Q about Military training

[David DeCristoforo]

Why not just lie?
Tell the torturers stuff that doesn't matter without key details, stuff that is essentially public info. Make stuff up....Am I missing something here?

No you are not missing anything. In fact, this is the most valid argument against torture. The basic theory is that a person will do exactly as you suggest in order to get their tormentors to stop. So information gained by these methods is usually not worth much anyway. We are supposed to understand this and accept it as one of the reasons we don't do this stuff. The idea that these methods are being employed on any level by anyone associated with our country is unconscionable and should make us all ashamed. And anyone who has endured this kind of treatment in the service of his or her country should be granted at least a comfortable living for the remainder of his or her life.

[Scott Kilroy]

Why not just lie?
Tell the torturers stuff that doesn't matter without key details, stuff that is essentially public info. Make stuff up. Describe scary sharp to them and tell them it is the new way to polish sub propellers to be quieter.
Am I missing something here?

Some people are good at lying, but most aren't. Think about what you did for the past three days. Now imagine that you have to give a detailed account for your time but need to lie. You have to invent 72 hours and you're going to be asked a lot of details. You're going to be asked to repeat the story over and over by someone who's going to try to trip you up and when you make a mistake they're going to hurt you.

The move Unforgiven has a brief but accurate example of how torturing for information works.

[M Toupin]

Why not just lie?
Tell the torturers stuff that doesn't matter without key details, stuff that is essentially public info. Make stuff up. Describe scary sharp to them and tell them it is the new way to polish sub propellers to be quieter.
Am I missing something here?

Service members are supposed to abide by the Military Code of Conduct
http://www.armystudyguide.com/conten...-conduct.shtml

Bottom line is you're supposed to evade answering questions to the utmost of your ability.

Everyone breaks, it's just a matter of how soon. Professional interrogators are just that, professional. They can spot a lie from a mile away. You'd be surprised what you'd say after a few days of sleep deprivation and a side order of pain. Military interrogation is not a game you want to play, especially with someone who doesn't abide by the Geneva Convention.

Mike

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Service members are supposed to abide by the Military Code of Conduct (link omitted)

Moo-Chose Grass-EE-Ass
That's the ticket.

Of course "utmost of my ability" is a highly subjective thing.

Everyone breaks, it's just a matter of how soon.

Well terror and agony will tend to undermine even the toughest resolve.

Professional interrogators are just that, professional.

Unless there is a higher calling at play in the business I think I'd prefer to call them experts.

You'd be surprised what you'd say after a few days of sleep deprivation and a side order of pain.

Add a couple fingernails yanked out and knuckles mashed over and over and maybe a toe or three lopped off with some creative use of electricity. I have no illusions.

I was wondering because I recall being told that they instructions are not to expose yourself to physical harm. And based on that I wanted to be able to speak to the question in another dialog elsewhere.

[M Toupin]

I recall being told that they instructions are not to expose yourself to physical harm.

By the very nature of combat, one exposes himself/herself to physical harm... I'm just guessing, but I don't think you'd have a whole lot of options if you found yourself being interrogated by the other side. Never been in that situation, but I really can't see them agreeing not to torture you just because you asked nice

[Stephen Beckham]

Not sure anymore Ken - you might be on to something - with all the 'leaks' going around these days, National Security doesn't to seem have as much bite as Hippa these days...

[Steve Benson]

As i am currently in the Navy and have spent the last 6 years on a sub i will say i have never attended code of conduct training. Not saying that is a correct thing. I have attended lots of training, but i feel that the likelihood of them capturing me from the engineroom of a sub is unlikely. Also if we had to abandon ship and got rescued off the coast of china lets say and they captured the crew, let me tell you i wouldn't be the person to talk to about what the sub was doing.

Steve

[Joe Chritz]

The days of "civilized" armies are long over.

Never die with live ammo left.

Interrogation is an interesting field. I have had a fair amount of training in conducting both interviews (giving information voluntarily) and interrogation (giving information involuntarily).

True physical torture always gets information and almost always incomplete and unreliable information. There are better ways to generate stress.

Joe

[Ben Rafael]

The days of "civilized" armies are long over.

Never die with live ammo left.

Interrogation is an interesting field. I have had a fair amount of training in conducting both interviews (giving information voluntarily) and interrogation (giving information involuntarily).

True physical torture always gets information and almost always incomplete and unreliable information. There are better ways to generate stress.

Joe

Anybody who has kids, if you can remember when they were babies, knows that sleep deprivation is the best form of torture, it is brutal and leaves no marks.