High quality troops who know how to use even average weaponry that will work when used are better than ill-trained troops who barely know how to use high tech weaponry that is likely to fail because of lack of spare parts and maintenance. The troops behind our weapons has been our invisible advantage in recent decades. And don't forget maintenance for those weapons.
Not that good weapons aren't important--in the hands of good troops, they can turn victory over an enemy into a rout over the enemy.
The Australians just demonstrated how important training and maintenance are when one of their submarines was perhaps 20 seconds from sinking to the bottom of the sea forever:
"There was a loud bang ... then the water flooded in and I got tossed around like a washing machine. It was coming in so fast I thought it was all over."
A flexible seawater hose had broken, causing some 12,000 litres of water to flood in within seconds, filling up the room. The words "flooding, flooding, flooding in the motor room," echoed through the intercom as crewmates fished a near-unconscious Seaman Bunting out of the flooded motor room by his lapels.
In the control room, the officers instantly shut all of the submarine's external valves en masse, hoping it would stem the flood.
It stopped the inflow of water, but the submarine had taken on so much that it was uncertain whether it would be able to make it back to the surface.
The commander, Peter Scott, ordered his stricken submarine to gather speed and blow the ballast tanks to make the submarine lighter. He ordered the sub to rise but it failed to respond, causing hearts to freeze.
"There was a period of time before the submarine reacted and there was a lot of tension in the air," recalled Lieutenant Commander Geoff Wadley.
I am greatly relieved that our Australian friends escaped such a tragedy.
A hose broke. Did the Australians skimp on maintenance? Or was it a design flaw or fluke? Thank goodness the crew reacted promptly and correctly. They had little margin for error or delay. They reacted rather than pulling out manuals to study the proper response.
Please always remember that in tight budget times, it is very tempting to reduce maintenance and training rather than procurement of shiny new weapons because the former isn't as quantifiable as one less shiny weapon. It can seem like an acceptable risk to get that shiny weapon.
It isn't acceptable, people. It isn't quantifiable until you mourn 55 dead submariners.
