What I would do in Iraq

[BOBK]

There is more to the plan, but I am interested in your opinion, before I go on.

"3"
By Bob Koford, 12-10-2006



The mission in Iraq should be altered drastically, at least on a temporary basis, as follows:


The most important step would be the redeployment of the embedded journalists on a completely new level.  A massive campaign should take place to sweep from one end of the country to the other, with thousands of reporters, armed with cameras, and absolutely everything else they need, to interview as many Iraqi people as is possible on their feelings about their country and what is going on at that time, from their perspective.

The military units are the ones to be embedded now, with the fully trained Special Vital Intelligence Reporters (SVIR).  The SVIR Units sole task is the protection of the SVIRs, and the protection of the Vital Information- Iraq (VI-I) that is to be beamed out, live, on the spot, each day.  

Make no mistake, it will be a dangerous job, but if it is successful, the American people, and the whole world for that matter, will be able to make a much better assessment of their own, about supporting the effort in that region of the world.  

These reports will be streamed on 5 web sites, operating 24/7, and on certain disclosed channels on T.V., also 24/7, and archived by Congress.  Each web site will contain a forum, on which citizens will sign up for, providing only basic information, such as a valid email address,  in order to add their opinion on any of the VI-I data.

3 reports shall be issued, by Congress, as the year progresses, based exclusively on what is seen and heard on the VI-I data stream.

A crucial step in this program comes with the protection force assigned to each VIR.  To assist them in this vitally important undertaking, MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory (MIT/LL) will be tasked to design, and expand into production, of certain key products which will be needed by these teams, such as:

Small-scale robotic Airborne Vital Intelligence Platforms, which will provide a continual stream of much needed surveillance data, from the surrounding geo-physical locations of the VIR Units.

So called “Mirror Fiber” technology infusion, into both Ground Force personnel clothing, and aircraft skinning, such as for Apache helicopters.
 
The Vital Intelligence Reporter Guardian /Observation (VIRG/O) units shall be fully equipped to remain as invisible as is possible, yet their presence of awareness, and their abilities to come to aid quickly, shall be unmatched.  Each Unit shall have assigned to it a Vital Intelligence Specialist Engineer (VISE), who will have complete control over Local Over-Head Intelligence (LOHI), via the Airborne Vital Intelligence Platforms (AVIP) and all Vital Satellite Intelligence (VSI) data, for use in all VIR Ops.

The VI Reporters will be tasked to interview as many people as is possible, in as many neighborhoods as possible, for as long as they remain in any particular geographical location.  The timetable for covering these locations shall be strictly adhered to, in order to ease the threat to the reporters and the VIRG.  All reports shall be “live”, satellite feeds, but could be conducted in groups, set up ahead of time, if need be, or via individual interviews on the run…actually any form of communicating the varied viewpoints on all Iraq’s needs and wants should be sought and encouraged.

All Intelligence gathered by the VIRs shall be utilized to formulate plans of action in Iraq.  

The American people require as much information about what ALL of the Iraqi people want and need, to be able to better support the future requirements in the region.  Without, at least, a similar plan, a vacuum shall continue to exist, and continue to expand, in the knowledge of what is going on, and what is needed in Iraq, and in the entire middle-east region.