It's a long time since I that to think like a Rupert but we were having a discussion about the number of troops necessary to secure and hold ground and we chose the Hope Valley as an example.
You'd need a checkpoint at the top of edale, one in castleton, one in Eyam, one at Grindleford and one at the Fox house, one at Bradwell and one at Buxton.
Each CP would need a minimum of 8 men on duty at a time, so taking into account rotation, that's 40 per CP making a total of 280. The add some patroling, in say section size, another 2 platoons roughly 80. Add some HQ functions and a base camp, plus of course the guards, catering, MT etc, maybe some artillery cover and so on another 150 and you'd have basic command over the roads and a limited response option. That's 500 people and that's for securing ground and holding ground not combat.
Now consider the fact that there's a lot of actual fighting going on, so if you're going to be engaging in combat you'd be looking at at least a battalion plus the extras, artillery etc, Perhaps another 500 or so.
Helmand is one province of a very large country with poor infrastructre and roads which make supply and re supply difficult to say the least.
To make matters worse we're not fighting a standing army or an invading force we're largely fighting people who live there. All they have to do to win is still be there when we've run out of patience.
We're not fighting to support a legitimate government, we're not fighting to maintain social structures that the locals want and services that they rely on.
In fact I'm not really sure that we know what we're fighting for. I'd actually prefer that we didn't for if those i/c think that we're fighting to establish a western style liberal non religious state then we're truly fucked.
Bringing electricity to remote areas isn't going to build a civil society anymore than Rupert Murdoch pumping his sewerage into our homes will lead to the breakdown of our society.
