Consequences of inadequate docs/training

[Sandy Harris <pashley -at- storm -dot- ca>]

Seen on another list:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8853-2002Mar23.html

> 'Friendly Fire' Deaths Traced to Dead Battery
> Taliban Targeted, but U.S. Forces Killed
>        
> ... the Air Force combat controller was using a Precision Lightweight
> GPS Receiver, ... to calculate the Taliban's coordinates for a B-52
> attack. ...
>
> Then, with the B-52 approaching the target, ... the receiver battery
> died.
>
> Without realizing the machine was programmed to come back on showing
> the coordinates of its own location, the controller mistakenly called
> in the American position to the B-52. ... 
>
> ... the incident shows that the Air Force and Army have a serious
> training problem that needs to be corrected. "We need to know how 
> our equipment works; when the battery is changed, it defaults to
> his own location," the official said. "We've got to make sure our
> people understand this."

This struck me as an object lesson in, among other things, the 
importance of documentation, testing, training, ...

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