Posted 11.08.2010 at 2:06 pm
13 Comments
Polish Troops on the Ground in Afghanistan
Polish Ministry of National Defence
In Afghanistan, perhaps more so than in a small Polish town, it’s important to know exactly where you’re going. So you can imagine the frustration felt by Polish troops serving in Afghanistan when faulty GPS equipment told them that they weren’t in Afghanistan, but in one of several African nations or back home in the small town of Zielona Gora in Western Poland.
The equipment, according to one Polish officer quoted in the Polish press, has caused some units to become completely disoriented in the Afghan frontier, a place where coalition soldiers really don’t want to be wandering around aimlessly. The GPS units have also been criticized for poor battery life and taking a long time to respond to requests – in some cases up to 15 minutes. Polish prosecutors are in the midst of an investigation into corrupt procurement practices in the military, which they say is to blame for the purchase of the faulty equipment.
In warfare and geopolitics, of course, location is everything. The Poles aren’t the only ones to suffer military blunders at the hands of geolocation technology this week. Nicaraguan troops mistakenly invaded a Costa Rican town across the border last week – lowering the Costa Rican flag and raising their own – after a Google Maps glitch showed the town was actually in Nicaraguan territory. Nicaragua blamed Google for the brief incursion and the Organization of American States and the UN Security Council are now mediating a resolution. Oops.
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WOW LMAO. Major fail >xD
*D Ace Lee*____Bobcat ftw____
ok, rule number one of war, don't invade based on good maps. even if they do have really good images. rule number two, after going to war based one google maps don't admit you used google maps as a basis for war.....
sorry, thats supposed to say google maps, not good maps
Shit is always happen , always some people fail but such stupid mistake with GPS , damn!! It can't fail!!! this is why still we can't win with some crazy guys....
Queue the Polish jokes in 3, 2, 1...
The Polish people were getting really pissed off about people telling all these Pollock jokes so they decided to stage a march on Washington.
When last heard from, they were 10 miles out of Seattle.
Wow, using racial slangs and stereotypes... very intelligent. I guess we have some community college grads writing in this evening!!!
Polish jokes are about as old as Atari. So just move on, 70's are over...
Don't blame it on the Polish soldiers, its the owners of the companies who provide the data to the GPS's who are are not responsible enough to provide accurate information to the system. Soldiers can only win against the enemies with the proper equipment. They are not manufacturers but are trained to fight. These soldiers are not fighting for Poland, because Poland is in no danger from Afghanistan, but chose to fight along side the American army for the peace of mind for American Citizens and Global Peace.
I thought the little tidbit about Nicaragua and Costa Rica was actually funnier.
Wow. Using Google Maps as a basis for invasion.
And then they have the audacity to BLAME Google... I mean, can you imagine?
"We invaded the wrong city because of your glitch!"
Google: "Wait, you're a military force and you used our Maps service to... wait, WHAT?"
Clarification:
-------------------
La Nacion — the largest newspaper in Costa Rica — says the Nicaraguan commander, Eden Pastora, used Google Maps to “justify” the incursion
-------------------
However, Mr. Pastora... says that he wasn't relying on Google maps at all, but was using a map associated with an 1858 treaty... reports the Toronto-based The Star.
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And Google seems like it just got sucked into something bigger, and wasn't really the source of the issue.
------------------------------------
The recent border dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua is a sign of an ambitious plan by Venezuela, Iran and Nicaragua to create a "Nicaragua Canal" linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans that would rival the existing Panama Canal.
Sources in Latin America have told Haaretz that the border incident and the military pressure on Costa Rica, a country without an army, are the first step in a plan formulated by Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, with funding and assistance from Iran, to create a substitute for the strategically and economically important Panama Canal.
www.haaretz.com/news/international/iran-venezuela-plan-to-build-rival-to-panama-canal-1.324173?localLinksEnabled=false
___________
*D Ace Lee*
\m/(>,<)\m/
It's the person's fault that made the gps but it's also the soldiers fault for not checking the gear to make sure it works before they left with it.
What Polish are doing in Afghanistan, the country they don't even have border with?
I imagine, this is why GPS' were programed to induce them into thinking they were in Poland. Otherwise they would not follow the stupid leaders agreements to participate in this aggression.
The first historical participation of Poland in the aggression of another country... a historical shame.