April 2007 Archives
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Assault to the Rear
By John
Although, I've gotta be fair here. Chatted with a major in the French paratroopers who insisted that the the deployed French forces are absolutely desperate to get in the fight (many are still pissed about the French Muslim riots of last year I guess? Hey, whatever moves ya...), but that the French politicos are tying their hands.
The French Army, or their paratroopers -at least-, are kinda eager to shed that white flag reputation...
Hotel Tango: Donovan.
The Air Force's Tripoli
By John
All this military history swirling around my head got me thinking......
The Marines have Tripoli, Belleau Wood, Iwo Jima, Chosin, Khe San, Fallujah...
The Army has Saratoga, Gettysburg, San Juan Hill, Somme, Overlord...
The Navy has John Paul Jones' fight with the Seraphis, the dominance of Lakes Champlain and Eerie during 1812, Midway, the Japanese surrender on the Mighty Mo'...
But what about the US Air Force? (Best I could come up with is the air war over Kosovo and the air campaign prior to Desert Storm).
Montage of the Day: A-10 Round Up
By John
This year's Red Flag Alaska has just been a treasure trove of great photos. I love faster movers and all, but the Hog...man, as any grunt will tell you, the Hog is special. And hey, they're probably much easier to photograph than the lightning quick Raptor.
Call it Warthog Day here at OPFOR. Click through for the larger pics:
I don't know why they call it search and rescue capability, all the A-10 does is grease bad guys while the choppers pluck the pilots out of the danger zone. Anyway...
Capt. Dustin Ireland fires a missile as his A-10 Thunderbolt II breaks over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex April 24 during live-fire training. The Captain Reynolds is an A-10 pilot from the 355th Fighter Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
A-10 Thunderbolt IIs fly over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex April 24 during live-fire training.
1st Lt. Dale Stark fires an AGM-65 Maverick missile from an A-10 Thunderbolt II April 24 over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex during live-fire training. Lieutenant Stark is an A-10 pilot from the 355th Fighter Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska.
A-10 Thunderbolt IIs break over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex and one aircraft drops a flare during live-fire training April 24.
Capt. Will Reynolds drops Mk-82 bombs from an A-10 Thunderbolt II over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex April 24 during live-fire training.
I probably could have rolled Hog Sunset into this post for effeciency's sake, but I'm pretty sure ya'll don't care.
Picture of the Day: Hog Sunset
By John
It's beautiful man:
Maintenance crews on the A-10 Thunderbolt II end their 12-hour duty day April 25 at the Al Asad Air Base, Iraq. The 438th Air Expeditionary Group A-10s perform 10 sorties daily providing top cover for ground forces in Iraq, with 900 sorties in this last four months. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
Could be hog sunrise, for all I know. What with the 24 hour shifts those poor maintainers pull....
VMI Honors Tech
By John
Was most pleased to discover this photo:
A contingent of cadets from Virginia Military Institute marched with the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets in honor of Cadet Matthew La Porte April 25. Cadet La Porte, a sophomore in Air Force ROTC Detachment 875 and the Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets, was one of the 32 students and faculty killed during the shooting incident at the school April 16. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
Although, I'm a little disappointed that all VMI decided to send was a couple of Thirds (sophmores). We've had a long-standing, friendly rivalry with Virginia Tech's Corps of Cadets for decades, figured that -at least- deserved the participation of our color guard, firing detail, or the regimental staff.
Or hell, I see no reason why the Institute couldn't truck our artillery pieces down to Blacksburg for a gunpowder salute.
Nit-picking of course, I'm just glad VMI paid the proper respect to our Hokie brothers-in-arms.
Gun-Day Sunday: Europe's Porcupine
By Lt Col P
I saw today an interesting article in the WaPo, about Switzerland's armed neutrality and its (entirely laudable) gun-culture. The latter is apparenty abhorrent in today's emasculated and disarmed Europe, where the individual can be told how to live in excruciating detail by hordes of bureaucrats in remote cities, speaking languages unintelligible and espousing philosophies wholly foreign to him.
This follows on the heels of a gloomy post at the Other Side of Kim: "Swiss Go Wussy." If true that is bad news. I can only hope that the vast majority of sturdy Helvetians guard their liberties jealously and put a quick halt to the disarmament move. No good can come of it, and their grandchildren will have every reason to despise them for their weakness, if they do choose that route.
On the contrary, more Europeans should copy them. The Swiss speak softly but carry a big stick. They offer violence to no one, but promise plenty in return should they be molested. A very good way to live, for both individuals and nations.
So, in honor of a great gun culture under siege, I direct you to a lovely little article on teaching the young to shoot, to shoot often and to shoot well. Wouldn't we love to see THAT being practiced in the good old U-S-A?? Wouldn't that cause Schumer, Pelosi, Feinstein and all the others to sh*t themselves?
God Bless the Swiss. I hope they remain ever armed, polite and prickly, no matter what the freaks, weirdos, yahoos, pinkos and asshats on all sides think of them. Good shooting!
"To The Shores of Trip-O-Leeee"
By Lt Col P
(Editorial note: Meant to post this last night, but got involved with some of THIS, and the time positively flew by.)
There are several points of interest above and beyond the boldness-and-daring aspects. One, the entire enterprise was led by a diplomat. Two, there was employment of private military contractors. And three, the Marines took substantial casualties but pressed on nonetheless. Except for the warlike diplomat (a rare bird indeed), one could say that the more things change, the more they stay the same.
Sunday Update: A comment from our dear friend and colleague Boston Maggie jolted my memory. Please see this article by Christopher Hitchens for an interesting take on the Barbary Wars. The more things change, indeed, the more they stay the same!
Red State Reports
By John
“The sense I get when talking to the other soldiers,” said a public affairs soldier, “is that the worst thing possible would be to give a date when we’re leaving, period. We all want to win, and to accomplish our mission, especially since we’ve put so much into doing it so far. To just up and leave would be terrible.” I asked what effect such statements as Harry Reid’s “the war is lost,” and Nancy Pelosi’s “the war on terror is not in Iraq” have on the troops’ morale and opinions of their mission, and also pointed out the relevance of John Kerry’s 1971 statement to Congress that nobody wants to be “the last man to die for a lost cause,” and asked how that – and the fact that Congress had just passed resolutions mandating troop pullouts in five months – and asked about that affect, as well. The response was, “It’s terrible. I mean, I understand political posturing and all that but it really is terrible. If the war is lost and we need to go home, then why do we need to stay here five more months, when I could die or my friends could die before we go home? The war is either over or it isn’t; this just doesn’t make sense.” The Specialist continued, “What we want is to keep helping the people here. The people at home who say these things, they don’t understand that these are people who have to live here after we leave, whatever the situation is. These people and the things that happen here aren’t real to them, and they can’t understand unless they’ve been here and seen it.”
This needs to be the method in which the Iraq war argument is crafted for the next two years. If I listened correctly to the Democratic Primary Debate last night, their entire field will be staking '08 on pulling out of Iraq. Republicans, the opposite. My vote goes to the latter, obviously...but that's tangential.
This will have be the focus of our messaging for the next 18 months. Pull out of Iraq and you'll get another Darfur, if not worse. And ultimately, the responsibility for that mess will lie at the feet of Congressmen who felt that political survival was more important to them than the fate of Joe Iraqi. True-to-life stories such as Jeff's reporting, and Richard's round up below, are the means in which to deliver that message.
You can read up on RS's excellent coverage here. It'll be ongoing.
Good News from Iraq
By John
Richard S. Lowry reports:
Here is what the Honorable Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and their fellow democrats are attempting to stop with their political maneuvering on the military spending bill.
I have decided to compile a handful of stories that you will never see in the mainstream media to give you all a very different picture of society in Iraq. Remember the hoorah when General Petraeus was quoted as saying, “There is no military solution in Iraq?” He meant that killing everyone was not the solution and below is a small sampling of the kinds of tasks our “Surge” troops are involved in on a daily basis.
This is the real Baghdad Security Plan in action. These are the non-military operations that are occurring on a daily basis. But, these operations cannot occur without first establishing security in each Iraqi neighborhood. Remember, next time you hear of a car bomb or insurgent attack. Those violent events are less than 20% of our involvement and many operations like the ones defined below are more than 80% of our effort.
Read More »
Three Morals
By John
You know, Aesop doesn't hold a candle to the simple wisdom of military grunts. I owe this beautiful bit of guidance to one of the wing's Senior Master Sergeants.
It's an NCO tale, so the language is a bit salty.
Read More »
Picture of the Day: Busy Busy in Alaska
By John
Super happy fun times up north:
Two F-15E Strike Eagles maneuver to bomb a ground target during a training flight April 20 over Alaska. The F-15Es are assigned to the 90th Fighter Squadron at Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, which traces its history back to August 1917. An array of avionics and electronics systems gives the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night, and in all weather. The F-15E at Elmendorf AFB will soon be replaced by the F-22 Raptor.
An HC-130 Hercules refuels an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter April 17 during a combat search and rescue training mission Red Flag-Alaska 07-1 at Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. The helicopters are assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron Det. 1. Both photos courtesy of the US Air Force.
