Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Train Hard, Fight Easy, Semper Fi...







This is dedicated to the few, the strong, the brave, the unsung, the man on the ground, and yes the dead. The Canadian government recently debated in their parliament about their involvement in the battle against ISIS in Iraq. Members of parliament wanted details as to what exactly was the nature of the mission, how many troops would be sent, how long would they be there, and what is the overall exit strategy. In any military mission lives will inevitably be put on the line. For the members of parliament to ask these types of questions it only makes sense I suppose. I mean after all, they represent the Canadian populace and families of soldiers involved in any mission would want to know their loved ones are going to get back home safely. 

I on the hand have a different thought process to these debates. There should not be any debates at all about mission specifics. Once it is decided in parliament that the military will be engaging in a mission, parliament should cease asking any further questions about what, when, who, where, and why. These types of answers about mission specifics should be answered and handled by military commanders only. Military commanders have the expertise to make the decision as to what is exactly needed to complete a mission successfully. Imagine a General states that they will need 500 soldiers for a year to complete a particular mission based on the intelligence they have gathered about the part of the world they are dealing with but only receive 100 soldiers for six months because members of parliament with likely next to zero military experience and/or knowledge decided that they don’t want to give anymore. You can’t honestly expect that mission to be completed successfully. If you hire a plumber to do the job you have to let them do the job and expect a bit of water to be spilled. If you want Christmas dinner to be cooked you have to let the person doing the cooking shop for the groceries that they need. If you want breakfast you have to be willing to crack a few eggs. Overall, I think you are starting to get the point I am trying to make here and if you don’t here is the point. “Always trust the man on the ground.” That is a Special Forces mantra which basically means exactly that. You trust the individuals who have the expertise, knowledge, and are dealing with the issues first hand because they can provide you the most valuable intelligence to achieve a “Mission Accomplished”.

Hugh McManners is former British Royal Marine who fought in the Falkland Islands War and is the author of a great book called “Ultimate Special Forces”. In his books he talks about the history of military Special Forces throughout the world, the missions they have been on, the equipment they use, the training required, and a glimpse of what the future of warfare will look like in the 21st century. The book is filled with some fantastic pictures and great anecdotes about various military commanders, enemy combatants and their exploits. I often find that following and studying the history of warfare is basically the following and studying history. It is through war that you can learn the political climate, the mood of the general populace, pop culture, economies, and technological advancements. 

Firstly we must understand that Special Forces differ from general infantry. Special Forces soldiers go well beyond basic training and are highly trained in a variety of different military and survival strategies and tactics. Their missions are usually of the secret variety and their orders will often come from high levels in the military and government structure. All Special Forces need to be ready at a moment’s notice to be called upon anywhere in the world in any environment to accomplish just about any mission. Their window of opportunity is usually quite small and they are expected to operate efficiently and quickly to get the job done. The selection of individuals to make a Special Forces unit is extremely difficult and the failure rate is quite high. In fact, it is not uncommon for some recruits to die while in training. This has been known to happen when training for the British SAS and Russian Spetsnaz. 

For the earliest known special forces units we must travel back to the ancient times where will discover the “Immortals” from the Persian Empire who were 10,000 troops strong and tasked as being the personal bodyguards of the royal family. The Praetorian Guard were the defenders of Rome and their emperors and numbered 9,000 men. Through just about every war in history there have been elite soldiers put in play all tasked with a similar duty and that is giving their side a significant advantage to win the war. In my opinion the side that wins is usually the one that has the best intelligence and intelligence gathering is a staple of special forces units especially units like the Green Berets who focus not just on their own objectives but training local inhabitants the basics of warfare. 

The equipment that Special Forces get to use is always the best of the best in terms of military operations but make no mistake all soldiers are trained how to handle themselves when they have next to nothing. You never quite know what a situation will bring. One could find himself without their equipment and will have to learn how to survive off the land if need be. Regular training in survival tactics in environments like a dessert or jungle are a must. Consistent training and drills are also a necessity to maintain high levels otherwise a soldier is likely to find himself kicked out of their unit rather than being put into a mission if their skills are starting to lack. 

One of the most fascinating aspects of the book I found was the equipment that Special Forces soldiers get to use. The weapons they have access too are straight out of an action movie or video game and surveillance equipment used for intelligence gathering looks like the type of stuff that James Bond is familiar with. I must admit I was quite excited going through those chapters. 

Special Forces soldiers are probably some of the most if not the most well-trained individuals in what they do. Literally thousands of hours are dedicated to perfecting their craft yet at the same time when in an actual mission it is scary to know that all it takes is one shot or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and it is all over. These individuals sometimes have to make the ultimate sacrifice in defense of their country. Do you think you would have what it takes to join the likes of the Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Delta Force, 101st Airborne, British SAS, Spetsnaz, French Foreign Legion, or any of the other highly trained and skilled special forces units in the world. In my mind I like to think that I do. I did research heavily about joining the military myself but ultimately chose to pass. I still think about it from time to time not so much that I am dedicated to the mission or have this surge of patriotism flowing through me but the training and pushing myself to be the best, that is what makes Special Forces soldiers great and that is what I want to be. 

If you enjoyed reading this be sure to check out my other blog post on a similar topic.

