This is fascinating. Anyone have a clue what it might be? - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

SteelBlue · 09-09-2008, 07:15 PM

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/meast/...ret/index.html

Bob Woodward says that the dramatic drop in violence in Iraq is not due to the surge but to a secret "killing program" which must remain a secret for now or it would "get [our] people killed".

Quote:

"I would somewhat compare it to the Manhattan Project in World War II," he said "It's a ski slope right down in a matter of months, cutting the violence in half. This isn't going to happen with the bunch of joint security stations or the surge."
The top secret operations, he said, will "some day in history ... be described to people's amazement."

Also this

Quote:

While he would not reveal the details, Woodward said the terrorists who have been targeted were already aware of the capabilities.

"The enemy has a heads up because they've been getting wiped out and a lot of them have been killed," he said. "It's not news to them.
"If you were a member of al Qaeda or the resistance or some extremist militia, you would be wise to get your rear end out of town," Woodward said. "It is very dangerous."

Indy Coug · 09-09-2008, 07:17 PM

Have you ever seen the movie Mystery Men?

Runner Coug · 09-09-2008, 08:57 PM

Is it just me, or is Woodward completely contradicting himself? He says if the program were to be made public, it would get our people killed, but then he also says that the terrorists know about the program.

If that's true, I guess is it safe to assume it wouldn't be the terrorists who would kill our people, since they already know the program? So who is it that would kill our people if the program was made public?

My guess about it all is that we've managed to embed Special Ops guys in the insurgency, and they're taking out the leaders. But I'm most likely way off.

MikeWaters · 09-09-2008, 09:07 PM

No way it has to do with human sources. We are horrible at that.

It is no doubt technology, thus the comparison to the Manhattan Project. Monitoring tech.

SteelBlue · 09-09-2008, 09:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

No way it has to do with human sources. We are horrible at that.

It is no doubt technology, thus the comparison to the Manhattan Project. Monitoring tech.

Agree. This is what is so fascinating about this story to me. Are you imagining some kind of drone with facial recognition technology?

My guess about Woodward's contradiction is that terrorists know we have something but don't quite know how it works.

MikeWaters · 09-09-2008, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteelBlue

Agree. This is what is so fascinating about this story to me. Are you imagining some kind of drone with facial recognition technology?

My guess about Woodward's contradiction is that terrorists know we have something but don't quite know how it works.

No.

Indy Coug · 09-09-2008, 09:13 PM

It's Star Wars technology. They target a house and then fry it's occupants using microwaves or something from a satellite from space. Either that, or they've tricked Al-Qaeda into developing a taste for British cuisine.

SteelBlue · 09-09-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeWaters

No.

Well, what are you imagining? I'm really curious about this whole project.

Runner Coug · 09-09-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Indy Coug

It's Star Wars technology. They target a house and then fry it's occupants using microwaves or something from a satellite from space.

Ok, but why would our guys be at risk of getting killed if that was made public?

MikeWaters · 09-09-2008, 09:17 PM

Since my mind is like a steel trap when it comes to such things:

It is technology to identify headquarters and safe-houses for Al Qaeda. Real-time imaging combined with computer algorithms identifying movements likely to be associated with terrorist activity. Suspect buildings are placed under surveillance. Attacks made. The end.

I don't have any source that tells me this. It's simply what makes sense.

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09-09-2008, 07:17 PM	#2
Indy Coug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Iraq and a hard place Posts: 7,569	Have you ever seen the movie Mystery Men?

09-09-2008, 08:57 PM	#3
Runner Coug Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 945	Is it just me, or is Woodward completely contradicting himself? He says if the program were to be made public, it would get our people killed, but then he also says that the terrorists know about the program. If that's true, I guess is it safe to assume it wouldn't be the terrorists who would kill our people, since they already know the program? So who is it that would kill our people if the program was made public? My guess about it all is that we've managed to embed Special Ops guys in the insurgency, and they're taking out the leaders. But I'm most likely way off.

09-09-2008, 09:07 PM	#4
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	No way it has to do with human sources. We are horrible at that. It is no doubt technology, thus the comparison to the Manhattan Project. Monitoring tech.

09-09-2008, 09:13 PM	#7
Indy Coug Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Between Iraq and a hard place Posts: 7,569	It's Star Wars technology. They target a house and then fry it's occupants using microwaves or something from a satellite from space. Either that, or they've tricked Al-Qaeda into developing a taste for British cuisine.

09-09-2008, 09:17 PM	#10
MikeWaters Demiurge Join Date: Aug 2005 Posts: 36,365	Since my mind is like a steel trap when it comes to such things: It is technology to identify headquarters and safe-houses for Al Qaeda. Real-time imaging combined with computer algorithms identifying movements likely to be associated with terrorist activity. Suspect buildings are placed under surveillance. Attacks made. The end. I don't have any source that tells me this. It's simply what makes sense.