June 2006 Archives
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Two Views of Terrorism
By Charlie
The way I see it, there are two main views on terrorism. With the execrable Hamdan decision this week, I thought it apt to distill the terror argument down to two simple choices: we are either at war, or we are not.
If we are at war, terrorism can be defeated. If we aren’t, terrorism can be managed.
At war, everything must be done to prevent the next terrorist attack. At non-war, some measures may be taken to prevent terrorism, as long as they are not controversial.
Those who see a war on terror see terrorism driven by factors we can influence, like tyranny, hateful cultures, corruption, and extremism. Those who view it as a law enforcement issue see terrorism driven by factors we cannot influence, like tyranny, hateful cultures, corruption, and extremism.
At war, terrorists are war criminals, and are lucky to be spared summary execution on the battlefield. At non-war, terrorists are afforded “rights.”
At war, the “laws of war” and Geneva convention are applied to conflicts. When unlawful combatants break the rules, they fall into a new category. When not at war, law enforcement rules are applied, and things like evidence, chain-of-custody, and Miranda rights are considered for terrorists who flaunt the rule of law.
Iranian "fighters" captured in Iraq
By Charlie
"IRANIAN PRISONERS"The captain and other Interior Ministry sources said the commander of the quick reaction force, Colonel Sami Hussein, and two of his men were killed by a sniper.
No other casualties were reported from the clashes and police said it was not clear how many civilians had been killed or wounded in the initial shooting at the convoy. The wounded were taken to a hospital in Baquba.
"We captured a number of militants and were surprised to see that some of them were Iranian fighters," the police intelligence captain said.
An Interior Ministry official, who did not want to be named, also said Iranian gunmen had been captured. Baquba lies 90 km (60 miles) from the Iranian border.
The United States and Britain have accused Shi'ite Iran of meddling in Iraq's affairs and providing military assistance to Iraq's pro-government Shi'ite militias. However, there have been few instances of Iranians actually being captured inside Iraq.
Iranian SF captued in Iraq? Let's put this on page one, editors! Better yet, let's hold them hostage and make outrageous demands!
Snap, Crackle, Pop! An OPFOR Podcast
By Charlie
Hey folks. John and I have finished another podcast, about the current situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
John and I have disagreed in the past over the nature of Israeli/Palestinian engagement, and I think we actually arrive at a consensus during our discussion.
Moving on, John and I are trying to sync our schedules to put up a weekly podcast. Our largest barrier is technology. So, as usual, we need to reach out to the audience for help.
How can we fix our podcasts, get rid of the pops, and improve our sound quality?
Technology Update!
By Charlie
Well, I went for the upgraded Toshiba Notebook, the Satellite A105-S4014. It has a biometric fignerprint reader on it, which lets me substitute passwords for my fingerprint.
Thanks to everyone who commented. Except those who recommended Macs. You all are communists*.
Read More »
Breathing Into A Paper Bag, Trying To Stay Calm
By Maj P
Go read this: Supreme Court Rejects Guantanamo War Crimes Trials.
I'm freaking livid. (Language warning!) So is Michelle Malkin, who is more genteel but no less angry.
This gets filed under "The Long War." Yeah. With stuff like this, it'll be a very long war indeed.
Maj P
ps: As the Greaseman says, AND THEY ASK ME WHY I DRINK?
Destination Unknown
By John
The venerable LT SMASH (LT CMDR SMASH, actually) is deploying again. Smooth Seas, Swabbie.
View from the Front
By Charlie
Reader Owen sends me this:
Here's a quick report from former SSG Dave Bellavia, winner of the Conspicuous Service Cross for his actions in Fallujah, who is in Ramadi embedded with the Iraqi Army. His perspective up at the front is far different than the Green Zone din.
Bellavia Sends:
After taking down the mosque and still in a rough area of Ramadi, the Iraqi soldiers began the unprecedented task of cleaning up the mosque. They painted walls, scrubbed floors, fixed doors and repaired broken windows. I told one Iraqi officer, "You guys know there is a war going on right?"
He responded by saying, "Some things are more important than war"…
...Girls in cheap plastic sandals smacked the back end of a donkey as it squealed down the road. I chased after the donkey yelling, "Papa.. Papa". The Iraqis and the children all laughed. It was hard to remember this was home town of so much grizzly violence.
We made it back to the OP site when 2nd Battalion arrived from the 1st Brigade, 1st IA. All these soldiers hanging out. I didn't understand them, they don't understand me... but we are both soldiers. We chain smoke. LAugh. Talk about cars and women. These IA soldiers have the most expensive cell phones I have ever seen. THey must cost 500 dollars a piece. I ask one of the officers how they can afford them. He tells me, "young soldiers is stupid with money. They buy stupid". We are all the same...
...The noise wasn't consistent and when they came closer I could see what appeared to be dump trucks. They stopped and began throwing garbage in the back I was amazed. The municipal govt center in Ramadi have sent in garbage trucks to clean east ramadi. The Iraqi Army shows a pressence for only 24 hours deep in the city, and already the garbage services are being delivered. Ladies and Gentelmen, this is how you win the will of the people. This is where victory will be won in Iraq.
