Stop Funding Terrorists!

[Kangaroo Feathers]

One would hope. It's actually hard to be certain, based on what I've read.
To be clear, it's not generally an issue around the weapons themselves (unless they went and left a squad of stealth fighters on the ground, which I'm assuming not).
Rather it is the weapons systems, guidance systems, etc. The US will commonly fit different levels of complex electronics to the same basic vehicle, depending on who is using it and where. Their best stuff is effectively reserved for their own troops, and the closest of their allies (even Australia commonly has trouble getting access to this, although purely from memory, Israel has in the past).

So...it's not so much 'is this tank worth money'. It probably is, but it's not going to feed the masses. But if the electronics, etc, are fully specced, countries like North Korea would certainly be interested.

Back in the day I worked on some very technically advanced weapons/targeting and coms systems (all now obsolescent at best). That was a generation ago, and I have no doubt the current TOTL gear is an order of magnitude more complex and temperamental. There will always be a certain value to reverse engineering technology for the engineering and materials science, but I'm pretty confident most of the really technical stuff is sufficiently "black box" that it is of limited value to an OPFOR if captured. Apart from anything else, a lot of this stuff "dead sticks" without appropriate authentication procedures, and that's before we discuss how quickly it will degrade if the proper maintenance schedule isn't maintained. Ask any soldier from a technology dependent corps, (armour, aviation, sigs, etc) and they'll tell you, loudly, they spend >50% of their time on maintenance tasks just to keep the equipment running. It's a bit of an in joke among the Afghan vets I know that the Taliban have spent all of their time since retaking Kabul on Quora and Reddit asking for tips on how to stop a Black Hawk from spontaneously disassembling during start up.

TL;DR North Korea and others are probably interested to have a look at the stuff left behind, but the actual likelihood of recovering any major technical intelligence is probably overstated by various pundits and doomsayers.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

I respectfully disagree with the barbaric methods of their culture they use to control their people, and I've not been killed yet by the Taliban. I figure if I just mind my own business of living in a highly educated secular urban culture instead of trying to impose my secular humanism beliefs upon such a highly religious people of an ancient tribal culture, then the Taliban should not bother me. Perhaps we can agree to live and let live.

Or we can let those yearning to breathe free know they aren't alone and there are those wanting a better life than being repressed by ancient superstitions and dogma. The international community needs to keep applying pressure.

 

[lewisnotmiller]

Back in the day I worked on some very technically advanced weapons/targeting and coms systems (all now obsolescent at best). That was a generation ago, and I have no doubt the current TOTL gear is an order of magnitude more complex and temperamental. There will always be a certain value to reverse engineering technology for the engineering and materials science, but I'm pretty confident most of the really technical stuff is sufficiently "black box" that it is of limited value to an OPFOR if captured. Apart from anything else, a lot of this stuff "dead sticks" without appropriate authentication procedures, and that's before we discuss how quickly it will degrade if the proper maintenance schedule isn't maintained. Ask any soldier from a technology dependent corps, (armour, aviation, sigs, etc) and they'll tell you, loudly, they spend >50% of their time on maintenance tasks just to keep the equipment running. It's a bit of an in joke among the Afghan vets I know that the Taliban have spent all of their time since retaking Kabul on Quora and Reddit asking for tips on how to stop a Black Hawk from spontaneously disassembling during start up.

TL;DR North Korea and others are probably interested to have a look at the stuff left behind, but the actual likelihood of recovering any major technical intelligence is probably overstated by various pundits and doomsayers.

Thanks! I found this informative. I mean, I rated it as such, so obviously. But it's nice to get some actual practical knowledge about this.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

No. It was working.

Like everything, it's the politicians that fail.

Two decades, billions of dollars, and more troops killed than Americans who died in 9/11, how is that working?

 

[Wildswanderer]

Hopefully, now that the Taliban has billions of dollars worth of assault weapons in excess of what is needed for defensive capabilities; they can sell these assault weapons to China or Russia for reverse engineering. That being in exchange for cash, food, and medical supplies for the Afghan people in need. Then perhaps, the Taliban won't be compelled to charge exorbitant travel fees for departing emirate Islamic Afghanistan

Oh yeah, that is a great hope. That they will give China our technology to use against us.
Let's hope our enemies sell weapons to our potential enemies!

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Thanks! I found this informative. I mean, I rated it as such, so obviously. But it's nice to get some actual practical knowledge about this.

Thanks. I'm happy to share with anyone interested.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Oh yeah, that is a great hope. That they will give China our technology to use against us.
Let's hope our enemies sell weapons to our potential enemies!