Ahhhh Red Flag. Gives me warm fuzzies.
Although I'm not quite sure why we're replacing Strikes with Raptors. I thought we dropped the F/A designator, with the understanding that the Raptor wasn't particularly well suited to the ground attack role.
Replacing F-15c's with the -22 makes perfect sense. But our vaunted Strike Eagles?
This is Counterterrorism, Senator
By John
Buddy Steve Schippert has a money piece in today's National Review:
The most significant local ally of Coalition and Iraqi government in Anbar province — and surely in all of Iraq — is Sheikh Abdul Sattar Buzaigh al-Rishawi, or, more properly, Sheikh Abd al-Sattar, where “Abd” translates into “slave” or “totally subordinated” (to God, of course). Sheikh Abdul Sattar is instrumental in fighting and defeating al Qaeda; the incredibly influential Ramadi man sees al Qaeda as terrorists who seek to destroy his country and who are exploiting and murdering his people, Sunni and Shia alike. Al Qaeda wants him dead more than any other man in Iraq, and they have tried numerous times to kill him.Sattar said recently, “The time for dictatorship is gone, and we are welcoming the new dawn of democracy and freedom here.” He is a powerful Sunni from Anbar province, and, on Iraqi national television, he has pledged his allegiance to Prime Minister al-Maliki — a Shia — and to the democratically elected Iraqi government. In an overt (and televised) gesture of his determination and solidarity with the Iraqi government, Sheikh Abdul Sattar sliced the palm of his hand with a knife and proceeded to pound the blade into the table before him.
Most Americans are unaware of this. Many of those who are aware fail to understand the profound significance it holds, even amid their own proclamations about the brutal sectarian violence and civil war in Iraq. Senators Reid and Schumer are almost certainly among those Americans. They seem oblivious to the importance of Sheikh Abdul Sattar’s indigenous leadership in counterterrorism.
The perceived civil war in Iraq is in many ways more a product of foreign Iranian and al Qaeda instigation than internal Iraqi hatred. Had al Qaeda not bombed the Shia al-Askari Mosque and had Iran not provided arms and funds to both sides of the ensuing sectarian killings, there is no telling where Iraq would be right now. It certainly was not in civil war then. Both Iran and al Qaeda require chaos and instability in order to achieve their aims in Iraq. Sattar’s mission is to foil their plans.
It is a mission in which he needs little guidance from sitting U.S. senators and traveling members of Congress. What he needs are resources. “I swear to God, if we have good weapons, if we have good vehicles, if we have good support, I can fight al Qaeda all the way to Afghanistan,” Sattar said. Naturally, there is bravado in his words. But let it be known that what he possesses is a determination equal to or greater than that of al Qaeda in Iraq.
The whole piece is pretty solid, but I found those bits on Sattar particularly revealing. Read the whole thing, Schippert is a smart dude.
What's frustrating about certain elected officials refusing to even meet with General Petraeus is that it indicates that nothing....nothing will change their minds about Iraq. Not at this point, they've staked '08 on getting us out of there. Big, big things are happening in Anbar, the province just recently proclaimed "lost," by a Marine Colonel, and our top dogs in Congress are sticking their fingers in their ears going "la la la la la la la."
Baghdad, I dunno. We're still pumping Brigade Combat Teams into the city and will be for a few months. Obviously that's the hotspot these days. Once was Fallujah. And Mosul. And Ramadi. Yet one by one, each of those districts have been turned around...or are in the process of.
Baghdad, still a goat screw.
But Anbar....Anbar gets me excited.
Mr. Maliki....
By John
The Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki has ordered a halt to the building of a security barrier around the Baghdad neighborhood of Adhamiya. There are obvious political implications to building such a barrier in the Arab world. “I’ve ordered it to stop and to find other means of protection for the neighborhoods,” al-Maliki said, after stating the barrier served to remind the Iraqi people of “other walls that we reject,” a direct reference to the Israeli fence separating it from Gaza and the West Bank.But, as Omar Fadhil notes, "Work to construct similar walls started weeks ago in the Amiriya and Ghazaliyah districts. The 'news' went utterly unnoticed then." Mr. Fadhil notes the barrier has had some effect in Amiriya and Ghazaliyah, and postulates insurgents stirred up the local protests to halt the building of the wall.
The barrier is designed to limit the flow of traffic into and outside the city. The U.S. and Iraqi military wants to monitor the movement of insurgents from the neighborhood while restricting the movement of death squads into the neighborhood. There are some questions as to whether construction will actually stop. An Iraqi military spokesman said construction will continue, while U.S. spokesmen said the "gated communities" plan is now under review.
Hey, I think this is genius. We should dream up a whole Easter Basket's worth of unpopular, kinda unnecessary security proposals deliberately calculated as easy rejections for Maliki. Hey, it makes him look strong...and that's what we need right now. A strong, centralized Iraqi national government. Politically and militarily.
Which, by the way, is a pretty accurate summation of this particular fight. Some political, some military. So.....why not let the elected PM stand up to the powerful Americans? And maybe touch on a little populist Arab sentiment in the mean time. I fully support building more walls that the Iraqis can tear down. God damn, if that ain't the American way, I don't know what is.
Update: I didn't know how to categorize this stupid post. We really should have a "kind of kidding?" category for such subjects.
Aussie Aussie Aussie
By John
Oy Oy Oy.
Anzac Day down under, mates. Eh...call it a slow blogging day.
Anyway...
ANZAC Day - 25 April - is probably Australia's most important national occasion. It marks the anniversary of the first major military action fought by Australian and New Zealand forces during the First World War. ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACs, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day.
So, basically they wanted to capture Istanbul (not Constantinople...or is it the other way around?)...and well, failed. But it's a big pride thing, Australia was shiny new country back then....for them to travel halfway across the world to topple the capital of the Ottoman Empire? Takes stones, y'know?
John Donovan honors our Aussie brothers with the his usual roundup of old military gear. No idea where he digs this stuff up, but I bet his basement is a trip.
And Greyhawk launches a new grassroots campaign: Free Aussie Milbloggers!
Me? I'll probably down a few Fosters and go leave some drunken comments at Tim Blair's place.
Update: Crittenden takes the lame route. Not one Outback Steakhouse reference. Sheesh, at least I brought up Fosters.
Red Fridays
By John
Sounds kinda commie. At first glance at least. Further inspection?
Hotel Tango: Bluey
The Real Story of Jessica Lynch
By John
Our distinguished guest-blogger, Richard S. Lowry, does a little debunking in the Weekly Standard:
TODAY, THE HOUSE Committee on Oversight and Government Reform chaired by Henry Waxman (D-CA) conducted a hearing into "misleading military statements" that followed the death of Pat Tillman and the ordeal of Jessica Lynch. I cannot speak of the Pat Tillman incident, but I can speak to the story of Jessica Lynch.I spent more than two years of my life studying the battle of An Nasiriyah. I read thousands of pages of government reports and personally interviewed nearly one-hundred of the participants of the battle, including four survivors of the 507th Maintenance Company's ambush, several Marines who came upon the scene of the ambush, a young Marine who worked in the regimental intelligence shop and was responsible for the safekeeping of Jessica's personal effects, and several of the soldiers, sailors, and Marines who were actually involved in her rescue. The results of my research were published last year in Marines in the Garden of Eden.
Following her rescue, unsubstantiated reports abounded, the media made a variety of assertions: Jessica Lynch was a pretty teenage girl who had been subjected to the ravages of an unjust war. She had been sent into battle with inadequate equipment and protection. After taking a wrong turn, Iraqis feigning surrender had ambushed her unit. Yet, she bravely fought off the enemy until she could resist no longer. Because of the incompetence of the leadership in Washington, D.C., she had been taken prisoner by evil Iraqis who did unspeakable things to her.
This was the type of story that had "legs." Every news producer in America salivated when they read the first copy. They knew that their ratings would skyrocket when the story of this fragile American girl was told. This was the type of story that would go down in history.
There was only one problem--most of the story wasn't true.
Muir Nails It
By John
I'm laughing, but crying on the inside. Truth hurts.
Gun-Day Monday: Of Mils and MOAs
By Lt Col P
By way of the always-stimulating 10-8 Forums, I found this fascinating discussion of the mechanics of the "mil" and its cousin the "MOA." (See the link in the first post.)
For the uninitiated, both are units of angular measurement useful in military operations. The mil is the basis for fire support tasks but it can be used for other things as well. The MOA is critical to understanding how most rifle sights and scopes work. Both, as I said, are quite useful because they can produce a unit of width for any angle at a given number of the same unit of linear measurement. The end result is that you can do neat things like, say, predictably move the impact of your rounds.
OK, yes, there are truly 6283 mils in a circle, but we use 6400-- that's "six-four-hundred" to you-- because it's easier to divide. And really, a mil is only about a seventeenth of a degree, so WTF? Go read and heed. Some of the math made my head hurt, but it's worth the time to save and print.
"What is happening over here"
By Lt Col P
As in "THIS is what is happening over here... stand by for the truth," not "What on earth is happening over here?? All's lost!!"