Hotel Tango http://www.vetsforfreedom.org/blog/
Another One Bites the Dust
By Charlie
The Golden Dome Mosque.
Al Qaeda's last stand in Iraq -the one operation that could have split the country and forced an open civil war- failed. One of the scumbags that planned it was rounded up by the Iraqis:
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Eleven Sunni insurgent groups have offered an immediate halt to all attacks -- including those on American troops -- if the U.S. agrees to withdraw foreign forces from Iraq in two years, insurgent and government officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.In other developments Wednesday, a top Iraqi security official on Wednesday said authorities had arrested a key al Qaeda suspect wanted in the bombing of the Shiite Golden Dome shrine last February in Samarra.
Terrorism is still a huge slice of the violence pie in Iraq, but ethno-sectarian killings are by far the most dangerous and easily spread method of mayhem. The terrorists, mostly AQ, took up the strategy of trying to foment ethno-sectarian strife, and thought that the Golden Mosque bombing would be the key to destroying the young democracy. They were wrong. Now the guy that planned it is in custody, likely coughing up the whereabouts of his cell like the coward he is.
AQ is on the run in Iraq, we've got the initiative back, and freedom is on the march.
The Corporal Conflict Update & Future implications
By Charlie
Israel Widens Operations as Gaza Incursion Enters Second DayJune 29 (Bloomberg) -- Israel expanded operations in the northern Gaza Strip, staging air raids in open areas and telling residents it may move into populated areas, as its incursion aimed at freeing a kidnapped soldier entered a second day.
Residents in Khan Yunis, Beit Hanun and other towns were told in leaflets distributed by the army to stay clear of ``combat zones,'' an Israel Defense Forces spokeswoman, who asked not to be identified, said by telephone. Soldiers are now stationed outside northern Gaza's borders, she said.
Israeli Air Force jets flew over Syrian President Bashar al- Assad's palace in Damascus early yesterday, Agence France-Presse reported, citing Syrian state television. The army spokeswoman confirmed the report, calling it a ``message'' to Syria about its possible role in the kidnapping.
The Gaza incursion is Israel's biggest in the area since it evacuated settlers last August and September after a 38-year occupation. Hopes that the pullout would reduce Palestinian attacks and help revive peace talks collapsed after Hamas won a majority in the Palestinian parliament in January and militants stepped up rocket launches from Gaza into Israel.
The operation was prompted by the kidnapping of Israeli Corporal Gilad Shilat on June 25 in a raid by Palestinians, including members of Hamas. Israel has accused Khaled Mashaal, a Hamas leader based in Damascus, of involvement in the kidnapping.
The question is: will this trigger a broader conflict? What should we be watching? Here are my suggestions.
-Iran/Lebanese Hezbollah: These guys could open up a new front with Israel, and are well supplied and well armed.
-Egypt: Their forces are staged near the border, ostensibly for “border enforcement,” which translates into keeping the Palestinians in Gaza. During conflicts, large force concentrations of opposing powers parked near each other tend to make situations less stable.
-Syria: Assad is giving material support to Hamas, and got his house buzzed this morning by Israeli fighters. Syria’s army is very degraded, with its Republican Guard probably being the only effective combat unit in the country. However their artillery assets, all aimed at Israel, are armed with the Arab world’s largest chemical weapons stock.
-Gaza itself: We’ll soon see how much of a fight Hamas can muster. Unfortunately for them, Israel is probably the only other army in the world next to us that can pull off a “Fallujah”- type operation and make it successful. BUT if Al-Aqsa makes good on its dubious WMD threat, or something goes wrong with the op, an “Intifada 3” could be launched, triggering a regional crisis.
Two powers have the ability to stop this: America and Saudi Arabia. The Saudis hold the real purse-strings to the Palestinians, and they could stop the conflict in a matter of hours. The suffering of the Palestinians plays well for them, and I doubt they’ll throw in the towel just yet. America can also put pressure on Israel –but I doubt we will.
In the end, this is what the Palestinian people voted for when they elected Hamas, a government that declared a war they cannot win.
Spetsnatz to deploy to iraq?
By Charlie
...Probably not, but this story raises my eyebrows:
MOSCOW, June 28 — President Vladimir V. Putin ordered Russia's secret services today to find and kill those who kidnapped four Russian embassy employees in Iraq and then executed them, the Kremlin announced in a statement."The president gave instructions to the Russian special services to take all measures for finding and destroying the criminals who committed this atrocity," the Kremlin said, according to the official Russian Information Agency.
The Russian president has made similarly pointed threats before — against Chechnya's separatist fighters and those who have carried out terrorist attacks in Russia. Early in the second war in Chechnya Mr. Putin vowed to destroy the separatists in their outhouses. And four Chechen separatist leaders have been killed in strikes or raids since the second war began in 1999, most recently on June 17 when Russian forces killed the latest leader, Abdul Khalim Saidullayev.
I don't know what "special services" consist of in Russia nowadays, but with remnants of the KGB, SPF, and intelligence services still intact, its probably nothing to laugh at.
Driving on, this story is relevant to the topic.
