strength

in iraq?

Manic Moran

pucan wrote:

Think you're nit-picking there.
in iraq?

Even at that, that's only 10% (a little more) of the strength of the US military presence at any one time in the year, but the casualty tally is a total of the past three plus years.

NTM

pucan

Right yeah should have read that properly.

Victor

It says 10% of frontline troops.

Manic Moran

Victor wrote:

It says 10% of frontline troops.

Every soldier a rifleman!

NTM

Victor

Manic Moran wrote:

Every soldier a rifleman!

HUH? :eek:

And the marines, AF and navy?

Clare gunner

Like Charlie Bird of RTE,talks from farrr behind the frontline.
Watched him yesterday on TV3.Rehashed everything that has been known by defence and ,security experts or anyone with abit of intrest in terrorism and watches the news channels regulary for the last two weeks,about Al Queda looking for weaknesses in our security procedures and trying new methods of smuggling weapons and explosives aboard our aircrafts,and how Irish airlines may become a suitable weapon for a 9/11 style attack on the UK.Or somthing like that.
Well DUH!Might be fine for explaining things to sheep who occasionally can drag their attention away from the sports part of the news,but not telling ,me at least, anything new that I couldn't figure out myself.

cushtac

Victor wrote:

HUH? :eek:

And the marines, AF and navy?

I think his point is that it's not just infantry & armoured units that are taking part in 'frontline' operations in Iraq. Logs, artillery, engineers and MPs are all having to do check points, route protection, convoys etc. and so are as likely to take casualties as any other unit.