Got a great email today from a Marine captain in my reserve unit, now somewheres east o' Suez with a small detachment of stalwart citizen-Marines. By an odd coincidence, one of their star Staff NCOs was my radio operator in 1990 and 1991, in Alpha Battery 1/10. And the captain himself is one of Slab's buddies. This is reprinted here with his kind and enthusiastic permission.
All,
I just wanted to let you know what is happening where I am in Iraq. I don't want to say this is in response to Harry Reid, but his comments the other day are not in line with what we're seeing.
We are winning over here in Al Anbar province. I don't know about Baghdad, but Ramadi was considered THE hotspot in Al Anbar, the worse province, and it has been very quiet. The city is calm, the kids are playing in the streets, the local shops are open, the power is on at night, and daily commerce is the norm rather than the exception. There have been no complex attacks since March. That is HUGE progress. This quiet time is allowing the Iraqi Army and Iraqi Police to establish themselves in the eyes of the people. The Iraqi people also want IA's and IP's in their areas. The Sunni Sheiks are behind us and giving us full support. This means that almost all Sunnis in Al Anbar are now committed to supporting the US and Iraqi forces. It also means that almost all insurgents left out here are AQ. FYI, the surge is just beginning. Gen Petraeus' strategy is just getting started and we're seeing huge gains here.
However, you don't see Harry Reid talking about this. When I saw what he said, it really pissed me off. That guy does not know what is going on over here because he hasn't bothered to come and find out. The truth on the
ground in Al Anbar is not politically convenient for him, so he completely ignored it.
This war can be won. We just need the time to get the IA and IP operating on their own. Gen Petraeus is treating the war like a counter-insurgency rather than a stability operation. For non-military personnel, there is a HUGE difference between the two. What we've been doing in Iraq since Petraeus took over is completely different than what we were doing under Gen Casey. However, you don't hear the press or the democrats say that. Most of them
are too committed to saying we've lost to further their own political agendas that they cannot acknowledge we're doing something totally different and it is working.
An inconvenient truth indeed. I truly wish Congress was striving for victory rather than planning our defeat. Anyone listening up on the Hill?
Keep up the good work, Matt, and keep your head down!
Update: Bob Owens has a phenomenal round up of like-minded military men.
Marine Corps publishes new policy on body armor
By Slab
MarAdmin 262/07 was published by the Marine Corps on the 17th. It prohibits Marines from using commercially purchased body armor in lieu of the issued gear. In their typically sensationalist style, Marine Corps Times has published an article touting the virtues of Pinnacle Armor's Dragon Skin. They even quote a Marine staff sergeant from Quantico who shot himself while wearing Dragon Skin.
Now that the Corps has banned off-the-shelf gear as well, Staff Sgt. Taylor Cobb, the Corporals Course curriculum coordinator at Training and Education Command in Quantico, Va., said he’ll buy “a triple large set of cammies” and wear his Dragon Skin armor underneath if he deploys to a combat zone.“I have the utmost confidence in that piece of gear,” he said.
After spending $2,000 on his Dragon Skin armor, Cobb placed it on a dummy and shot it with a .45-caliber pistol. The armor worked as advertised, so he said he put it on and — get this — shot himself in the stomach on purpose.
“It left a pretty nice bruise, but it didn’t even break the skin,” he said. “It works. But I wouldn’t try that with the [Modular Tactical Vest] the Corps gives. I’m not that trusting.”
It's great that guys put so much faith in a piece of body armor based on a History Channel special that was basically a piece of paid advertisement for Pinnacle Armor, then perform non-scientific tests using a weapon caliber that has absolutely no bearing on the armor's usefulness in Iraq or its approval by the DOD. After all, the Interceptor Body Armor with E-SAPI plates is rated to stop 7.62X54R API rounds. Let's see if SSgt Cobb has the stones to shoot himself with that caliber.
Nevermind the fact that I truly hope SSgt Cobb's command gives him an adverse fitness report and reduction in grade for being a moron. He's the curriculum coordinator for the Corporals Course? No wonder all of our ANGLICO Marines that attend the course come back completely unimpressed.
The debate surrounding Dragon Skin and body armor has become so full of conjecture, hyperbole, and ad hominem attacks as to make the truth impossible to distinguish. Hell, even Daily Kos jumped on the "Army bad, Dragon Skin good" bandwagon last July. What I want to see is scientific proof that Dragon Skin will stop 7.62X54R B32 API in the same tests used for the E-SAPIs. Until then, I refuse to buy the hype. Pinnacle has had ample time to roll out incontrovertible proof that their armor will perform up to E-SAPI standards, and all that I have heard from them are screams of "corruption" and a propaganda campaign attacking the reputation and integrity of the Army's chief testers.
I highly encourage our readers to do more research on their own. Professional Soldiers.com, a website run by and for the "Quiet Professionals" of Special Forces, gained quite a bit of fame when Karl Masters published his unvarnished opinion of Dragon Skin. Infamy aside, this thread remains the best source of information I have seen to date on the body armor question. The fact remains that it has not met the Army's standards, and as such, will not be adopted or approved for use until it does.
Citadel to put locks on barracks doors
By Slab
The Citadel will install locks on all cadet rooms by next semester, a break with tradition that stems from concerns about safety in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.
The Citadel and VMI both have a tradition of unlocked doors. Those who have been through the Ratline can attest that this is often a serious concern for young Rat Ties trying to grab an unauthorized nap under their desk. It also makes a great way to get their attention, although more than a few upperclassmen have had to pay to fix doors after their foot went completely through.
However, nostalgia aside, I'm not following the Citadel's reasoning for this measure. The students at Virginia Tech had lockable doors, that didn't prevent the shooting in the dormitory. I suppose it's not an unreasonable measure, but the Honor Code and the absence of locks was one of those small intangibles that truly distinguished VMI and the Citadel from the rest. Don't be fooled by the uniforms and barracks, it is such things as a much stricter observance of personal honor that truly set us apart. Certainly putting locks on the doors in their barracks will not turn the Citadel Corps of Cadets into a raging mob of thieves, their honor system will probably remain as strong as ever, but it was one of those little things you could brag about to your friends from other colleges: "I don't even have a lock on my door, but when I leave for a weekend, nothing will be touched when I get back."
Perhaps I am being overly nostalgic, but it's hard to describe the pride you can take in such a small, seemingly minor thing. I guess I'm just a bit disappointed, and I hope that VMI does not follow suit. I really do not see that it will enhance cadet safety beyond the measures already in place.
Besides, what is the RDC going to do when Rats lock their doors before a sweat party? Huff and puff?
John says: HEY WHY DON'T THEY JUST PUT THE FIRING PINS BACK IN THE 4-5 M14s PER ROOM!
Can Petraeus Pull it Off?
By John
Here's your Monday Morning must-read, from Max Boot at the Weekly Standard:
The stakes couldn't be higher. U.S. commanders report that, whatever the case before the war, Iraq has now become the central front of al Qaeda operations, drawing jihadists from all over the world. It is also a central front in Iran's offensive to become the dominant player in the region. American generals say they have been "shocked" to discover the level of Iranian influence in Iraq. The Iranians are supporting not only the Mahdi Army, Badr Brigades, and other Shiite militias, but also, the generals believe, al Qaeda--the very group killing Shiites en masse.So if we're engaged in fourth dimensional warfare in Iraq, does General Petraeus' acknowledgment of the American political battlespace make this America's first-ever fifth dimension war?Petraeus feels that he is making slow, steady progress against the myriad enemies that Coalition forces confront, but he is keenly aware that results may not come fast enough to please antiwar politicians back home who are eager to pull all U.S. troops out of Iraq, and damn the consequences. "The Washington clock is ticking faster than the Baghdad clock," Petraeus often says. His goal is to speed up the Baghdad clock by pressing for more reconciliation between Sunnis and Shiites, and to slow down the Washington clock by showing gains on the ground that can reverse public pressure to pull U.S. troops out prematurely. The former is hard to do because of the mutual suspicions that grip this country. The latter is equally hard, because a few high-profile insurgent atrocities can obscure the progress being made by Coalition forces in stopping ethnic cleansing in Baghdad, which Petraeus views as his most important immediate goal.
Petraeus's ultimate objective, he told me over lunch at his embassy office, is to "achieve an outcome sustainable by the Iraqis." Upon his assessment of Iraqi capabilities will rest his recommendation for when, how far, and how fast to draw down U.S. forces. Under consideration are various plans. The lower the number of American troops, the easier it is to sustain, politically and materially--but the greater the risk that the security situation will once again slide out of control as it did in 2006.
I know that Senator Reid's "war is lost" proclamation must have been pure ear-candy to anti-war ideologues, but once you start really getting into the actuals of the fight (like Boot's article), the callousness...the sheer irresponsibility....of his words certainly become clearer, no?
Also at the Weekly Standard blog, Mike Goldfarb follows up on his much-discussed CSAR article from last week. Worth a read.
Update: David Axe has more on CSAR over at Danger Room. Like I said, much discussed.
Picture of the Day: Thirsty Falcons
By John
Like bees to honey...