Chechnya: Basayev Appointment Sends Signal To Russia And BeyondPRAGUE, June 28, 2006 (RFE/RL) -- The man who claimed responsibility for the 2004 Beslan school siege, rebel field commander Shamil Basayev, has been appointed vice president of the breakaway republic's separatist government, putting Russia's most-wanted man next in line to become separatist president.
So... the Chechnyan VP is a terrorist. Damn America's imperialism in provoking the worldwide Islamic resistance! I've got a radical solution to this problem. US/Russian relations are pretty cool, but they might be warmed with a renewed security bargain. This bargain could include some of the arms control negotiations that Putin wants, but it should also include a forces swap. We would give Russia's armed forces some US advisors, giving them some of our COIN experience from the last 5 years of battling terrorists. Russia's performance in Chechnya during the first go-round showed that their operations could use some help.
In exchange for this, we would facilitate Russia's bloody vengance against the Iraq Islamists. Russia could deploy a few elite units, SPETSNATZ or otherwise, to help our SF forces doing COIN and our transistion command in training Iraqi forces. Most of the weapons and equipment the Iraqis use is Russian/Soviet anyway.
Just a thought...
Blame America!
By Charlie
Richard Holbrooke has discovered why the United Nations is failing in every way imaginable! I'll give you two guesses as to who he blames for this problem:
Nope! It wasn't Kofi Annan!
Read More »
Clueless Newsroom of the day
By Charlie
Fewer Hummers in Iraq: Are we withdrawing?
You'll be seeing less of these in Iraq. The U.S. military is reducing the number of Humvees and other equipment and shipping them home to be rebuilt. Is a withdrawal on the horizon? (AP Photo/Ryan Lenz)
Wow... I'll really be seeing less of these? Gosh -better tell the 3 SBCT/2ID, who will be deploying to Iraq soon (minus one LT Watada)
Here's a hint for you reporter-types out there: HMMWVs have 4 wheels. Better luck next time...
Has the 2006 War (or the corporal war) already started?
By Charlie
Israel is on the knife's edge of open war with the Palestinian people, governed by Hamas.
Fire support assets have begun to prep the battlefield already:
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli planes attacked three bridges in central Gaza, the military said Wednesday, and Israeli tanks were on the move after the government approved a limited operation — a response to a weekend Palestinian attack in which two soldiers were killed and a third captured.The Israeli military said in a statement that the object of the attacks on the bridges late Tuesday and early Wednesday was "to impair the ability of the terrorists to transfer the kidnapped soldier." Knocking down the bridges would cut Gaza in two, Palestinian security officials said.
Israeli military officials said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert approved a "limited operation" for southern Gaza, aimed at "terrorist infrastructure." The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.
Palestinian security forces said Israeli tanks were on the move near the Israeli village of Nahal Oz, a main Israeli staging area just outside Gaza, but that they had not yet entered the territory. An Associated Press reporter saw tanks moving on the Israeli side of the border fence.
Meanwhile, Israeli gunships are targetting power plants in Gaza:
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli helicopter gunships fired at least two missile into a Palestinian power plant in the central Gaza Strip on Wednesday, cutting electrical supplies to large areas of the coastal territory, witnesses said.
Egypt's forces are apparently deployed to their border, obstensibly for the purposes of blocking Palestinians from fleeing into their country (so much for Arab unity). Additionally, the Hamas hardliners in hiding in Damascus who are directing most of the violence must be sleeping a little less soundly tonight, fearing the creeping Israeli agents.
More to come on this...
Air Defense Artillery isn't dead yet
By Charlie
Way to go, North Korea. China must be seething that US/Japanese relations have warmed to the point of allowing the missile defense shield to forward deploy.
Japan and the United States, facing North Korea's apparent plans to test-launch a long-range missile, have agreed to deploy advanced Patriot interceptor missiles on American bases in Japan for the first time, officials said Monday.The U.S. plans to deploy the Patriot Advanced Capability-3 missiles -- designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or aircraft -- as soon as possible, a Japanese Defense Agency spokeswoman.
The spokeswoman, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with agency policy, said the sites and exact timing for the deployment have not yet been decided.
The plan was first reported Monday in Japan's largest newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun. It said the U.S. military would deploy three or four batteries of the surface-to-air missiles on the southern island of Okinawa by the end of the year and send 500-600 additional U.S. troops there.
Head-slapping headline of the day
By Charlie
Wars force Army equipment costs to triple
You mean wars cost the Army more money than peacetime? Somebody get the Pentagon on the line -quick!
Army testing new "land warrior" system
By Charlie
In what will be considered the cornerstone of the "network-centric warfare" doctrine, the Land Warrior system is being tested for eventual fielding in the War on Terror. Networking a vehicle, like a Styker or a tank, is fairly easy -networking a person is much more difficult. In order to network a soldier, the equipment must be wireless, secure, durable, light, and reliable.
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 22, 2006) – The Land Warrior and Mounted Warrior Soldier Systems are under operational assessment at Fort Lewis, Wash., by the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division.The U.S. Army Infantry Center conducted a side-by-side comparison between Land Warrior-equipped Soldiers and currently equipped Soldiers at Fort Benning, Ga., in late 2004
“This squad-level operational assessment demonstrated that Land Warrior capabilities do improve the combat effectiveness of Soldiers and small units engaged in dismounted operations. As a result, the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army directed us to conduct a battalion-level Land Warrior assessment,” said Col. Richard Hansen, Soldier Warrior project manager.
