Another step down theath to 3rd world mediocrity

[C Ward]

And the social experiment of the modern military continues , I wouldn't trade my time in the military for anything but this is absurd .

http://soldiersystems.net/2018/12/15/us-army-creates-esports-team/

[Bailey Guns]

I was probably born about 3 generations too late. I think I would've preferred a simpler, less tech-centric lifestyle. Don't get me wrong...I enjoy many modern conveniences. But that's what they are to me...conveniences. Not a lifestyle. I'm not defined by my phone or my laptop or my Starbucks cup. I guess this is just a logical evolution of the world or society in which we live. At first glance it seems kinda sad. But maybe it's the way it needs to be.

[Gman]

If it ever comes down to a big war, the networks will be the first thing to go. You'll still need guys with guns that can point, click, and ship.

[roberth]

No argument there at all. Our reliance upon satellite tech especially is also bad ju ju if a conflict ever does come, and will leave many trigger-men at a disadvantage from more-conventionally trained soldiers. (e.g. some of US mil in the future will probably not even be able to read a map...)

I still say the bigger problem we face going forward is one of there never being a formal conflict. Stuxnet style infrastructure attacks, terrorist-style EMP, what have you, many can kill as many of us as a conventional war, without giving us the opportunity to attack a country in reaction, and with virtually no risk to the attacker, and minimal expenditures (salary of many hackers).

We will always have to maintain a conventional military to deter against a conventional attack - ofc. But in the tech side, we don't have borders to protect us, and there's no Geneva. A never ending war that we're not winning presently - and it can kill a lot of americans. (If they ever figure out major attacks on infrastructure weakness like transformers en mass, we'd be largely without power for a year...or more) it's easy to say "hell, I can live with power for a year, it's like camping" but everything down to the gas pumps would quit, and backup generators at hospitals would even be in jeopardy - if they even ran, depending on the attack. Logistics redundancies are simply not there in most places; starvation would likely worse than Stalingrad in some areas. And again, we'd have nobody to shoot at, no specific country to necessarily blame.


I'll also ETA: This is also a significant weapon on the offensive. Imagine being able to power down all of Russia with a transformer attack if they started to invade the Ukraine. In no matter of time, Putin would be deposed.

Also bear in mind: Many of our transformers were made in China. Hidden hardware exploits are not out of the question, and even possibly predictable as even the US was doing that two decades ago with other hardware....

I was wondering that but hadn't taken the time to search it yet. What about replacement transformers and substation stuff, do the companies that maintain our grid infrastructure keep enough spares for a large city?

[Zundfolge]

Of all the things to be upset about regarding the social engineering going on in our military, this is pretty low on the list.

People on "our side" have to realize that part of the reason "The Gun Culture" is as big and as full of young people today as it has become, is in big part because of video games like Counter-strike and Call of Duty.

Several years ago I helped moderate a forum dedicated to a mod for Unreal Tournament called Infiltration which was at the vanguard of the realism focused first person shooter games. I saw many punk-assed kids turn from ignorant libs into gun owners and staunch second amendment supporters just because of the influence of the game and the community that developed around it.

There's nothing wrong with the Army using video games as a recruitment tool, and the military does use drones so in essence video game prowess is an actual skill that the military can make good use of. If I was on the battlefield, I'd be pretty happy to know that the kid I was calling in for a drone strike was an esports champion.

[CS1983]

Will they come to Fort Carson for the Athletes program?

[Irving]

I view the people who think video games have no value the same as those that think rock music causes violence.

[waffles]

I view the people who think video games have no value the same as those that think rock music causes violence.

No idea how I was beaten to it on this board, but I was going to post the same thing.

[Grant H.]

I was wondering that but hadn't taken the time to search it yet. What about replacement transformers and substation stuff, do the companies that maintain our grid infrastructure keep enough spares for a large city?

As Foxtrot came back and shared, no. They don't have massive stock piles to be able to repair/replace major chunks of the grid.

Efforts to rebuild from even a moderate attack on our nations grid would be very slow and painful.

Something that doesn't get covered much, is that the nations grid would fail catastrophically with even a small attack. Our grid is so fragile and vulnerable that taking down one of the many "independent" areas is enough of a shift in the loading to cause widespread failure across the nation.

Pile on to that the damage caused by the riots and other societal break down in major cities, and now rebuild efforts are thwarted due to extreme danger to "those responsible for the lights going out", not to mention physical damage from fires, car wrecks, etc...

Basically, it wouldn't take much to put American back in the late 1800's...

[MrPrena]

Ender's game


https://youtu.be/2SRizeR4MmU

[OtterbatHellcat]

I view the people who think video games have no value the same as those that think rock music causes violence.

It's not rock music, man...…..Google and YouTube are the root of all violence.

[Bailey Guns]

I view the people who think video games have no value the same as those that think rock music causes violence.

Damn hippy...

[68Charger]

I view the people who think video games have no value the same as those that think rock music causes violence.

And how do you view those that stereotype people based on their own beliefs?

[Justin]

The US Army has been using video games as a recruitment strategy for at least ten years, not sure I see why this is any different than other recruitment methods.

[Irving]

And how do you view those that stereotype people based on their own beliefs?

Not sure how to answer, since you're describing every living person.

[Irving]

Article related to what foxtrot was saying. Haven't read article myself.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/us-ballistic-missile-systems-have-very-poor-cyber-security/

[68Charger]

Not sure how to answer, since you're describing every living person.

Well, I was being facetious anyway...

[Irving]

No one should be too sensitive about what I said, even if I were describing them.

[ChickNorris]

Being 7' tall isn't all bad.

[68Charger]

No one should be too sensitive about what I said, even if I were describing them.

so what if they were? it's not like you're talking about any protected class, right? [Coffee]

[Irving]

Touch?!

ETA the special character "e" is apparently on the list of characters that turn into a question mark.

[ChickNorris]

?h?m... talking & touching... on? of th?s? things is not lik? th? oth?r.