Monday, April 27, 2015

To Boldly Go!: A guided tour of the U.S.S. Enterprise



When it comes to Star Trek versus Star Wars I certainly do lean more towards Star Wars. It has been my bread and butter since my early childhood. I essentially fell in love after witnessing my first light sabre duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader and the sight of the X-Wings battling it out to destroy the Death Star coupled with the daring assist by the Millennium Falcon to help kick the Empires ass, well needless to say I was hooked for life. That being said that does not mean I don’t have a deep appreciation for the Star Trek. The adventures of Captain Kirk and the crew of the USS Enterprise was one of my father’s favourite shows growing up. The next generation featuring Captain Picard and his charming and interesting crew was certainly first rate entertainment and storytelling. My father, brother, and myself would definitely rank it was one of our favourite all-time TV programs. 

          One of the main things I love about Star Trek is its attempt to remain dedicated to hard physics and by that I mean there is a dedication to ensure the storytelling and technical aspects of the show are accurate to real life facts, phenomenon, and possibilities of outer space. Sure, liberties have to be taken here and there in order to make things entertaining. For instance, in outer space there is no sound but the sounds of a photon torpedo launching into a Klingon Warbird is way to cool to pass up. There are other inaccuracies but the attempt to keep it loyal to facts is certainly there. While Star Wars exists “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away” Star Trek exists in our own world in the distant future. The Federation of Planets is kind of like an extended United Nations that goes well beyond planet Earth. The name “USS Enterprise” is an old and factual one of naval vessels used throughout the history of the United States Navy. It is interesting to note though, when outer space travel becomes common place the Navy would not play a dominant role if one at all. Outer space endeavours would fall under primarily space agencies and Air Forces. Through science fiction history the Navy and its terminology has been the lead player when describing outer space encounters. I suppose from a storytelling point of view it sounds better but it is inaccurate. 

          On board the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-D is written by Denise and Michael Okuda who worked directly on the television program. Their book is a short and fascinating trip one of the most famous ships ever. The artwork is first rate and knowledge provided is brief, interesting, and knowledgeable, just the way I like it! It also comes with an interactive CD which allows the user to take a “3D” tour of the enterprise itself. One of the most fascinating features of the USS Enterprise is that large dish that sits in the middle just below large disc. I have always wondered what that was. Turns out it is a long range sensor and deflector. This is a very useful feature to have on a space ship that is involved in long range travel. It is described as such:

“When the ship is traveling at warp speeds or even higher impulse velocity, collision with even a tiny particle of dust could be catastrophic. That’s why the ship’s Main Deflector sweeps far ahead of the vessel, pushing aside meteoroids, debris, and even dust. The big deflector dish also houses the long-range sensor array, which helps detect such hazards, and also serves many scientific and tactical functions.”

And to think, all this time I thought it was one giant light bulb. The next most obvious feature is the ability of the USS Enterprise to reach warp speeds, basically traveling faster than the speed of light or at least close to it because according to Einstein reaching the speed of light is in fact, impossible. The Enterprise is powered by a matter/anti-matter engine which in the world of theoretical physics is a legit option for space travel fueling and propulsion. You see there is matter which exists all around us and is basically everything but there is also this strange stuff called anti-matter which is the exact opposite. An electron has a negative charge to it; we know this from basic high school science. An anti-matter electron is not a proton which has a positive charge it is in fact an electron that has a positive charge. It is the exact opposite of an electron. When the two of them meet they collide releasing an enormous amount of energy. Some astrophysicists believe that the big bang was the result of a cloud of matter coming into contact with anti-matter resulting in a gargantuan release of energy. Here on Earth anti-matter has been discovered but the amount of which is extremely small. The thought of using a matter/ anti-matter reactor to power a spaceship like the USS Enterprise is a fascinating one if not an incredibly dangerous. Fortunately the Enterprise is capable of jettisoning the reactor from the ship in emergency situations. 

          The next most famous aspect of the Enterprise is the Transporter room. This room gives the crew the ability to literally be beamed from the Enterprise to another location weather that is a planetary surface or another spaceship. Believe it or not, teleportation is not impossible and has been accomplished on the molecular level the only problem is a second molecule is being created. Now, imagine being teleported to another part of the world only to find out you have not gone anywhere but your exact double now exists someplace else! Pretty wild huh? Fortunately for the USS Enterprise this is not a problem as their technology has been able to rectify that little bizarre problem. The transporter literally converts matter (you) into energy and beams it to another location where that matter (you) is reassembled good as new or good as you were. 

          There is no doubt that mankind will one day venture into outer space on a more permanent basis. The idea of establishing a permanent base on the Moon and Mars are not ideas that are brand new. These ideas have been in existence for generations. Everything starts with an idea. An idea is the seed to discovery and with proper care and cultivation that discovery can lead to greatness. One day a permanent base on Jupiter’s Moon Europa could become a reality as it is believed that Europa could be home to vast supplies of water. I like to think of outer space travel as a sort of connect the dots kind of game. We started here on Earth then we ventured to the Moon now we are looking at Mars, Europa could be next and then venturing further beyond our solar system to our sister star Andromeda, and then of course, venturing to the infinite beyond. These are certainly lofty goals and none of them will happen in my lifetime but if they do end-up happening I would be excited and happy to see them happen aboard the USS Enterprise.