Land Warrior combines computers, lasers, navigation modules, radios and other technologically advanced equipment to improve Soldiers’ ability to communicate on the battlefield, their situational awareness, and, ultimately, their ability to fight effectively and survive. It was developed by Program Executive Office Soldier.
No word in the article on the weight of the thing...
24 versus Real Life
By Charlie
Here's an interesting article from National Review on the popular show 24 and national security. Some key quotes:
Make-believe antiterrorism and real antiterrorism have some things in common and many things different, but they matter to one another in this respect: What Americans watch on TV about counterterrorism operations, whether fact or fiction, affects what they expect in real life. Further, what we expect of their homeland defenses affects politicians, which in turn influence the agencies. This is where 24 matters to our real war on terror, it seems: Jack Bauer sets our expectations, which can make things tough for our leaders.
More on Jack Bauer:
On deeper examination, however, this overdependence-on-Washington criticism does not apply to 24, because 24 is a true American drama and Jack Bauer is an American hero. When I was in Germany a few years ago, a Cabinet official said that Europe was once half-full of free-thinkers and independent spirits, but then they all got up and moved to America. The American hero is the cowboy: He is Maverick, he is Han Solo, he is Batman (though, when Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Jack Bauer signal), he is the rag-tag minuteman fighting the well-trained Lobsterbacks.So Jack Bauer is not Big Brother, and he is not the establishment. Jack Bauer was expelled from CTU and he disobeys orders. He does what needs to be done and he does it in his own way. (Jack Bauer once played Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun, and won.) He is the fitting heir to Rambo and Maverick.
And like Rambo and Maverick, Bauer’s inhuman excellence (Jack Bauer, for example, could strangle you with a cordless phone) still doesn’t keep us from identifying with him. “Jack Bauer is an everyman,” Writer and Executive Producer Howard Gordon said on Friday, “he is the guy who stands for that American, can-do thing.”
On a closing note, Jack Bauer can eat five times his body weight in terrorists.
Picture of the Day: Northern Edge
By John
Continuing our theme of random military hardware juxtaposed against equally random nature scenes....
U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft perform maneuvers over Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, June 14, 2006, during exercise Northern Edge 2006. The joint exercise is one of a series of U.S. Pacific Command exercises that prepare joint forces to respond to crises in the Asian Pacific region. The aircraft are from 112th Fighter Squadron, Ohio Air National Guard.
Emphasis mine. Just sayin'...
Palestinian Terror Group Boasts of Chemwar Capabilities
By John
Al-Aksa claims chemical capabilities
The Aksa Martyrs Brigades announced on Sunday that its members have succeeded in manufacturing chemical and biological weapons.In a leaflet distributed in the Gaza Strip, the group, which belongs to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah Party, said the weapons were the result of a three-year effort.
According to the statement, the first of its kind, the group has managed to manufacture and develop at least 20 different types of biological and chemical weapons.
The group said its members would not hesitate to add the new weapons to Kassam rockets that are being fired at Israeli communities almost every day. It also threatened to use the weapons against IDF soldiers if Israel carried out its threats to invade the Gaza Strip.
You'll notice that Al-Aksa specifically mentioned mating the chem and bio war weapons with Kassam artillery rockets. That was deliberate. Ever since Israel's successful employment of the West Bank and Gaza security barriers, those rockets have been the only real means for Palestinian terror groups to take Israeli lives.
However, concern over this story should transcend the intitial attack. Successful employment of chemical or biological weapons in Israel could signal the end of the tiny Jewish state's policy of keeping within its recently solidified borders. Another Operation Defense Shield could provide terror groups with the opening they need to launch a third intafada, completely erasing the measured stability achieved over the last three years.
New Pasture, Greener Fields
By John
The lovely ladies of Euphoric Reality have moved to a brand, spankin' new home. And, unlike our lazy asses, they actually did the design work and coding themselves.
Give em a look and a link, there's a reason that they were one of the top ten milblogs of 2005.
Always On The "Sunni" Side: Something To Keep An Eye On
By Maj P
This item from two days ago, Pol: Insurgents Willing To Talk To Iraqi Gov't, is something worth a close look.
Now, it could be a false report, it could be a former Iraqi official running his mouth, it could be a trial balloon. Or it could be what it says it is. I am not in a position to say with certainty either way.
However, let's take it for the moment at face value. What does it tell us? That the Sunni insurgency has more than one faction, and that we can draw a line between native insurgents, whose idea of a post-Saddam Iraq might be less than we want but who are amenable to negotiation, and the no-compromise extremists who have no interest in a functioning federal state with a peaceful society.
I don't see this is a direct result of AMZ's demise. ("Say, Abdullah, with AMZ gone, don't you think we should just pack it in?") But I do see it is part of a greater slow movement of the Sunni leadership, who know that they can either play a massively destructive role or a distinctly constructive role in the government.
Winston Churchill, who was certainly not shy of a fight, once said, "Jaw-jaw is better than war-war." The victory in Iraq will be a political solution, an Iraqi political solution. It will probably come from initiatives like this. watch these developments.