Three F-16 Fighting Falcons refuel behind a KC-10 Extender over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex April 13 during Red Flag-Alaska 07-1. Red Flag-Alaska is a Pacific Air Forces-directed field training exercise flown under simulated air combat conditions.
Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
The Battle to Recapture South Georgia
By Lt Col P
Within a week of the Argentine invasion of the Falkland Islands on 2 April 1982, a naval task force had been assembled and dispatched from Great Britain. It contained not only the major combatants of the Royal Navy-- two carriers, plus destroyers, frigates and three submarines-- but the all-important amphibious assault ships without which a landing was unthinkable. Also included were "STUFT," Ships Taken Up Front Trade; these were civilian container ships, North Sea ferries and even SS Canberra, a luxury liner, all hastily modified to accept men and material. The last transported a large part of the landing force, including 42 Commando, RM (see Vaux's Take That Hill! for a description of going to war aboard a cruise ship). At the end of a supply line some eight thousand miles long, with the closest air link in Ascension Island, and in the onset of the antarctic winter, operating in these conditions would test the Royal Navy's famed ability to hold on station until the job was done.
Almost immediately a smaller task force was broken out and sent on a separate mission to re-take the island of South Georgia, which had been stoutly defended by a small Royal Marine garrison only a few weeks before. This small force consisted of two surface combatants, HMS Antrim and HMS Plymouth, one support ship, FRA Tidespring, the redoubtable Arctic vessel, HMS Endurance. Embarked were a handful of helicopters, one reinforced company of Royal Marines from Vaux's 42 Commando, and units from the SAS and SBS.
The story of the recapture of this lonely island not one of disasters narrowly averted, but one of disasters sustained and surmounted. Awful weather, pressure from higher headquarters, confused command relationships, uncertain intelligence about the enemy, missed opportunities and botched attempts culminated in a rapidly planned but violently executed attack on the Argentine positions, with accurately delivered naval gunfire playing a starring role.
Operations began at South Georgia on 21 April 1982, and by 26 April the Argentine garrison had surrendered. Great Britain had gained a small but important victory; the Royal Navy's task force could now turn its attention to the main objective.
On Democracy
By Slab
So, I backtracked a couple of days over at Neptunus Lex to read all of the hubbub in the comments section of his post, "Why do they hate us?" It becomes plainly obvious, upon reading through the comments, that there are some rather smart cookies who frequent Lex's site. Not the least of which is their host, of course. Two lines hidden within the debate intrigued me, however. First, a rather verbose lady by the name of Michelle, from the land of Labatts and Molson, makes the remark:
"If I hear one more time that America is “the greatest country on earth, the only true democracy …” depending on the source, I may just have to smash my computer monitor or something else."
Now, Michelle was not America bashing at all, she was trying to help explain how the rest of the world perceives us. A worthy endeavour, and something that we should be trying to grasp, whether or not we deign to attempt to change it. (By the way, Lex has another excellent post on our Exceptionalism from today. While it is related to my topic, it really has no bearing on my point, so I'll leave it at that.)
Another fellow, an unashamedly proud American (And why should he be ashamed? I am certainly not.) by the name of Lee, retorts:
"America IS the only true democracy imnsho…"
And herein lies the crux of the problem. Just what is a true democracy? Pure democracy, as defined in James Madison's Federalist No. 10, certainly does not describe our political system. The terms "liberal democracy" and "representative democracy" seem to fit, but in my opinion it is more appropriate to label our system a "constitutional republic". Regardless, the statement that we are a true democracy implies to me that we are a pure or direct democracy, which we most certainly are not.
Thoughts?
Vietnam: Fact vs Fiction
By Slab
This was posted on a military-related message board that I visit from time to time. Some very interesting facts in here - I'll post some highlights and put the rest below the jump.
- Vietnam veterans have a lower unemployment rate than the same non-vet age groups.
- Vietnam veterans' personal income exceeds that of our non-veteran age group by more than 18 percent.
- Vietnam Veterans are less likely to be in prison - only one-half of one percent of Vietnam Veterans have been jailed for crimes.
- As of the current Census taken during August, 2000, the surviving U.S. Vietnam Veteran population estimate is: 1,002,511. During this Census count, the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,027. By this census, FOUR OUT OF FIVE WHO CLAIM TO BE Vietnam vets are not.
- Myth: Common Belief is that most Vietnam veterans were drafted.
Fact: 2/3 of the men who served in Vietnam were volunteers. 2/3 of the men who served in World War II were drafted. Approximately 70% of those killed in Vietnam were volunteers.
Another very interesting article, by Dr. K.G. Sears, sheds even more light on the debt of gratitude we owe to our Vietnam veterans. They served with honor and distinction, and rarely received the recognition they were due. Thank you for your service.
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Blue Skies
By Slab
The Blue Angels lost an F/A-18 near Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort, S.C. today. Sadly, the pilot died in the crash. Requiescat in pace, brother.
The Blue Angels flying the Missing Man formation in honor of Capt Voris in Oct 2005.
12 Years Ago Today
By Bull Nav
Yes, the Oklahoma City bombing occurred 12 years ago yesterday, but I did not hear about it until a day later.
At the time I was on the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 22 (CDS 22) as the Staff ASW Officer and the Submarine Operations Officer. Our flagship was USS TICONDEROGA (CG47) which was serving as REDCROWN in the Adriatic Sea as part of Operation Sharp Guard. This included enforcing UN sanctions and the No-fly zone that was in effect. We were only one month into our 6 month Med deployment as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group (commanded by then RADM Fallon), and we were on our second of 4 weeks straight in the Adriatic. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (they had 24MEU on board commanded by COL Marty Berndt) was also out there.
At that point in time, there was much strife and conflict in the countries which used to be Yugoslavia. Lots of other ships around from various countries, but we had the largest contingent. This was back in the good old days when lots of ships deployed with the carrier. In our case, we had two CGs, one CGN, one DDG, and two FFGs. We also had two SSNs attached, although they were for the most part out conducting other missions.
I think Tico and ARLEIGH BURKE were in the Adriatic, while the TR, HUE CITY, and MISSISSIPPI had gone on to the Arabian Gulf. Since my boss was the next senior guy, he became Commander Task Force 60, the Med Battle Force Commander. Since at that time the DESRON staffs were considered "Tactical Destroyer Squadrons" we only had about 12 people on the staff (we were not the ISIC for the ships as that went to CDS2 in Norfolk; the ISIC, Immediate Superior in Command, was responsible for admin, maintenance, manning, etc.) so we were very busy handling upwards of 1000 messages a day, none of which dealt with events outside the Med.
This particular day, I had an uneventful morning watch, and then had lunch in the wardroom. It was a beautiful day outside so I figured I would go hang out on the missle deck by the aft Mk26 launcher after lunch. It was so clear that we could see the mountains, even though we were 50-60 miles from shore. I remember thinking what a wonderful day it was and how much it was going to suck to go back to the space we used for our office to review message traffic and prepare the Commodore's daily intentions message.
Now remember that this was 1995. We did not have email at sea or continuous live TV feeds. We only got news through the broadcast or when you pulled in and got mail. Because we had so much operational traffic to review and act upon, I barely gave the news and sports messages a second glance.
There was a third way to get the news: shortwave radio. One of the other guys on the staff had one of those radios that receives HF. He would go out to the missle deck after lunch every day, smoke a cigarette, and listen to the BBC.
Anyway, as I approached him, he asked me if I had heard the news. I, of course, said no, to which he replied listen to this. The BBC was carrying a story about how the Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City had been blown up by a truck bomb and that over 150 people had been killed.
Stopped me dead in my tracks.
I did not think Islamic jihadist or Al-queda POS. No, I figured it was some pissed-off American with a grudge who figured he would take out some fellow Americans as a means of protest. This was two years after Waco and only 2 ½ after Ruby Ridge. There was still lots of talk about militias here in the US and that is immediately who I thought had done it. It made me extremely angry. Here we are 50 miles off the coast of a country that has committed genocide and God knows what else and some SOB back home has to go kill a bunch of fellow Americans? Women and children? Man, I was pissed. We are trying to prevent the same thing from happening in Yugoslavia and it happens at home because a dumbass has his priorities wrong? Made me wonder how safe my wife was back in Chesapeake.
Anyway, I got over it pretty quick. Too much work.
We only got spotty news on it until we pulled into Genoa a couple of weeks later. Still sucked. That was definitely not the highpoint of the deployment, but it is one which I will never forget.
Train to fight
By Slab
It's been a busy two weeks of patrolling and shooting. As always, we don't have the time or ammo to get the Marines as proficient as we'd like, but we do the best we can. I thought I'd share some pictures of our combat marksmanship training.
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Easter basket
By Slab
A bit late, but I just had to post this. My fiancée gave me an Easter basket while I was visiting her in Charlotte on Easter weekend. How can you not love this woman?
April at the I
By Bull Nav
April (to me anyway) was the one month during my time at VMI that had nothing going on in it. Sure, we did not have to go to Saturday classes on Easter weekend, but that was about it. Each month seemed to have an event or set of events that made it unique.
August was when the new blood, the fresh Rats matriculated. It also sucked for everyone else because it meant summer was over.
September brought football.
October had more football.
November had Ring Figure and the Thanksgiving Break.
