nickh, regardless of this incident - I would say that it's pointless just being "the way we always were" and so on. The army must change to be considered 'the best fighting force' yadda yadda, because the world is different. It's changed, fundamentally, even from 20 years ago. Media coverage and so on is such now that leaders MUST do things to be seen to be safeguarding their troops for the civvies. No longer can so many things be glossed over, brushed under the table. Like when the yank soldiers raped and murdered that whole family a few years back. It would not always have been found out, and the reputation of US troops at the time would ahve been damaged locally, primarily, but not internationally. **** always happens as a result of troops being dicks, but Mai lai was a seachange and it's only getting more that way. In truth, of course - troops shouldn't be doing these things, so in that regard, it's a positive. But armies have to be seen to be squeaky clean these days, which may, in pragmatic terms, constrain their efficiency as a force - certainly if they try to act within the paramters of yesteryear.