Maj P
Aging Hipsters for Palestine
By John
Pink Floyd Frontman Calls on Israel to Remove Wall
JERUSALEM - Veteran British rocker Roger Waters — co-creator of the legendary Pink Floyd album "The Wall" — performed before tens of thousands of Israeli fans on Thursday, after calling on Israel to tear down massive concrete blocks walling off parts of the West Bank.
I won't throw out any lame "just another brick in the wall" jokes, I promise. Which is more than I can say for Waters:
On Wednesday, after arriving in Israel, Waters visited a walled section of Israel's West Bank separation barrier running through the Palestinian town of Bethlehem and spray-painted a line from the album, reading, "No thought control" on the towering concrete blocks.
groan.
Thunder Chickens prepare for lift-off
By Charlie
JACKSONVILLE, N.C. -- Individually, they fly under call signs such as "Bones" or "Ugly." But collectively, they're known as "the Thunder Chickens," the nation's first Marine Corps squadron destined to take the V-22 Osprey into combat.Thunder Chicken crews have been training for a little more than three months, putting themselves and their tilt-rotor aircraft through the paces above the steamy coastal terrain of southeastern North Carolina.
They will be ready for combat by summer 2007 and are expected to be deployed to Iraq to rush Marines and equipment into danger zones twice as fast as traditional helicopters.
Based at the Marine Corps Air Station New River, the unit is officially called Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263 or VMM-263, but its members affectionately prefer the offbeat nickname, which descended from a predecessor helicopter squadron.
According to squadron lore, the unit was originally called the Thunder Eagles, but the name got mistranslated in Vietnam, and the new moniker stuck. The squadron emblem shows a war bird that looks more like a fiercely determined eagle, clutching lightning bolts in its talons.
"It's distinctive," said Lt.Col. Paul Rock Jr., 40, the squadron commander, who describes the nickname as "a source of pride" that has endured for decades.
...
As a replacement for Vietnam-era helicopters, the V-22 -- known as the MV-22 in the Marine Corps -- can take off and land like a helicopter and fly like an airplane, at a top speed of 330 miles per hour. It can ferry as many as 24 Marines at a time or haul up to 20,000 pounds of cargo. When compared with a helicopter, superlatives abound -- twice the speed, three times the payload, three to five times the range.
Awhile back I posted about the need to develop a drop-ship. If the Osprey proves itself in Iraq, it may be a military aero-transpo revolution. Blackhawks can transport 11 combat equipped troops, Chinooks (one of the largest choppers out there), 33. A fast, well armed craft that can deposit a platoon minus could change the way the military deploys troops by helicopter.
All I can say to that is: oorah!
I thought they going to start drafting people after the 04 election...
By Charlie
Joan Vennochi, a columnist at the Boston Globe, wants to draft you.
REINSTATE THE military draft and see how quickly the United States ends its war in Iraq.If we feared our children were next up to be gutted like fish, we might be less likely to shake our heads at crazy antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan. If turning 18 meant your kid's boots on the ground, a resolution to pull troops out of Iraq by a certain date might grab more than six votes in the US Senate.
…
Last February, US Representative Charles Rangel, a Democrat from New York, did so, introducing the Universal National Service Act of 2006. It requires all people in the United States, including women, between the ages of 18 and 42, to perform a period of military service or period of civilian service in furtherance of the national defense and homeland security. The proposal was referred to the House Subcommittee on Military Personnel.At the time, Rangel said he did not expect the bill to pass; he intended it as a reminder of those who have died and suffered injuries and will continue to do so in Iraq. A news release posted on Rangel's website noted, ``Right now, the only people being asked to sacrifice in any way are those men and women who, with limited options, chose military service and now find themselves in harm's way in Iraq. A draft would ensure that every economic group would have to do their share and not allow some to stay behind while other people's children do the fighting."
…
Either this war is worth every citizen's effort, or it's not worth any soldier's life.
Well, someone woke up on the radical egalitarian side of the bed this morning. It’s not enough that our military consumes 4% of the national GDP, and has about 1.3 million members, who in six years have conquered two formerly hostile governments and established free societies in their place –what our military really needs to be successful is proportionalism!
Aside from the absurd application of social justice here- what would “ensur[ing] that every economic group would have to do their share and not allow some to stay behind while other people's children do the fighting” really accomplish? Does a military’s strength reside in the fact that every soldier in the field is proportionally represented by the populace of its home country? -I must have missed that in Von Krieg. Our volunteer army is why we are winning!
Do we really want to model our army on, say, the USSR? When they invaded Afghanistan with an Army of conscripts (using the “big footprint” strategy vice our SECDEF’s “small footprint strategy in Iraq) they had entire divisions securing LOCs, hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, and many soldiers dies due to bad training, bad leadership, ill discipline, and other age-old problems of filling the ranks with men against their will. In today’s Army, everyone wants to be there and believes in the mission.
Driving on –there are about 54 million women and 54 million men in the US who are within the range of drafting. How many people should we draft? How should our new conscript army look? The problem with the draft advocates (Rangel voted against his own bill, btw) is that they are more focused on things like social justice than fielding an operational, deployable, and lethal fighting force.
