When the news began to break regarding the attack mounted by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) against PNS Mehran Base, I moved into alternative media outlets for my look at the news. The Taliban have adapted to the tactics of standing professional armies and retain their own loose corps of embedded journalists and photographers to document their military operations. Images and reports found their way to a jihad forum even as the battle continued to rage. I viewed an image of a large and billowing cloud of black smoke coughing and belching into the air. Images of smaller fires cast dancing shadows on the landscape. I felt a sense of kinship with those on the base. The tendrils of acrid smoke stinging eyes and nostrils can be a recognisable smell of war. In close quarters, the additional well-known olfactory stimuli are those of sweat, stink and fear. As a navy officer, I understand the sense of shock for military personnel who are attacked within the confines of a military installation. It is considered to be a secured space. I have found myself at the gate of my own installation passing through a security net with a current ThreatCon posted, having my ID analysed, and then receiving a salute of recognition for my rank. Dependent on the threat level, either two armed guards or several guards are at the gate. Additional countermeasures exist and layers of protection make the base a relatively safe haven. Passing down the main boulevard, a sense of peace ensues. The airfield is nearby and the sound of aircraft taking off and landing remind me that our sovereignty includes the airspace above my head. The armoury is well stocked and military police are scattered across the base to provide for the daily operational security needs of the installation. Every now and then the base fire truck can be seen lumbering down the road. Flags wave on their poles, digital message boards stream their plan of the day or arrival of any dignitary. The larger bases will have designated live fire areas for exercises, and places such as Fort Hood have more tanks than the average car lot. It is quite a thrill to fly over Fort Hood in a Chinook and see hundreds of tanks lined up below. It is even a greater thrill to take flight in a bird of prey and play ‘map the world’ with the mountainous terrain in California. It is especially important that our US military bases be properly secured because many of them house facilities used by military families such as a base commissary or clinic. Our bases also sport bowling alleys and movie theatres. So seeing children and even small babies on our bases is not uncommon. Our culture is one that supports the military family as opposed to the sole military member. The larger installations also provide quarters and housing for military families. So my own reaction was visceral as I kept up with the evolving news regarding PNS Mehran Base. ‘They’ touch ‘you’ and they have touched a counterpart who also wears the cloth of her nation with pride. The TTP has attacked an institution. They did the same in October of 2009 when attacking Army GHQ at Rawalpindi. But in this particular case, the military has lost two rather expensive assets — surveillance aircraft, which are a necessary part of an air arsenal required to protect your vast border, which is shared with Afghanistan. This attack has the look of greater sophistication. It is an attack that took advantage of security deficits within the confines of what was meant to be a secured environment. After-action reports and extensive debriefings will provide for a complete picture of the perimeter weaknesses and deficiencies that allowed for primitive tools such as two ladders and wire cutters to be used as the beginning point of mounting an attack. Patrol schedules, lighting to the area and other minuscule and seemingly unimportant details will now be examined. These meetings will provide the platform for future security arrangements to guard vital assets such as the two P-3C Orions that were lost. The more sensitive issue to resolve will be determining how half a dozen individuals were capable of sustaining a 16-hour pitched battle within the confines of an established military installation. The enemy must always be given at least a small measure of grudging respect for such things. Their capability to formulate and carry out a plan of action in a rather successful manner merits consideration. History remembers the winners and the losers quickly fade from life’s page. That is just the way it works. What things can we learn from the manner in which the Taliban team set about their task? What lessons can be taken away from the attack? The stakes are greater with this targeted attack on a navy airbase. Strikes against civilians are one thing. But strikes against institutions constitute a different level of play. When a military installation, school or house of worship is targeted, it is meant to send a message to government. The institutions in place, which provide for the foundations of civil society, are now under attack from the Taliban. This particular operation also has the look of a first wave hitting the shore. Others will undoubtedly follow. Actions always follow words. And the words and grammar of the Taliban since the death of Osama bin Laden present the image of a taunting political ideology with the backing of a cagey and adept organization, which is seeking the challenge of more difficult targets. For the loss of life at PNS Mehran Base my sincere condolences. The men will be buried with the military honours that Pakistan bestows on their fallen. For the widows and orphans left behind, my sincerest sympathy. And for the nation of Pakistan, I wish for a secure national landscape, which starts with consideration of the citizen and ends with respect and security for your own commander-in-chief. The writer is a Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy Reserves. She can be reached at tammyswof@msn.com