Many thanks for your comments. What I infer from the realities you describe is that there are not enough resources available to execute such a vetting program.

E.g., the records aren’t good, are ambiguous, etc - so it takes a lot of manpower to use them preemptively. (ala the shortage of Arab speakers, translators, etc.)

Or simply that leadership has prioritized as best they can how to get the most results from the available manpower.

Regarding ID cards, ankle-trackers, and the like - I was wondering where technology $ could be applied to reduce casualities. Effective ID card technology is available - if it were judged worth the money. What money and personnel resources would be required to ID-card the Iraqi population I have no clue.

When it comes to saving lives of our soldiers I would vote for spending a lot more. I understood this to be the philosophy behind, e.g., expensive standoff weapons.

And thanks for your service (and for the American Soldier site).

1) The vetting program is a monster logistic wise simply because their records are not as good as you might think. The Iraqi men can have more than one valid name like Mustafa Mubarrak or Abu (insert oldest son’s name here) that are interchangeable. We do have TV ads, flyers, posters, and match books with pictures of the wanted on them.

2) We already do that and the our press hates it.

3) I wish we could but we can’t hardly track our own people here and the resources aren’t available in Iraq currently.

4) I would have loved an ID card but even the ID that the normal person over there had might have a 20 year old picture attached to it. They really are a few years behind us as far as most things go.

5) We do use former officers in current leadership positions and I have had the honor of working with a couple of them. They are really good guys that want to take care of their country.

Good posts, keep up the good work!