Clinton SecDef Urges Action On North Korea Missile Test
By Maj P
In a man-bites-dog editorial, If Necessary, Strike and Destroy, Clinton SecDef William Perry and A-SecDef Ashton Carter argue that the U.S. should prevent North Korea's missile test by force, before it's launched. They further advocate for unilateral action.
This is a very interesting piece, with opinions emanating from an unlikely source. There is much to recommend their course of action.
Maj P
WMD Find
By John
Today's report is significant, no doubt. But before you get too excited, keep in mind that Saddam's WMD program was only one of the entering arguments for initiating Operation Iraqi Freedom.
That said, I'll offer this one point.
During the initial invasion, the American people (myself included) were expecting some sort of treasure trove find of chem, bio, and nuclear weapons. But, since the invasion, WMD evidence has been more of a slow trickle than a large explosion. Every few months there's been a minor find, making minor news. A former Iraqi general testifies that stockpiles were moved to Syria, a few sarin gas containers are uncovered, empty chem warheads are discovered in an old warehouse, etc. There was no big bang, until today.
The only real usefullness in the report's release -sans the November election implications- is the possibility that it may shut up the anti-war movement for a while (if their mouth is full of crow, it's difficult to speak). But considering the entire anti-war pyramid of hatred is built upon the "Bush lied" cornerstone, we could uncover a Fort Knox of WMDs tomorrow, with pictures of Saddam hugging nuclear weapons and playing catch with sarin gas dispensers, and the progressives would still think the whole stinkin' war was a Big Oil conspiracy.
Good on Hoekstra and Santorum for getting the word out, but let's not get too caught up focusing on 2003's debate when there's still knifework to do in 2006.
Progressive Mind Tricks
By John
The circus of denial is off to a flying start...
Think Progress on the WMD report released today:
Fox News’ Jim Angle contacted the Defense Department who quickly disavowed Santorum and Hoekstra’s claims. A Defense Department official told Angle flatly that the munitions hyped by Santorum and Hoekstra are “not the WMD’s for which this country went to war.”
Ah yes, I've heard this argument before.
These aren't the WMDs you're looking for....
Well I guess I can just go about my business then....
WMDs in Iraq? Say it ain't so?
By Charlie
You mean Saddam didn't smuggle all of his weapons out during the 12+ months at the UN?
The blogs are a'buzz. For those of us who have been paying attention, it was always a matter of when -not if -the WMD stockpiles Saddam had would be discovered. I thought they'd be brought to light in the Bekka Valley after Syria withdrew -but I'm not suprised by this at all.
The question is -if WMD is located in Iraq, what will the anti-war crowd's reaction to it be?
OPFOR Mail Bag
By Charlie
Reader Ben from Denver Writes:
Hey OP-For,
What’s the likelihood of a conventional enemy emerging anytime soon to challenge the US? Also, what would such an enemy even look like and how would they organize? We won’t be fighting terrorists forever –what’s next?
This is a great question. Currently US doctrine isn’t training against a “peer competitor,” and doesn’t believe one will emerge for the next 15 years. However, let’s look at some past conflicts –obviously Panama, Grenada, Iraq (part 1), and Serbia weren’t peer competitors. True “peer competitors” would be Germany and Japan vs America in WWII, or Iran and Iraq in the 1980s. So the current military quandary we face is the America’s ground forces are so preeminent that no one seeks to be the helpless OPFOR against us. Therefore, we get Al Qaeda in Iraq and the Taliban in Afghanistan –challenges to us militarily, yet asymmetrically. So –if a nation (and it would have to be a nation) sought to conventionally challenge America on the battlefield, it would have to satisfy some of the following conditions.
First, the terrain would have to be unfavorable to US operations. Wherever this country is that would challenge us, it would have to possess rough, mountainous terrain, numerous water obstacles, thick jungles, complex urban areas, and a hostile population that would not be susceptible to US CA/PSYOPS. It would also help if the country didn’t have a long or accessible coastline, preventing US carrier groups from being used as bases for operations.
Next, the enemy would have to be trained, well supplied, and ideologically motivated to fight against the United States. These three conditions are very hard to meet, and are all subject to the effects of US operations. But, for the sake of argument, let’s say that this foreign country had extensive training on weapons systems and tactics from former Soviet Union advisors, was very well supplied, highly motivated, and was deeply rooted in the “ism” of your choice (nationalism/communism/socialism/fanaticism).
All of that being said, traditional conventional unit formations are all very easily recognized by US forces. Take for instance the model for OPFOR- the Soviet motorized Rifle Regiment. This unit was the cornerstone of the Cold War Red Army, and was mainly composed of infantry units on trucks backed by a T-72-equipped armor battalion and SP artillery. However, this is exactly the kind of unit that can be found, fixed, and destroyed by superior US firepower.
If an enemy was to challenge us conventionally, it would have to eschew traditional tactics. Therefore, let’s think outside of the box: maybe OPFOR units in the future will organize themselves into “line units” that are primarily Anti-Tank infantry units, or Air Defense equipped infantry units. Perhaps a future conventional threat will mirror our own “transformation” objectives by pushing combined arms operations down to the battalion and below levels. A maneuver company with infantry, fire support, recon, intelligence, anti-tank, and air defense capability would be a significant departure from traditional maneuver tactics. Combine that with more effective technology to offset US advantages, and it is conceivable that a conventional challenger could emerge.