December, of course, meant final exams and then the Christmas break.
January was return to classes (this time, in the Dark Ages).
February had basketball and (well maybe) Breakout.
March was Spring Break. Yeeeehaaaaa!!!!
May: finals, New Market Day, Commissioning, and Graduation.
So what about April? Not much going on, Institute-wise. Not much to set it apart…or was there?
Spring would finally come in Lexington. Buds on the trees, Dogwoods flowering. Dark Ages DONE.
I remember going fishing out on one of the local rivers or creeks (Maury, James, or a variety of the smaller creeks)…throw a 12-pack of Milwaukee's Best (since it was the cheapest) in the back of the fly-fishing vest, throw on the waders and away we went. On Wednesday's. Leave post right at 1530 and get back just before SRC (Supper Roll Call-the evening formation). And no, you were not going to march down to Crozet to eat. You would fall out and go take a nap before heading over to NEB (Nichols Engineering Building) for an invariably long night of studying (ending about 0500 or so).
April also gave you time to breathe. To reflect.
If you were a Rat, er I mean 4th Classman, sure you had no privileges but you didn't have to strain all the time or do pushups every time you entered Barracks. Good time to head up to Estelle's on the weekend and have a couple.
For the 3rd's and 2nd's you were already looking forward to summer: maybe a Midshipman cruise or Ranger school or Bulldog. Or you looked forward to finding a summer job (like me).
For the First Classmen, you were looking forward to the END. Maybe commissioning, maybe grad school, or maybe a job in the real world…
I know that April for a lot of folks, in a lot of places, is not their favorite month. Not one they want to remember.
To them, I offer my heartfelt prayers.
For me, however, April has some of my best memories of my time at VMI.
Nobody's First Choice
By John
Mike Goldfarb takes the Air Force to task over our new CSAR bird:
CSAR stands for Combat Search and Rescue. The Air Force currently operates 102 Sikorsky HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters to perform that mission. The HH-60s average 25 years old, and the service is desperate to replace them. Last November, the Air Force announced a winner in the competition to select a replacement: the Boeing HH-47, a new variant of the venerable Chinook.Almost immediately, concerns arose about how the twin-rotor Chinook had beaten out the Lockheed Martin/AgustaWestland-built US101 and Sikorsky's H-92. Protests from Lockheed and Sikorsky ultimately led the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to side with the losing companies. The GAO reported that "upon our review of the record, including a hearing conducted by our Office, we find that the Air Force's evaluation of O&S [Operations and Support] costs was inconsistent with the RFP [Request for Proposal]."
Yeah, and why on earth would we want a fat-assed bird like the Chinook for a light, fast, and stealthy tactical mission like see-sar? Are they planning on bringing back the downed aircraft too?
There's been corruption issues with Boeing and the Air Force in the past, EELV and Airbus both come to mind. Not implying, mind you, just sayin'.
You know, for all the hootin' and tootin' the Air Force has made about the importance of stealth, I'm kind of curious why they picked a decidedly unstealthy prototype for a mission which -by definition- requires a bird with the smallest footprint available. And look, I'm not deviating from the party line here either. Chief of Staff Michael Mosely (an Aggie, good dude) testified recently that "the Chinook would have not been his first choice, but that the Air Force would make it work."
Not too long ago, the USAF moved from the MH53J Pave Low to Blackhawks called Pave hawks to perform the Combat Search and Rescue missions. This is primarily a Special Operations aircraft, and, if memory serves, the USAF 20th SO Wing flew those missions - a great unit if ever there was one...saved some good people I knew upon occasion.So, now, there's an opportunity to get a really kick ass bird to go in and get our men and women behind the lines undetected, properly ventilate the bad people, and get out of dodge quickly. But, instead, it appears to be a giant freakin' boondoggle.
Whiskey tango foxtrot, over?
But, just to be fair, here's the other side of the argument:
Boeing’s HH-47 Chinook is believed to have won the $10 billion, 141-aircraft CSAR-X combat search-and-rescue competition because the helicopter offered much of the capability the US Air Force was looking for “out of the box”.The competing Lockheed Martin US101 and Sikorsky HH-92 would both have required significant development work to get to the initial Block 0 capability required by the USAF – and more to get to the definitive Block 10 configuration.
Boeing argued during the competition that its HH-47 – based on the MH-47G special-operations Chinook already in service with the US Army – was “Block 0+” because it already had some of the capabilities called for in Block 10, most particularly the multi-mode terrain-following/terrain-avoidance (TF/TA) radar.
The manufacturer argued that clearance of the TF/TA radar – required for covert ingress and egress at low level – would be an expensive and time-consuming process for the competing bidders. Lockheed, however, pointed out that it, and not Boeing, was in fact the company that cleared the TF/TA radar on the MH-47.
But the fact remains the existing MH-47G met a significant number of the USAF’s CSAR-X requirements. Changes required to meet the Block 0 specification include: digital automatic flight controls, which are already fitted to the CH-47F; rotor de-ice, with a heated blade design available from the CH-46E; wirestrike protection; enhanced health and usage monitoring system; dual rescue hoist; and environmentally controlled patient treatment area. The biggest structural change will be a larger, 1.22m (48in)-wide side door. The in-flight refuelling probe required for CSAR-X is already installed on the MH-47G.
Still, that's a pretty expensive buy for a bird that boasts alot of crap that's "already installed." You know?
The Stupid Rise Up
By John
Looks like "Little Eichmans, the sequel."
The American people, including the families of the murdered Virginia Tech innocents, have collective blood-guilt on their hands. I have not gone to jail to protest the war machine, so I am no better than they and probably a good deal worse because I have given the issue some thought. How many of those parents in the audience hearing the President’s words had elected to Congress men and women who voted for lax laws on gun ownership? How many of those parents in the audience had also voted for legislators who backed the president’s illegal invasion of Iraq? Are we, as a nation, too obtuse to grasp the connection between our “gun culture” policy at home and our militarist policy abroad that murders and mutilates human beings at every turn? Practically any one in America can buy a gun, and abroad, any dictator in the world can buy weapons made in America because we just happen to be the world’s biggest arms peddler.What kind of a society has America become? Why do we have two-million men in our prisons? Why, in some cities, is every second or third male either in prison or out on parole? Why is the murder rate soaring in so many cities? Why is there on average more than one killing a day in a city like Philadelphia? Why are our own terrorists murdering 30,000 Americans each year and injuring tens of thousands more with rapid-fire handguns of the sort used on the Virginia Tech campus? Do we realize, speaking of terrorists, that ten times as many Americans are being killed by Americans each year as all our troops in Iraq? Osama bin Laden is everywhere in America. He has a thousand faces. They are the faces of our own dispossessed, our own poverty-stricken, our own unemployed, our own underclass, our own idolized gangsters , our own youth who grew up in front of television sets that ooze violence and blood.
Who is responsible for the killings in Iraq except the same now bereaved parents of the murdered students at Virginia Tech? It’s not that some of them voted to elect George Bush. Anyone can be deceived, particularly by a notorious liar. But when the president broke the law and invaded Iraq, violating the UN Charter, how many of them protested? Today they are upset that a young, crazed gunman has ran amok on the campus of a peaceful university, but where were they when President Bush defied the United Nations and ran amok in Iraq? Do they know, as Amnesty International reported on the same day as the Virginia Tech murders, the Middle East “is on the verge of a massive humanitarian crisis” because three-million Iraqis have been “forcibly displaced” by the war the grief-stricken Mr. Bush began? Who do the American people think made this humanitarian crisis in the Middle East if not the American people?
The same parents who weep for their children might consider that they and their neighbors are also spending a half trillion dollars a year so that the Pentagon, just over the horizon from Virginia Tech, can wage a war that is snuffing out the lives of children of other parents just like their own. Thousands of Virginians work for the military-industrial complex. They work for the Pentagon. They work for defense contractors. They work for the Central Intelligence Agency. They are in the business of killing directly or indirectly, yet how many of them are haunted by the consequences of their “jobs” in their dreams at night?
All across America, people who attend church and regard themselves as “good” people, such as the bereaved at Virginia Tech, are working in the plants that make atomic bombs and warplanes and napalm and cluster bombs and are creating new, demonical designs of germ warfare and space-based weapons so vile and horrible they defy description.
Vomit-inducing. Seriously, it's that bad. Reminds me of what me and my "angry neighbors" are fighting. The ideology, this corrupt, horrible ideology. And stupid. Incredibly stupid. Incurably stupid.
I love this dude's morals: "Sure, the Virginia Tech shooting was horrible and evil. But guess what, Mr. Churchy McChurch-goer....you're no better."
Really?
There's nothing worse than being insulted by some idiot beatnik who tries to inject iambic pentameter into his writing. Can't you just see him imagining that he's inspiring millions with this crap? Up on the podium, affecting all of us warmongers in some deeply profound way? As if his lame Socratic approach is really designed just to make us think.
Sherwood lives in a cosmos of his own mental construction, where up is down, down is up. The people who he so callously indicts live in the real world. And in that real world, going to church isn't the same as killing 32 people. I know that. You know that. Hell, most thinking people know that. But what pisses me off about this clown is that he represents a large demographic of people who don't know that.
