They assert that the United States and its allies are bogged down in a long, inconclusive conflict in support of a corrupt and incompetent government against an elusive, popularly based enemy operating out of an untouchable cross-border sanctuary.
At a senate hearing March 1, Centcom commander James N. Mattis said, "Our enemies operate within cyberspace (and its associated relevant physical infrastructure) to plan, coordinate, recruit, train, equip, execute and garner support for operations against the U.S., its allies and interests.
Many bullies, frenemies, and other kinds of enemies operate from a place of jealousy.
The communications system, enabling the control of friendly aircraft in pursuit of enemy planes, operates over a single channel, secure from enemy interception, that is also relatively immune to jamming because of its high speed.
The enemy now operates out of religious schools, Muslim fraternal associations and import-export businesses.
It sets back the willingness of our allies to work with us in fighting an enemy that operates in scores of countries.
But in the case of Iraq, monumental resources have been squandered on disarming a phantom enemy while the real enemy has operated essentially with impunity on the Afghan-Pakistani border.
They were to get their first taste of action not in the North Sea but in the distant waters of the Indian Ocean where HMS Goliath was sent to take part in operations against enemy warships operating out of the German East African colony in modern day Tanzania.