This is all very unlikely though, when actual nation-states with the capability to field such units are reviewed. The reason decentralized operations are successful is a direct result of the superior training and volunteer nature of US forces. Conscript armies cannot be expected to perform decentralized operations without direct supervision that is often unnecessary for American operations. It is almost a non-issue for a staff sergeant to call in an air-strike, or radio for reinforcements. In many foreign militaries, only high-level commanders can make such calls.
Wrapping up, terrorism isn’t the future of military operations. Irregular warfare has always been with us. We should maintain the military flexibility to respond to any threats that emerge.
Picture of the Day: The Sequel
By John
Probably the first time we've done a follow-on picture of the day, but who cares. Check out some other angles on this week's western Pacific bicep flex fest.
Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
Two more below the fold.
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Help! My Technology is Inferior! (open thread)
By Charlie
Hey Folks. I’ve started an OODA loop trying to get a new laptop. I’m leaning toward an updated Toshiba Satellite –I’ve had a Toshiba Satellite for years, and I’ve been very happy with it. I’m not much of a gamer, but I’d like the thing to have at least a gig of DDRAM, 60-80 gigs hard drive, a good graphics card, Wireless internet, and a DVD Burner.
My main uses for the machine are Power Point briefings, document composition, blogging, and internet usage. I’m not married to Toshiba, but I want a good, reliable notebook that I can travel with. Price range is between $1000-$1300.
What say you, commentariat?
Air Assault!
By Charlie
I thought that I would do a post on Air Assault School, to give some insight on current Army training, the National Guard, and the general shape of things on the ground level of the state-side military.
"A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of colored ribbon" -Napoleon Bonaparte, 15 July 1815. To the captain of HMS Bellerophon.…or go through 11 days of training for an Air Assault badge.
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Another One Bites the Dust
By Charlie
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A key al-Qaida in Iraq leader described as the group's "religious emir" was killed in a U.S. airstrike hours before two American soldiers went missing and in the same area, the military said Tuesday.Mansour Suleiman Mansour Khalifi al-Mashhadani, or Sheik Mansour, and two foreign fighters were killed as they tried to flee in a vehicle near the town of Youssifiyah, in the so-called Sunni "Triangle of Death."
U.S. coalition forces had been tracking al-Mashhadani for some time, American military spokesman William Caldwell said in announcing his death
Could this have been a timely exploit of the Zarqawi operation? There was a scene in "Black Hawk Down" where the general stares at the crashed chopper on a computer screen, and says "we've just lost the initiative."
We've got the initiative this time -let's press the fight.
More on Somalia
By John
I'm a bonehead for forgetting to mention this earlier.
Eagle1 of Eagle Speak is a retired Navy Captain who excels at handicapping the security situation on and around the Horn. Soak in his analysis here, here, and here.
I've come to appreciate Eagle1's work since we started posting together at Milblogs.
Our loss for not blogrolling him until now.
Picture of the Day
By John
You've gotta love North Korea's timing, just looky what's a happenin' in the far east...
PACIFIC OCEAN (June 18, 2006) -- USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) carrier strike groups steam in formation during a joint photo exercise (PHOTOEX) in preparation for Valiant Shield 2006. The PHOTOEX featured 14 ships as well as 17 aircraft from Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corp including a B2 bomber. The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is currently participating in Valiant Shield 2006, the largest joint exercise in recent history. Held in the Guam operating area (June 19-23), the exercise involves 28 Naval vessels including three carrier strike groups, more than 300 aircraft and more than 20,000 service members from the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.
Photo Courtesy of US Pacific Command
The Case for Invading Somalia
By Charlie
If we could have identified the terror camps in Afghanistan and destroyed them from, say 1996-2000, would it have been worth the sacrifice of national resources, troops, and equipment? If the targeting prevented 9/11, then the answer would be yes.
Therefore, we should bomb Somalia.
Mogadishu has just been conquered by a loose union of “moderate” Islamic courts that press Sharia law, shelter terrorists, and seek to spread their degenerate ideology to neighboring countries. This is pretty much what the Taliban did in Afghanistan after the communist puppet government was driven out after the Soviets left*. So, if we identify centers of gravity in Somalia where terrorists are congregating –let’s hit them hard. I’ve even got a suggestion for the troops to task on this one –what’s the one Army unit that may just want to get a little revenge for something that may have happened in 1994 in Somalia? Let’s re-deploy the 75th Ranger Regiment to Somaila, backed up by a multi-national task force headed by the 10th Mountain Division. Let’s raid this failed state, destroy any terror camps that are established, and make no apologies for it.
If we can prevent another Taliban from rising, the costs of preventing another 9/11 far outweigh the deployment of combat troops to the region.
In conclusion, Let’s Roll.
**John Says** I strongly disagree with Charlie on this point. A heavy, brigade level presence in the abyss that is east Africa would satisfy no real strategic end, while enabling the loose confederation of Islamists to hit us the only way they know how: low-level, asymmetric warfare.
