🚀 go-pugleaf

From Dan Sorenson <viking@iastate.edu>

In <C1F6tG.KH1@law7.DaytonOH.NCR.COM> mat@mole-end.matawan.nj.us writes:

>In Iraq, the coalition disabled large parts of the electrical and telephone
>networks, apparently to some benefit.  Is this considered strategic or not?

	Given that 1) US soldiers found Nazi phone lines to be quite useful
for talking over, and 2) electrical systems are much more spread out now
than they were during WWII, I don't find either fact particularly amazing.

	Still, today these are both strategic targets in that you can hit
major junctions and disable things for a large area.  I believe it was
Discover magazine that, within the last five years, had an article on how
easily a terrorist might disable the USA power grid with a handful of
explosives or possibly EMP devices.  Worth considering in this scenario.

	BTW: several small towns (population < 5000) have found that a
few Union Pacific diesel-electric locomotives can be wired up to the
power grid and supply the town until connection to the nation-wide grid
is re-established.  This has been observed in Iowa by myself as a
result of tornado damage to existing power lines.  While Iraq most
likely doesn't have these resources, it's a point to consider when you
contemplate taking out an area by cutting power or phones to it.

< Dan Sorenson, DoD #1066 z1dan@exnet.iastate.edu viking@iastate.edu >
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