Tonight's guest, Col. John Alexander is an expert in the cutting edge technology of non-lethal weaponry, some of which seems right out of the pages of science-fiction. And yet, there's one non-lethal weapon which was successfully employed in Operation Iraqi Freedom, that's decidedly low-tech. Cold, hard cash.
In the October issue of Soldier of Fortune(1), Don McLean notes that while less-than-lethal military weapons are often too lethal, or too useless, "bald-faced bribery," can be more effective than a precision bomb, and comes with no collateral damage. According to his article "The Greenback Bomb: The Smartest Ordnance of All," the Pentagon acknowledged the importance of such methods, and oversaw PsyOps forces that in addition to massive leaflet drops, used a barrage of "black methods." Senior Iraqi officials were "inundated with emails and calls to their mobile phones. The messages were personal, usually tailored to the individual," and urged surrender for the benefit of themselves and their families, McLean wrote.
Pointing out that the cost of fielding a fighting division runs into the billions, "it can be far less expensive if, rather than fielding another division of your own, you simply buy one of theirs," McLean commented. Speaking of purchasing military might, Soldier of Fortune has long since discontinued their notorious classified ads of mercenaries for hire, after being slapped with a lawsuit.
--L.L.(2)
1. http://sofmag.com/
2. http://archive.coasttocoastam.com/info/about_lex.html