Plan to fail.
It's an old military axiom.
That's why it was surprising when CanWest called last week to discuss a story they were working on in which the Department of National Defence said he didn't have any casualty estimates or projections for the mission in Afghanistan.
Runs contrary to everything your humble e-scribbler knows about armies anywhere, let alone the Canadian version of the beast. Even on a road trip to training ranges at Mackinsons, there'd be provisions for a road accident or for a cut or scrape. There'd be a casualty estimate - even if it was zero - and there'd be contingency plans to deal with what would occur if something went off the rails.
But no cas estimates at all?
Sheeet, in the work up for a possible deployment to the Persian Gulf in 1990, the Canadian army included a casualty estimate in Contingency Operations Plan Broadsword.
In a 1995 international exercise, casualty estimates were prepared as part of the normal planning routine. That situation was a bit special since the public affairs officers on the exercise - role-playing media - used their knowledge of the military world to ask questions most journalists would miss.
The media briefer - somewhat inexperienced with reporters - talked frankly about the whole thing, referring to a certain number of casualties as light. In his world, they were light. To the rest of us out here in the world, the numbers he used would be considered appalling. They actually weren't appalling, but civilian sensibilities have changed with 60-odd years of peace.
Anyway, said senior officer learned the value of picking words carefully and understanding how his audiences out beyond the tent flaps might respond.
But he had casualty estimates.
His successor apparently goes to morning prayers with his boss and smiles like Dr. Flox, er, an idiot: "No sir, no casualties. None. Nada. And we know because we didn't prepare a casualty estimate."
Sounds like every anal ops officer or J7 plans guy you'd ever meet.