What technology do you think they can give China that China either doesn't already have, or isn't capable of generating themselves?

 

[Suave]

Oh yeah, that is a great hope. That they will give China our technology to use against us.
Let's hope our enemies sell weapons to our potential enemies!

I like how China's state capitalism and population control measures have enriched their economy and made their people prosperous, I don't consider China as having to be a military adversary of the U.S. I'd like there to a diplomatic solution in order to resolve the ROC-PRC conflict whereby Taiwan is ceded to mainland China in 2049, this being the 100th year anniversary of the People's Republic of China's proclamation.. I'm confident such an ROC_PRC conflict resolution would ease tensions between the U.S. and China, this would also allow plenty of time for the U. S., Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and other Pacific rim nations to assist and prepare for the arrival of Taiwanese refugees who might flee the ceding of Taiwan to mainland China.

 

[Subduction Zone]

Soft power like this is a well established strategic tool among the major powers. It's distasteful, but considered one of the costs of doing business on the global stage by people who have been involved in diplomacy and strategic planning for their entire working lives. I guess we're lucky to have random internet loudmouths tell us how terrible it is without offering constructive alternatives, huh?

I would prefer it to hard power. That did not seem to work at all and was probably much more expensive.

 

[Subduction Zone]

What technology do you think they can give China that China either doesn't already have, or isn't capable of generating themselves?

Well we do have some pretty nifty automated chopstick plants. Think what havoc they could wreak with that technology

Georgia's hottest export: Chopsticks!

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I like how China's state capitalism and population control measures have enriched their economy and made their people prosperous, I don't consider China as having to be a military adversary of the U.S. I'd like there to a diplomatic solution in order to resolve the ROC-PRC conflict whereby Taiwan is ceded to mainland China in 2049, this being the 100th year anniversary of the People's Republic of China's proclamation.. I'm confident such an ROC_PRC conflict resolution would ease tensions between the U.S. and China, this would also allow plenty of time for the U. S., Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Bangladesh, New Zealand, and other Pacific rim nations to assist and prepare for the arrival of Taiwanese refugees who might flee the ceding of Taiwan to mainland China.

That doesn't sound like a great solution. "But you have time to accept the refugees!" rather avoids the obvious question of "why would there be refugees in the first place"?

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I would prefer it to hard power. That did not seem to work at all and was probably much more expensive.

There certainly seems to be a solid core of internet blowhard who would prefer continued bloody military interventionism to, yaknow, admitting it hasn't worked thus far and maybe we should look at other alternatives.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

Well we do have some pretty nifty automated chopstick plants. Think what havoc they could wreak with that technology

Georgia's hottest export: Chopsticks!

And another solid core of internet blowhard persisting with 19th Century stereotypes of Asian countries being sandal wearing goldfish tenders, baffled by anything more technologically advanced than paper straws. Where do you think these people worried about the Chinese stealing American technology suppose most American technology is produced?

 

[Suave]

That doesn't sound like a great solution. "But you have time to accept the refugees!" rather avoids the obvious question of "why would there be refugees in the first place"?

I'm guessing there might be some Taiwan people who have been indoctrinated by the West into distrusting the People's Republic of China; (edit) *also, some Taiwan people may not wish to comply with the two child policy in order to control overpopulation*.

 

[Kangaroo Feathers]

I'm guessing there might be some Taiwan people who have been indoctrinated by the West into distrusting the People's Republic of China

Like... most of them?

 

[Revoltingest]

It's not Islamaphobic to point out forcing women to wear burkas is wrong, banning her from going out of the home without male family is wrong, and holding her accountable for her own rape is wrong. Blasphemy laws are wrong, as is punishment for apostasy. Honor killings? Those are heinous and have no rightful place in a decent society.

What would be the best way to mitigate those heinous practices?
We tried war.
That failed miserably.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

What would be the best way to mitigate those heinous practices?
We tried war.
That failed miserably.

Assist them where needed, even if it's just emotional support and reassurance they're struggles are for a worthy cause.

 

[Revoltingest]

Assist them where needed, even if it's just emotional support and reassurance they're struggles are for a worthy cause.

Assist whom how?

 

[Shadow Wolf]

Assist whom how?

Those being oppressed. Assisting against ISIS with air strikes seemed effective, but it would be for them to decide what they need.

 

[Revoltingest]

Those being oppressed. Assisting against ISIS with air strikes seemed effective, but it would be for them to decide what they need.

Are we both talking about the Taliban running Afghanistan?