Furthermore, there are no real "centers of gravity" to hit in Somalia. The enemy is spread out amongst clans and tribes, blurring the lines between military units and civilian populations. The army is a sword, not a scalpel, better to keep the heavy lifters near the heavy loads: Iraq and Afghanistan.
I'm not saying we should ignore the Horn. CIA paramilitary teams (like the Jawbreaker team in Afghanistan '01) have proven effective in accomplishing US objectives in failed states in the past, and they can do so in the future.
We've learned this lesson already, revenge is not a strategy.
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North Korea: A Threat, or Just Ronery and Looking for Attention?
By Charlie
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and Japan warned North Korea on Monday against a missile launch as some officials said Pyongyang appeared to have finished fueling for a test flight that could reach as far as Alaska.U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said a missile launch by North Korea would be viewed as a very serious matter and "provocative act" that would further isolate Pyongyang.
"We will obviously consult on next steps but I can assure everyone that it would be taken with utmost seriousness," said Rice at a news conference in Washington.
There are three main things you need to have a credible nuclear threat: a nuclear device, a means of delivering it to a target, and the means of producing more in order to maintain your posture as a nuclear power. Once you have such power, the will to use it (rationally versus irrationally) is a main factor in the realm of international relations. For instance, France has a nuclear weapon, the means to deliver it, and a viable reactor program from which to produce more weapons –however, they would be unlikely to use those weapons to exert their will on other nations. North Korea, however, lives in a different world than the US and France. I caught a bit of the Rush Limbaugh show on the way back from work today on this topic:
A tyrant, a thug, a dictator will never, ever sit down at the diplomacy table and sign away his power. It won't happen. This little pot-bellied tinhorn dictator in North Korea is not going to do it. This wacko lunatic in Iran is not going to do it. They don't do it anywhere. And the idea that diplomacy is going to get insane lunatics to drop their weapons, which is the only thing they've got to make them feel like something, otherwise they are nothing but Third World countries, is absurd.
Nuclear technology in the hands of a Kim Jong Il, or the Iranians, is inherently more dangerous than when possessed by a responsible state like France, Israel, or Brazil. North Korea knows that it can exploit, threaten, and cajole the international community into funding its regime for the foreseeable future, and nukes allow them to do the exploitation much more louder and more effectively.
Combine that with the fact that we live in a world governed by the aggressive use of force –the threat of which makes us take states like North Korea very seriously. We know that communist North Korea thinks nothing of killing thousands of their own people, and would delight in slaughtering thousands more to further their insular and dictatorial regime.
If North Korea test-fires its missile in our direction, we should “test-fire” some of our own toward them. The time is far-gone to play around with these dictators.
Army Officer Refuses to Fight
By Charlie
From the Cindy Sheehan file of "Suddenly Famous Anti-War Icon of the Month," now comes LT Ehren Watada, an Army officer who has up-and-decided that the war in Iraq is illegal, and therefore he doesn't think he should fight it.
Too bad that's not how things work. Junior officers don't just get to pick and choose the orders they follow, and you aren't always dealt the hand of cards you want. Sucking it up and driving on, completing the mission, and taking care of your soldiers are what being a good officer is all about. This guy seems to have forgotten that:
First Lt. Ehren K. Watada didn't set out to defy the Army and the order sending him to Iraq.But Watada, who turns 28 today, said he learned more about the war and the rationale for fighting it, and the same principles he was taught in the Army — honor, integrity, sacrifice and courage to do the right thing — now have him facing a court-martial for refusing his deployment orders.
In January, the Honolulu man sent a letter to his brigade commander at Fort Lewis, Wash., saying he was "wholeheartedly" opposed to the continued war in Iraq, and the "deception" used to wage it.
He asked to resign his commission, but the request was rejected.
"I believe so strongly in this cause that I would sit in prison or die for that belief,"
Rock on. If this guy would have left it at that, I would have called him a coward and driven on. BUT, in this day and age, you can't get any press without comparing American soldiers (the very ones he serves with -no less) to Nazis:
I will not subvert the Army, but I will not go along with the opinion that what we are doing (in Iraq) is right or that I am fulfilling my duty. Would the executioners of Auschwitz have been any more justified at Nuremburg?"
Showing that he is the master of the obvious, Watada also had this to add:
"...I know that my case has brought a lot of attention and scrutiny on me by my superiors. Also, I'm probably very unpopular, if not the most unpopular person on Fort Lewis..."
Our military would be in sorry shape if individual soldiers got to simply say "no" to going out on a patrol, delivering supplies, returning fire down alleyways, or deploying in the first place. This guy isn't a "hero" for "standing up for what he believes in." He signed a contract, and whether he agrees with the war or not, it's now his job to lead men in combat. Failing to report for that duty isn't just failing the nation, the Army, and his unit -it's failing the soldiers beneath him. Selling out your boys to save your own skin is an age old act of weak-willed spinelessness -it's nothing new or noteworthy.
The Need for Ballistic Missile Defense
By John
North Korea's impending Taepodong test launch has reaffirmed America's need for a functional ballistic missile shield. Here is another simple reminder of why the shield has become so important to the national defense.
Nations equipped with ballistic missiles in 1972.
And, below the fold, nations equipped with ballistic missiles as of 2004.
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