Nor will they ever. You can't fix stupid, y'know?
It should be noted that the extreme right isn't much better than the extreme left.
The families of those killed in the Virginia Tech massacre may not be able to grieve in peace at the funerals of those they lost. An anti-gay religious group known for protesting at the funerals of American soldiers killed in Iraq is planning on appearing at services for those killed on Monday as well.The Topeka, Kan.-based Westboro Baptist Church (WBC), which is not affiliated with any national Baptist organization, announced plans to protest at victims’ funerals only hours after 32 people were killed in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history. They also may protest at other events on the Virginia Tech campus.
The organization, founded and led by Fred Phelps, believes the United States has condemned itself to destruction by accepting homosexuality and other “sins of the flesh.” Phelps’ daughter, Shirley Phelps-Roper, said the Virginia Tech teachers and students who died on Monday brought their fate upon themselves by not being true Christians.
“The evidence is they were not Christian. God does not do that to his servants,” Phelps-Roper said. “You don’t need to look any further for evidence those people are in hell.”
I don't know what book she's been reading, but Mark 12:28 says: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.' "The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
So these guys are kinda dumb. It's not a matter of interpretation or definition either. There's no passage that says "you shall hate sinners, gays, and non-Christians will all your heart."
Look I'm not trying to spark a religious debate here. Just pointing out that these idiots at Westboro are favoring a small series of Old Testament passages while ignoring the single, driving tenant of Christianity, the sum of all scripture and all the prophets (thank you Lex).
Look if it seems like I'm invoking words such as "stupid, dumb, idiotic" a bit more than usual, that's because there's simply no other way to describe people like these. Stupid, dumb, idiotic.....all easy ways of pointing out a glorious absence of intelligence. No whether you want to blame that on their brains or their ideologies is up to you.
I think it's a little of both.
Fundraiser for a Good Cause
By Bull Nav
Veteran's Haven is a group that provides support to homeless veterans here in SE Michigan. Next month, the Firing Line in Westland, MI, is holding a fundraiser for them.
THE VETERAN SHOOTING COMPETITION
FUNDRAISER
A shooting competition and dinner to raise money for homeless Veterans.
THIS IS FOR ALL MILTARY AND NON-MILTARY.
This is sponsored by The Firingline and Veteran's Haven.
The shooting competition is held at The Firingline.
Event dates are May 14th thru May 18th times are 10a - 2p and 6p to 8p all week. Call The Firingline for details, pricing and sponsorship.
The dinner will be held on Saturday, May 19th at the Wayne Ford Civic League from 7p to midnight. Dinner tickets are $30 per person. All trophies will be handed out at the dinner. Contact The Firingline at (734) 326-7320 or Veteran's Haven at (734) 478-0822 ask for Scott.
LET'S HELP OUR HOMELESS VETERANS!!
If you live in SE or Central Michigan, or even northwest Ohio (Toledo is only about 1 1/2 hours from the Firing Line) try to come out and shoot to support this group. There is more information at both websites.
Homeless veterans are a group that you don't hear much about in the news or anywhere else, for that matter, but deserve our help. If you are in the area, and have the time, please consider attending this event. They have a great range and it should be a good time...all for a good cause.
Someone You Should Know: Steely Eyed Chick Warthog Pilot
By John
Blackfive profiles Major Kimberly Cambell for his weekly Someone You Should Know series with the Pundit Review guys.
Kevin and Greg at WRKO also linked Major Cambell's Distinguished Flying Cross citation:
Captain Campbell’s aviation prowess and coolness under pressure directly contributed to the successful completion of the critical mission and recovery of a valuable combat aircraft. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Captain Campbell reflect great credit upon herself and the United States Air Force.Translating the usual obtuse Air Force-ese into English, Major Cambell's Warthog was seriously damaged by an Iraqi SAM during OIF. She had to first right the thing -the hog was upside down- with Saddam's Republican Guard doing their best to finish her off. Then she had to land the A-10 in manual mode, no hydraulics, a maneuver that has claimed the lives of many an A10 pilot.
Thanks for finally getting around to profiling a
Another Picture of the Day
By John
Just because the news is justly focused....elsewhere.
U.S. NAVY AIRCRAFT from Carrier Air Wing 5 perform a formation flight in front of Mount Fuji, Japan, April 12, 2007. Nine squadrons are assigned to the air wing and embarked aboard USS Kitty Hawk. The squadrons operate from Naval Air Facility Atsugi, Japan. Kitty Hawk operates out of Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan. Photo Courtesy of the US Navy
I, for one, support the Navy's conquest of Mount Fuji, and welcome new rocky acquisitions under the banner of the American empire, such as Kilimanjaro, Everest, and the Moon.
Picture of the Day: Afghani Albatrosses
By John
AFGHAN NATIONAL AIR CORPS L-39 Albatross jets take off in a formation practice for the aerial parade in the upcoming Afghan National Day in Kabul, April 12, 2007. Air Force mentors assigned to Defense Reform Directorate Air Division under Combined Security Transition Command - Afghanistan provide guidance to soldiers with the Maintenance Operations Group for the ANAC. Picture Courtesy of the US Air Force
I don't get the paint scheme. Why waste time painting the thing camo (forest camo, no less, in rocky Afghanistan) if you're going to sniper-check the tail, wing tips, and nose with bright yellow paint? It seems like a couple of buckets of bright hunter-orange would be cheaper, and have the same effect.
Although, I digress. Snarkiness activated before I even knew what the hell an L-29 was...turns out the Czech jet from the 60s is widely used as a trainer aircraft, although it does have a light-attack function. In which case, the yellow makes a little more sense, kind of like those giant STUDENT DRIVER!!!! signs you see on the road.
America at the Crossroads
By John
I wasn't sure what to make of this when I first watched, it appears to be an artistic interpretation of the writing of Spc. Colby Buzzell, author of My War. Didn't take long for it to grow on me, there's something about the graphic novel format that accentuates the philosophical reflections of the soldier sage. See for yourself:
And here's more on Operation Homecoming:
OPERATION HOMECOMING is a unique documentary that explores the firsthand accounts of American servicemen and women through their own words. The film is built upon a project created by the National Endowment for the ArtsOff-site link to gather the writing of servicemen and women and their families who have participated in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.Through interviews and dramatic readings, the film transforms selections from this collection of writing into a deep examination of the experiences of the men and women who are serving in America’s armed forces. At the same time it provides depth and context to these experiences through a broader look at the universal themes of war literature.
The writing in OPERATION HOMECOMING covers the full spectrum — poetry, fiction, memoir, letters, journals and essays. The stories recounted here are sad, funny, violent and uplifting. Yet each one displays an honesty and intensity that is rarely seen in explorations of the war. Through an extraordinary group of men and women it presents a profound window into the human side of America’s current conflicts.
At the core of the writing in OPERATION HOMECOMING is a deep desire by all those who have served in war to come to terms with their experiences. Throughout the film the servicemen and women, young and old, express a profound hope that people will listen to their stories and try to understand what they have seen.
It premiered on PBS last night, not sure when they'll run it again.
Hotel Tango: Greyhawk
Duty in the Desert
By John
This milblogger seems to know his business:
An active-duty U.S. Air Force pilot; flown mostly C-130s during my career at numerous locations, to include a tour as instructor pilot at the C-130 schoolhouse at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas, teaching new pilots how to fly the Hercules. Did a stint as Director of Operations, Chief Pilot, and Chief of Stan-Eval at a rapid-response C-130 unit specializing in high-priority, sensitive projects and test flights. Also served as an advance agent for Air Force One directly supporting the President of the United States. Married my best friend and we have 3 children that keep us very busy.
Herky driver LtCol Patrick writes Duty in the Desert, an excellent new milblog. Bookmark him, read him daily, and be sure to check out his remembrance of downed F16 pilot Major Troy Gilbert.
Onward Christian Airman
By John
Shachtman emails me this morning and wanted to know what I thought of this story from Bagram Air Base. Being a Catholic, I've never really understood revivals, but I do respect them as a unique, passionate way of expressing faith. Still, kind of weird for the Air Force to run this as a news item.
Anyway, I promised to send you guys his way to weigh in. So....go weigh in.
And try not to get too pissed off at the first commenter.
Ospreys Take Flight
By John
I have to admit, I've been a bit of skeptical of the Osprey program since the project was announced in the 90s.
But hey...
Maybe I'm wrong.
Christian Lowe (his video) came away impressed.
I have always been a contrarian when it comes to the Osprey. I do not see any alternative but to make tiltrotor technology work. Helicopters have a physical limit. They can’t go more than a certain speed because of the drag of the rotors. Now I’m sure I’ll get some people much smarter than me to argue this, but when it comes down to it, helicopters are just not going to cut it for much longer. We need the Osprey, and I have always believed the V-22 would revolutionize STOVL flight and be very effective for the Corps.......
