US all at sea over French code name

[ariweiner]

US all at sea over French code name
By Henry Samuel in Paris
(Filed: 14/04/2004)

American confusion between a French lobster and the fugitive leader of the Taliban forced a French special forces officer in Afghanistan to change his code name, it was reported yesterday.

The officer, leading a commando unit from the French marines, had chosen Homard - French for lobster - to identify himself when signing off his radio communications.

But to Americans eavesdropping on radio traffic, the name sounded as if "Omar" - Mullah Omar, the one-eyed Taliban leader known to have provided shelter and assistance to Osama bin Laden - had taken to the airwaves.

At the insistence of US forces the lobster code name was dropped, according to sources quoted by the newspaper Liberation.

The replacement codename has not been disclosed.

The marine unit is part of around 200 French troops involved in tracking al-Qa'eda operatives in the mountains of south-eastern Afghanistan.

A French army spokesman declined to comment.

[Vance]

Teehee.

[obd]

hehe, funny. But still it makes sense. English should be the primary language over military radio nets, just as English is the universal language for air traffic control....it just makes sense......

[Haiw]

hehe, funny. But still it makes sense. English should be the primary language over military radio nets, just as English is the universal language for air traffic control....it just makes sense......
And how would that make sense if it was just French guys talking to each other?!

[Ichhabe]

hehe, funny. But still it makes sense. English should be the primary language over military radio nets, just as English is the universal language for air traffic control....it just makes sense......


But it would make sense if they were postal workers. Cause that is the universial language handlig postal affairs. ;)

[Soulhunter]

lol :D

[mi35d]

Then again, if they are working a joint mission with US troops they might want to use English.

[Jehuty]

Then again, if they are working a joint mission with US troops they might want to use English.

We tend to like speaking French between us. Go figure :roll:

[Royal]

Then again, if they are working a joint mission with US troops they might want to use English.

or the US troops could try a bit of French, it being the other official language of NATO/OTAN and all...

[Truthsayer]

I just noted that it nowhere says that they actually spoke french.

Maybe the accent alone was responsible?

[Pégase]

there are around 1300 French soldiers involved in Afghanistan today

what do you think about this article :
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/cusf/analysis/shapiro.pdf

[mack pl]

Maybe esperanto should be a primary language in NATO :|

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

Having said it a few times to myself it still does not sound like Omar.

[Dalleer]

All this trouble over a lobster....

[Vance]

Having said it a few times to myself it still does not sound like Omar.
Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.
Do you drop the "d" as well?

[Royal]

Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.
Do you drop the "d" as well?

Yes.

[Mr Gently Benevolent]

Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.
Do you drop the "d" as well?

Yes.
Oh well Omar it is then. :)

[Dave the Dawg]

Non sequitur:

In the McDonalds in Quebec City they had a lobster sandwich called the McHomard.

[scm77]

I remember that! It was horrible. :(

[injetores que chamejam]

Then again, if they are working a joint mission with US troops they might want to use English.

or the US troops could try a bit of French, it being the other official language of NATO/OTAN and all...

There are more American troops there than French troops. So they should speak English.

[gilgoul]

Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.
Do you drop the "d" as well?

yep, the H and the D are not ****ounced, so basically it sounds exactly like Omar.

[Marmot1]

Sure it does. Unless I'm ****ouncing it wrong.
Do you drop the "d" as well?
yeah you must almost drop "h" and "d" homard

[GazB]

So this Omar guy is using his real name over radio communications... and they still haven't caught the schmuck?

And how many other Omars are there in the region?

Pretty funny that one codename for one guy is holding up capturing this terr... are the expecting an address and phone number too?

[Saranof]

Then again, if they are working a joint mission with US troops they might want to use English.

or the US troops could try a bit of French, it being the other official language of NATO/OTAN and all...

There are more American troops there than French troops. So they should speak English.

Even when the french are talking to eachother?

[BlackRain]

there are around 1300 French soldiers involved in Afghanistan today

what do you think about this article :
http://www.brookings.edu/fp/cusf/analysis/shapiro.pdf

What are your referring to in the report? This section?


On the U.S. side, the rapid victory by mostly U.S. and Afghan forces over the Taliban government in Afghanistan has led many in the U.S. to assert that the European allies are neither necessary nor effective for military strikes against terrorist nations. From this perspective, allied forces are perhaps useful for intelligence and post-conflict reconstruction but are of only symbolic importance for the actual fight and in practice hinder operations through their incessant demands for consultation and control.

Page: 3

[Royal]

On the U.S. side, the rapid victory by mostly U.S. and Afghan forces over the Taliban government in Afghanistan has led many in the U.S. to assert that the European allies are neither necessary nor effective for military strikes against terrorist nations. From this perspective, allied forces are perhaps useful for intelligence and post-conflict reconstruction but are of only symbolic importance for the actual fight and in practice hinder operations through their incessant demands for consultation and control.

I'll remember that next time some f**ker's shooting at/mortaring me :(

[Dave the Dawg]

The officer, leading a commando unit from the French marines, had chosen Homard - French for lobster - to identify himself when signing off his radio communications.
***
A French army spokesman declined to comment.

The officer was from the commandos marine, part of the French Navy, so I am not surprised a "French army spokesman declined to comment". Also, according to the original Libération story, this all occurred last summer, when the French first deployed.

[weedman]

English should be the primary language over military radio nets, just as English is the universal language for air traffic control....it just makes sense......Explain that :roll:

[tooms]

English should be the primary language over military radio nets, just as English is the universal language for air traffic control....it just makes sense......Explain that :roll:


I agree with ODB when a different country is involved.

Otherwise, it's useless.

[n.ignomo]

Anyway this one could have chosen another code name by thinking a bit more :cantbeli:
If there were 300 US and 298 french, you would tell all the french to use english ? with that american accent most of them wouldn't get, and with our well known french accent US troops wouldn't get it too.
I VOTE FOR ESPERANTO