HAMMER: As UN forces marched north, there was evidence of the Chinese joining the conflict. Despite the evidence, General MacArthur and his staff believed “the Chinese would not dare intervene” They assessed that they lacked the Military capability to bring significant forces into the conflict and even if that was possible the US air superiority would make quick work of them. What do you think we are “wishing away”? What are capability or piece of equipment are we putting too much reliance on?

The command team was placing too much emphasis on ISR assets that, while very effective against massed armored and motorized formations has limited efficacy against a disciplined light infantry formation. The Chinese minimized their footprint, either intentionally or by virtue of limited resources, which meant the only signature they were leaving was their own soldiers being captured and speaking Chinese to their captors. Americans have historically had a tended toward material solutions to problems, which does tend to work often but can cause dependence and a loss and scramble for another solution when the enemy doesn’t play by the rules our tech does.