On April 13, 20 of us flew off the Pentagon helipad on a Sea Knight that was part of the presidential fleet. While the interior was a lot nicer than the 46s I’d flown in during deployments to Iraq and elsewhere, it still performed like the old phrogs I knew and (grudgingly) loved: slow and low…
We landed on a field at Quantico and watched as our CH-46 departed and two Ospreys came screaming overhead. Their speed and size was jaw-dropping. The rotors are huge and they moved across the sky much quicker than a 46 ever could.
After a short interview with the squadron commander, Lt. Col. Paul Rock, it was time for the ride. We filed onto the aircraft, strapped ourselves in and lifted off. I kept my eyes out the back window and also scanned the small side window to see how the nacelles (the engine and rotor housings at the end of each wing) were oriented. We flew most of the first minutes of the flight with the nacelles at a sort of 45 degree pitch.
Then it all changed.
As soon as the pilot shifted the engines to full forward, transitioning to conventional flight, the Osprey lurched ahead, pulling all of us toward the rear of the aircraft. It was really hard to stay upright the thrust was so dramatic. It reminded me a bit of a catapult shot off an aircraft carrier (notice in the video how fast the ground flows below, and see how hard it is to keep the camera steady when the Osprey banks to the right or left).
We jinked and jived over the rolling woods of Quantico, then evened out and glided in for a quick landing in a pretty large field. I noticed the whiff of burning grass as we settled down, an indication of the intense heat streaming out of the powerful engines in helicopter mode. We hovered a bit more – turning left and right – then lifted out dramatically and sped ahead in conventional flight. After more banking and turning (with a few of my colleagues making use of the airsick bags handed out before the flight) the Osprey alighted once more on the field where we began.
I’ll let you judge for yourself how impressive the Osprey’s flight characteristics are (please forgive how raw the video is). But I’ll tell you something, every single one of us – even the pukers – was beaming when we emerged from the plane. It was one of the most exciting rides I’ve ever taken – and I’ve taken some pretty cool ones.
So there's your explanation as to why -despite an atrocious safety record during trials- the brass insisted on deploying this airframe.
That, and I support any technological advancement that inches us closer to the Pelican Dropship from Halo.
Bouhammer, OUT!
Small Kindnesses, Great Appreciation
By Lt Col P
Am now back up on the net after a busy week and a drill weekend.
Speaking of which, here's a story I have to relate, and if any of those involved are reading, well, all I can say is thank you.
This past friday four of us Marine reservists were having lunch in West Palm Beach, Florida, in preparation for an afternoon training meeting. The place was full, we were absorbed with our own matters. We took no notice of anyone around us.
We asked the waitress for the check and she took her time coming back. While she was gone, the table next to us got up and left. The waitress came back a few minutes later and said, "The people at that table paid your check."
What?? They're gone! We can't say thanks!
"I know," she said, "they didn't want me to tell you until they had left. They didn't want to make a big deal out of it."
I'm ashamed to say that we took so little notice of them. Were they three or four? All ladies? No, I think there was one guy. Honestly, I can't say for sure.
So, whover you are, know that four humbled Marines would like to say thanks.
Virginia Mourns
By John
Hearts go out to our Virginia brothers down at Tech, according to the last update on Fox News, the count is at 32.
Virginia Mourning her Dead, Virginia Military Institute
I spent many-a-weekend down at VPI while I was a cadet at VMI. Truly an open, welcoming group...those Hokies. And I'm not saying that in light of the tragedy either. Blacksburg was my favorite weekend destination in my drinking days, because the students were just so damn fun to party with.
Sad day for Virginians, sad day for the nation.
Glenn writes:
... reader John Lucas, who works with a Virginia law firm, emails that Va. Tech is a "gun-free zone." Well, for those who follow the law. There was an effort to change that but it failed: "A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly." That's unfortunate.
Could the same happen at VMI? Probably not, the Institute is a place where the students shoot back. On one hand I feel bad injecting the gun debate into such a monumental tragedy. On the other, I can't help but to feel frustrated that one armed student (or cadet, VPI has a corps) could have help avert this disaster.
Update: I feel somewhat less guilty for waxing gun control, after reading the comments at Firedoglake:
Veritas78 says:
April 16th, 2007 at 9:58 amIt’s an awful tragedy that shouldn’t happen to anyone, but it happens 2-3 times a day in Iraq.
------------------------------------------------------------------- mc says:
April 16th, 2007 at 9:59 amUntil we implement and enforce strict gun control laws in this country, we’ll always have plenty of our own terrorists.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Mason says:
April 16th, 2007 at 10:09 amI’ve got to say though that responsibility for 600,000 dead Iraqis and 3,300 dead Americans plus about one million wounded rests squarely on the shoulders of Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz and the rest of the neocons and their enablers. To my way of thinking, their crime dwarfs what happened at Virginia Tech. Yet, I understand that ranking the relative importance of the two means nothing to someone who has lost a loved one. Nothing is more painful or incomprehensible and no one ever gets over it.
Somehow, openly wishing that there were looser gun restrictions, as means of limiting the tragedy, doesn't seem so classless anymore.
On Being Home
By Slab
From The Sandbox, via Blackfive comes On Being Home, by Sgt Derek McGee of Fox Co 2d Battalion 25th Marines. Derek is an incredible writer, and I'm sure his words ring true with combat veterans of all generations.
One thing that hit home was his explanation of how we react to loud noises after we're home. I found myself shaking my head as I read it, remembering our first formation after we returned from Iraq last year. An artillery unit was firing into the impact area on base that morning, and with every impact I had to forcefully remind myself that it was not an IED, and I did not need to rush to the COC to check on our patrols. It's not that the noises scare us, it's that we become conditioned to react to certain noises instinctively. As Derek mentions, the heart speeds up, the adrenaline flows, the eyes start scanning for "what" and "where", and the brain begins processing requests for information and commands at an ever-increasing pace. In Iraq, I was able to hear an explosion over music or a DVD, and immediately figure out general type and location. Once, I helped locate a patrol that had been hit simply because I heard an explosion from inside the COC and correctly determined that it was an IED in Albu Fleiss. I won't even get into IEDs and snipers while out on patrol. Coming down from that sort of heightened awareness takes some time.
If you're still reading my banal writing, you need to get over to the Sandbox and read it from the horse's mouth. My writing doesn't hold a candle to Derek's. If you've been in combat, you'll be amazed at how well he conveys the experiences that can never truly be explained to the uninitiated. if you've never been there, perhaps you'll have a little better understanding.
(Hotel Tango: Blackfive)
3rd ID Moves In
By John
Richard S. Lowry
11 April, 2007
As late as January of this year, the members of the Third Infantry Division’s headquarters staff were planning on relieving the 25th Infantry Division headquarters as the command element of the Multi-National Division – North (MND-N). Then, the new Baghdad Security Plan was instituted and in mid February, General Richard Lynch learned that the 3rd Infantry Division headquarters would deploy in support of the surge of forces into Iraq. Lynch’s staff only had three weeks to prepare for their new mission.
By March 12th, the division’s advanced party was on the ground in Iraq with the remaining soldiers of the division headquarters arriving by 22 March. The “Dog Faced” soldiers of 3 Infantry Division officially assumed responsibility for their area of operations on 9 April.
Col. Michael Kershaw (right), the 2nd Brigade Combat Team “Commandos,” 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry) commander, shakes the hand of Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch (center), the 3rd Infantry Division commanding general and the Multi-National Division – Central commander, as Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil Jr. (left), the commanding general of the Multi-National Division – Baghdad and 1st Cavalry Division commander, looks on. The two generals visited the Commando Brigade at Camp Striker, Iraq, March 30. (U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Angela McKinzie, 2nd BCT, 10th Mtn. Div. (LI) Public Affairs)
Before the surge of forces, the 1st Cavalry Division headquarters was commanding the Multi-National Division-Baghdad (MND-B). Major General Joseph Fil Jr had responsibility for all the forces in Iraq’s capitol city, a city the size of Los Angeles with a population of more than 6 million. With the addition of several new brigades, it was painfully obvious that the 1st CAV HQ would need some assistance. A new command was established called the Multi-National Division-Central (MND-C) and this command was given responsibility for the brigades on Baghdad’s outskirts.1
Third ID took responsibility for a large perimeter around Baghdad, commanding the 2nd Brigade Combat Team (BCT) of the 10th Mountain Division and the 3rd BCT of 3rd Infantry Division from Fort Benning, Georgia. The deployment of the 2nd BCT of the 3rd Infantry Division, at Fort Stewart, has also been accelerated. They will likely join the Task Force along with the 3rd Infantry Division Combat Aviation Brigade. The Combat Aviation Brigade and 2nd BCT will deploy within 45 days.2
Major General Lynch has decided to send Op-Ed pieces home to a local newspaper3 in Savannah, Georgia. In his first piece, he stated: “In the last few days, I’ve traveled to Ramadi, Yusifiyah, and Sadr City, among other places. These are communities that get a lot of media coverage when things go badly. But when shops are open, when children go to school, and when people of all sects are seen worshipping together peacefully, the cameras and microphones are elsewhere.”
He went on to say that it has only been ten months since he finished his last tour in Iraq. But, in his recent return he has already noticed real progress. “Baghdad has more lights in the night and electrical power seems to be more abundant.” “There are more stores open. Traffic is returning to the streets. Commercial airplanes are flying in and out of Baghdad International Airport. These are signs that the economy is improving.” That isn’t all. He added, “There are newspapers and television stations, radio stations and internet cafes. Iraqis are, for the first time in generations, exposed to the outside world.”
