I'd Listen to These Guys

Rummy's spent his entire tenure as Secretary of Defense attempting to transform the armed services into a lighter, more efficient force. But much more work needs to be done.

BAGHDAD – U.S. military sources said combat units have failed to develop effective tactics required to defeat the insurgency in Iraq.

The Abu Dhabi-based Gulf News reported that senior officers from the 82nd Airborne Division have criticized leading military planners for their force protection tactics.

"The result has been a lack of mobility and failure to surprise," a military source said. "By the time, we arrive at an insurgency stronghold, half the city knows about it."

The failed U.S. military tactics are based on a strategy for force protection that require the use of armored fortresses, heavy vehicles, heavy weapons and large forces to withstand insurgency attacks, Middle East Newsline reported.

The sources said U.S. commanders have overruled junior and mid-level officers who advocate the development of streamlined light combat units to initiate stealthy attacks on insurgents. They said the commanders have also refused to allow troops to enter Iraqi communities without heavy vehicles and weapons.

"The problem is that we all sit around in our bases and just wait for them to come and blow us up," another officer said. "It didn't used to be like that. We used to go out and take the fight to them. I can only think that someone in the Pentagon is scared of what will happen if we start taking casualties."