"Should we expect more surprises in Afghanistan?"

Absolutely. That’s the short answer.

The question comes from a researcher and graduate student at the Turkish National Military Academy. Fairly put, it wasn’t that simple, but came in the middle of a long and well-considered commentary to me on the evolution of the MRAP concept. I’ll have more to say about that in the next few weeks, but for now, let me at least add that the surprises don’t all come from the Taliban.

NATO, that is, has more than a few of its own, and industry is a major source of those. As I was browsing through my photo library today, I noticed that my picture of Oshkosh’s famed Terramax robotic truck was from last year’s AUVSI symposium. Granted, that was the truck that crashed through the post exchange at DARPA’s Urban Challenge, but the field was impressive all the same. After this year’s AUVSI and other shows of the trade, we can imagine what surprises the Taliban will be facing in 2010.

Could it happen to a more deserving lot? I think not, which makes relishing the thought all the more satisfying. Offensive innovation is also rewarding when done right—both for the forces and the folks supplying them.