YOU CAN’T WIN A WAR WITH POWERPOINT
Apr. 30th, 2010 10:49 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
defrogITEM: US military commanders are sick of PowerPoint, and in some cases have banned it.
To understand why, see this sample slide summing up the security, economic and political conditions in Afghanistan:
Choice quotes:
As someone who gets paid to be subjected to PowerPoint presentations on a regular basis, I'm sympathetic, of course. On the other hand, that Afghanistan Situation slide does illustrate a very important point: Afghanistan is a VERY complicated place, which is why blustering in and throwing out the Taliban was never going to be as straightforward as Team Bush always made it sound. Maybe if someone had shown them this slide, or at least shown it to the public ...
Well, ha ha, no. Who am I kidding? It wouldn't have made any difference. Someone had to go down for 9/11. Besides, you don't make a case for war by examining the complexities and possible consequences. You make the case as simple as possible. "Taliban evil. Taliban applaud 9/11. Taliban protect bin Laden. We kill Taliban, get bin Laden. Make it happen. Leave details to Joe. God bless America."
Boom. And eight years later ...
Progress!
Draw me a picture,
This is dF
To understand why, see this sample slide summing up the security, economic and political conditions in Afghanistan:
Choice quotes:
“It’s dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.” – Brigadier General H.R. McMaster
“PowerPoint makes us stupid.” – Joint Forces Commander General James N. Mattis
“When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war.” – US and NATO force commander General Stanley McChrystal
“PowerPoint makes us stupid.” – Joint Forces Commander General James N. Mattis
“When we understand that slide, we'll have won the war.” – US and NATO force commander General Stanley McChrystal
As someone who gets paid to be subjected to PowerPoint presentations on a regular basis, I'm sympathetic, of course. On the other hand, that Afghanistan Situation slide does illustrate a very important point: Afghanistan is a VERY complicated place, which is why blustering in and throwing out the Taliban was never going to be as straightforward as Team Bush always made it sound. Maybe if someone had shown them this slide, or at least shown it to the public ...
Well, ha ha, no. Who am I kidding? It wouldn't have made any difference. Someone had to go down for 9/11. Besides, you don't make a case for war by examining the complexities and possible consequences. You make the case as simple as possible. "Taliban evil. Taliban applaud 9/11. Taliban protect bin Laden. We kill Taliban, get bin Laden. Make it happen. Leave details to Joe. God bless America."
Boom. And eight years later ...
Progress!
Draw me a picture,
This is dF
