The Taliban with Night Vision Goggles – What Could Go Wrong?

The United States outfitted the Afghan “army” with billions of dollars worth of equipment. Then one day the Taliban, emboldened by the weakness and incompetence of Joe Biden, went on the move and started taking control of Afghanistan. The highly-trained Afghan army dropped their weapons and quit. Furthermore, the United States abandoned one of their air force bases leaving approximately $83 billion worth of equipment, weapons, and ammunition behind (including the cost to train the Afghan army).

That is the short version of the story which doesn’t even begin to touch on the complexities of everything involved in the U.S. pull-out of Afghanistan. The main point here is that the Taliban now has access to and control of insane amounts of U.S. military equipment and intel. This is not good!

U.S. Military Equipment Left in Afghanistan

The list of equipment left in Afghanistan, and the cost to U.S. taxpayers, is staggering. This article on Forbes lists out every item in detail and breaks down the costs. It will make you sick. The military vehicles and the aircraft are some of the obvious high-cost items that contributed greatly to the overall total. For whatever reason – I am intrigued by some of the ‘smaller’ or ‘lower-priced’ items – like the night vision goggles.

I mean… night vision goggles. Albeit – the ones the army provided were above average and insanely high-quality. But really… anybody can purchase a decent pair of night vision goggles. Here is what one article had to say about the night-vision goggles that the U.S. Army left behind…

Night vision devices: The total cost for the 16,000 night-vision goggles alone could run as high as $80 million. Individually, the high-tech goggles were priced between $2,742 and $5,000 by the DLA. Other equipment like image intensifiers are commonly priced at $10,747 each; however, sophisticated models run as high as $66,000 each. ~ quoted from this article on Forbes.com

Another article on Reuters dives into some of tactical advantages the Taliban can get with their newfound warchest, courtesy of the United States of America. Here is some of what it says about the night-vision goggles…

There is a more immediate concern about some of the easier- to-use weapons and equipment, such as night-vision goggles.

Since 2003 the United States has provided Afghan forces with at least 600,000 infantry weapons including M16 assault rifles, 162,000 pieces of communication equipment, and 16,000 night-vision goggle devices.

“The ability to operate at night is a real game-changer,” one congressional aide told Reuters. ~ quoted from this article on Reuters.com

Be Like the Taliban Army and Get Your Own Night-Vision Goggles!

Okay… don’t be like the Taliban army. They are evil. And nobody is saying that the U.S. government will provide you with night-vision goggles free of charge. But… you can purchase your own pair if you wish. Wouldn’t it be cool to have your own night-vision goggles? Check out this pair for sale on Amazon (one of the top-rated in its category)…

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HEXEUM Night Vision Goggles Night Vision Binoculars for Adults – Digital Infrared Binoculars can Save Photo and Video with 32GB Memory Card

• Professional Full Optical Binocular System: Quality optical clarity, high-performance digital night vision binoculars with CMOS sensor achieve clear view up to 3X magnification. 4X digital zoom allows the user to zoom in on an object or zoom out to a broader perspective. 24mm objective aperture and 10°angle of view offer you more full field. Perfect binoculars for outdoor activities, night hunting, patrol detection, security and surveilla, search & rescue, camping, watching wildlife and scenery.
• Large Wide Screen: Night Vision Scope with 2.31 TFT view screen, convert to 3 large viewing screen by the convex lens. This night vision binoculars combine an excellent fully multi-coated all-optical system with a video camera, can take HD images & 960p videos with vivid detail from 400m/1300ft viewing range for 100% Darkness.
• Long Viewing Range: Outstanding optical clarity, high performance digital night vision binoculars,enable you to observe the target in complete darkness and the range up to 1300ft/400m. 7 gears infrared adjustment, according to dark environment. The higher the infrared light gear is adjusted, the farther and clearer the observation is.
• Day & Night Use: Up to 8 hours continuous runtime with IR illuminator on or 17 runtime without IR. 32GB free memory storage (Included); Operates on 6 AA Non-rechargeable batteries (NOT Included), no worry the battery drain out for the long time monitoring; Easily connect with computer; IP66 Water resistance; Tripod mountable; Date and time, GPS ID stamped on picture and video.
• What You Get: Package include: 1 x Night Vision Goggles, 1 x Backpack, 1 x Neck Strap, 1 x 32GB SD Card, 1 x Data Cable, 1 x User Manual, 1 x Cleaning Cloth.

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