Say it isn't so.....

Before you say something like: "Oh, those Brits....always bitching....."

Realize that General Metz has been in charge of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization since November of 2007.....so he should know.

The Brits have lost 246 troops in Afghanistan....more than a quarter of the 882 US losses. This is disproportionate to the size of the relative populations of the two countries, of course.

From the Daily Mail....

US 'won't share secret of beating roadside bombs'

By Christopher Leake, Mail On Sunday Defence Editor
Last updated at 11:09 PM on 09th January 2010

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The United States was accused last night of refusing to share with Britain the latest technology it uses against roadside bombs which have killed scores of Allied troops in Afghanistan.

US Army Lieutenant-General Thomas Metz, who retired last week as the chief officer specialising in counter-measures against the attacks, claims the UK and other coalition forces have been denied information which could save lives.

Lieut-Gen Metz has urged the Pentagon to share top-secret methods used by US forces to detect the so-called Improvised Explosive Devices and the terror networks which build them.

Deadly: Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) kill more coalition forces than any other weapon used in Afghanistan

But Pentagon chiefs have refused, arguing that if the information falls into the hands of the Taliban, new ways will be found to beat the technology.

IEDs kill more coalition forces than any other weapon used in Afghanistan.

Lieut-Gen Metz – a 61-year-old holder of two Distinguished Service Medals – described the US as ‘very timid’ in sharing intelligence.

He said: ‘If you’ve got information about the network, you don’t have to share how you got that information.

‘But it would surely be nice if your allies and your coalition partners got that part of the information that they needed to be successful.’

The officer said IEDs were often located using unmanned drone aircraft equipped with sensors to detect where ground has been disturbed to bury explosives. It is understood Britain does not possess this technology.

The Americans also use robotic helicopters to track the vehicles of insurgents planting bombs.

Military sources say there is no question of the US refusing to use its superior technology to help save the lives of British combat troops.

Last night, Shadow Defence Secretary Dr Liam Fox said: ‘Information is key to operational success, and in any coalition operation if we expect better burden-sharing, we must have information-sharing.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1242008/US-wont-share-secret-beating-roadside-bombs.html#ixzz0cBHaYWHg