Just why are people doing the thing that I said they should do?

Continuing to track the Ukraine war and related events in Europe, I read an article this week about some Eastern European countries returning to the use of land mines, and as an aside they threw this in about border roads: "They also aim to plant trees along important roads to provide camouflage for civilians and soldiers."

Yes, I published something two years ago saying, do that (suprisingly, I guess I never reposted it here). It reminds me a little about the dispatchable hydropower thing also happening. It's weird that they're now doing these things.

My guess is that a few plaintive blog posts about dispatchable hydropower probably had no impact on events, although I guess you never know. I'm slightly more hopeful that I had some marginal effect on defensive rewilding, at least in Europe, which has progressed to the point where it's mentioned casually.

Anyway, last week The American Society of Military Engineers published my co-authored piece on defensive wetlanding, arguing that wetland restoration and creation in the right locations can provide significant military advantages to defenders (as well as helping the environment), and so they should do it. I also said the US Army Corps of Engineers is especially well situated to do this, because their combat responsibilities make them fully aware of how difficult it is to cross wetlands, and their domestic environmental responsibilities under the Clean Water Act make them experts in wetland restoration and creation.

Rabett readers get the exclusive chance to see my original introductory paragraph, which sadly did not survive the editing process:

Few military analysts have noted the similarity between the US Army Corps of Engineers and a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. Still, those of a certain age might remember the candy’s slogan, “Two great tastes that taste great together.” Peanut butter corresponds to USACE’s domestic responsibilities and expertise under the Clean Water Act to protect, restore, and create wetlands. Chocolate corresponds to its overseas military responsibilities to cross difficult terrain, something that acknowledges the incredible defensive barrier that wetlands impose. USACE can and should put these tastes together through “defensive wetlanding,” actively using its expertise on wetland restoration to help allies enhance defensive terrain through wetland creation and expansion, simultaneously yielding both defensive and environmental benefits. 

The full article is here. Ironically, in recent months (after we submitted) there are at least two other articles that also discuss forms of defensive wetlanding, although our article is still unique.

Hopefully this will also go somewhere, maybe including here in the US.