Continuing problems with the coalition operation in Libya reinforce an old military adage: You fight like you train.
Yesterday, we learned that Swedish jets were grounded because the air base didn’t stock the right type of fuel. Today, we learned Libyan rebels were painting their vehicles pink after yet another incident in which NATO mistakenly fired on them, mistaking them for Gadaffi forces.
At the headline level, at least, both stories were funny. But they both reveal what happens in coalition warfare when forces who have not previously trained together are suddenly fighting on the same team.
I explore this in some detail in my New Atlanticist post: “Libya SNAFU: You Get What You Train For.”