Most notably, “There are more Iraqi police and Iraqi soldiers. They are better equipped and trained than 10 months ago. They have courageous young leaders. Many of these Iraqi Security Forces are teamed with our 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers and a large portion of their security forces are actually operating independently under the control of their government. These are signs of progress.”
Even I was surprised at what General Lynch said later in his piece. “The insurgency is not popular here in spite of what you may have seen on TV. The criminal elements here battle every day with Iraqi security forces and they are recognized as extremists with outside sponsors. Al Qaeda in particular is feared and despised. It is trying to undermine the government and they want the world to believe that they are winning. But the opposite is true.”
He concluded with these words. “Yes, there is a long way to go. But I have learned that patience and optimism are absolutely essential. The insurgents will continue to launch spectacular attacks. Their goal is as much about destroying hope at home in America as it is about killing Iraqis.”
Remember, only about half of the “Surge” forces are deployed.
It is a new day in Iraq!
Richard S. Lowry is the award winning author of the best selling book, “Marines in the Garden of Eden,” Berkley, New York, 2006. He is an internationally recognized military historian and author. Richard served in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service from 1967-1975 and spent the time from 1975 to 2002 designing sophisticated integrated circuits for everything from aircraft avionics to home computers. Richard turned to serious writing after 9/11 and published “The Gulf War Chronicles,” iUniverse, New York, in 2002. He is currently working on his next book project. “The Surge” will tell of General Petraeus’ attempt to win the peace in Iraq. For more information on Richard and his work, visit www.marinesinthegardenofeden.com or www.gwchronicles.com.
Blue vs. Green
By John
Is the Air Force memorial ugly? Aye, says former F-4 aviator Tantor.
Mixed feelings, I'll get to that in a second. What I was really taken with was Tantor's evaluation of the green vs. blue Air Force:
The Air Force is culturally divided into two camps: The Blue Air Force and The Green Air Force. The Blue Air Force wears the blue uniform to work while the Green Air Force wears fatigues and flight suits. The Blues do essential tasks like stock the warehouses, maintain the motor pool, and push piles of paperwork around base. The Greens take wing in chariots of fire like sky gods. The Greens are shooters, the Blues shoe clerks. The Blues are preoccupied with trivia like stopping people from whizzing in the woods outside the Officer’s Club after Happy Hour and making sure your ribbons are in the right order on your official photo. The Greens are preoccupied with putting bombs on target.There is a clash of cultures within the Air Force, where the Blues impose their spit-shined, regulation-happy, utopian culture on the Green’s realist, pragmatic, quick and dirty combat rules culture. The Air Force Memorial is a monument to the Blue Air Force. I’m surprised they don’t have a bronze statue of a clerk at his desk typing a form in triplicate. That’s what it’s all about for the Blues.
And that post, right there, effectively sums up why I love the Air Force just as much as I hate the Air Force. The blue Air Force is contrary to everything that I learned at VMI. At the Institute, it was adapt, overcome, think outside the box, find solutions, not excuses. Rules and regs are handy, but the mark of a true military man is his ability to quickly evaluate mission necessity vs. military regulation, make a command decision, and live up to the responsibility of that decision for better or worse. That's the stuff leaders are made of.
The blue Air Force is stop, ask permission, form a committee, and never....ever...operate outside the parameters of your squadron policy letters. It's regulation to the point of stupidity. My friends and I have a theory, that in 50 or so years the Air Force will have so choked itself with bureaucracy, unnecessary training (operational risk management and their whole stinking safety program comes to mind), and bottom line stupid bullsh*t that we will cease to be able to perform our function. Which is, as Tantor said, bombs on target.
One higher-up who recognized this cultural failure explained it to me as "command incest," where the Air Force breeds officers who only understand how to push Officer Performance Reports, write official AF memos, and micromanage.. who -in turn- foster that pen and paper style of leadership on the next generation of leaders, and so the problem gets worse and worse.
Now I'm a green suiter, kind of. We're operational but we don't see a whole lot of operations. So I live in a hybrid world in between the laid back, get-it-done mentality of the pilot community and the uptight, pencil pushing blue Air Force. I'll never forget having limited time to study for a major check in our simulator, only to be told that I had to drop the books so that I could make sure that there were no personnel listed in our security binder that had moved on to another assignment. I had to drop my mission, proficiency in the weapon system...my primary reason for being...so that I could spend 5 hours updating a book that is looked over, at most, a half dozen times a year.
The VMI man in me was screaming to tell my Flight Commander to go sit on a stick, but the blue Air Force officer in me trudged off to the binder, putting off the mission so I could further sustain our bloated squadron bureaucracy.
If it sounds like I'm bitter...well, I am. Many of my fellow CGOs have tried to upchannel this cultural plague up the chain in hopes that we start thinking like warfighters and less like accountants. More emphasis on the mission, less on the miles of paperwork that the Air Force creates for itself daily. But it falls on deaf ears...too easy to dismiss us as disgruntled airman than enact a major cultural shift in how we operate.
So y'know, after all that....
I think Tantor might have a point.
The whole design of the Air Force Memorial is inspired by the bomb burst aerial stunt performed by the Thunderbirds, the Air Force demonstration squadron that flies at air shows. The Thunderbirds are also a fine group but the core mission of the Air Force is not to entertain the general public with flying circuses.
Big Hotel Tango to SMASH for the find.
Another SEAL Gone
By Bull Nav
Folks often talk about the number of SF types who are fighting the GWOT (yes, I will still use it), but you don't hear much about what they are doing. Until something bad happens:
NORFOLK (NNS) -- Special Warfare Operator 2nd Class Joseph C. Schwedler, Sea, Air, Land (SEAL), 27, of Crystal Falls, Mich., was killed by enemy fire while conducting combat operations in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the Al Anbar province of Iraq April 5.
Almost the only time you hear about a SEAL is when they don't make it. My son was fortunate recently as his teacher's brother, who is a SEAL, came and gave a talk to the class. It was truly inspiring.
Not to de-emphasize the other soldiers/sailors/airmen/Marines who have given their lives, but there are only around 2500 SEALS serving: each one who falls makes a larger dent in their force, percentage-wise. These guys are extremely highly trained and motivated, as I am sure most people are aware. I am sure we will hear more about SO2 Schwedler. Until then, keep him and his family in your thoughts and prayers.
Deep War Thought of the Day
By John
“If you're in a war, instead of throwing a hand grenade at the enemy, throw one of those small pumpkins. Maybe it'll make everyone think how stupid war is, and while they are thinking, you can throw a real grenade at them.” ~Jack Handy
Picture of the Day: Frog Fighters
By John
French jets love American oil.
A French air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet receives fuel from a KC-10 Extender during Red Flag-Alaska 07-1 April 11. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force
Misgivings about our French allies aside, the Mirage 2000 is actually a very capable jet, as far as multi-role fighters go. I remember sitting in on a speech where Air Force Chief of Staff, General Mosley, specifically mentioned this guy as one of the reasons that we need the Raptor. Not because we'll be fighting Paris anytime soon, it's just that when those dudes come out with new military hardware, you never what backwards 3rd world dictatorship it's going to end up in.
That, and our F-15/16 fighter force is 30+ years old. Just sayin'.
Iran's Fancy New Centrifuges
By John
Suck, according to Jeffrey Lewis at Arms Control Wonk.
If you happened to hear my interview with the Pundit Review on WRKO Boston, I mentioned that Iran's shoddy centrifuges was the biggest obstacle in their quest for weapons grade fissible material. So when I read that Iran had purchased 3,000 new pieces for their centrifuge collection, I was a bit perturbed.
Luckily, Jeff was there to bring me back down to Earth:
So, in case you missed it … some members of the news media are freaking out, reporting Ahmadinejad’s claim that Iran is enriching uranium “on an industrial scale,” repeating Larijani’s claim that Iran is running UF6 [uranium hexafluoride] though 3,000 centrifuges,” and parroting the usual pundits' warnings that the end of the world is just around the corner… Repent!Seriously people, you should just write it on a placard and wander the streets ringing a bell.
As far as I can tell, the technical people have said two things:
Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Director Gholamreza Aqazadeh said “With the entry into the stage of mass-production of centrifuges and the start of nuclear fuel production on an industrial scale and with several years of efforts and hopes bearing fruit, the (nuclear) project has entered a new stage.”
AEOI’s Mohammad Saiedi declined to say how many centrifuges Iran had, explaining “We enter the industrial stage after passing the pilot stage. ... Our pilot stage included two cascades of 164 centrifuges; we passed the stage and entered the industrial level.”
As I read these statements, the Iranians are confirming what was reported the other day … that Iran has installed additional 164-machine cascades—maybe more than 1,000 centrifuges in total—at the Fuel Enrichment Plant at Natanz.
Three things worth keeping in mind, before you sell that nice little townhouse on Logan Circle and relocate to Montana:
-1,000 P1 centrifuges (assuming 2 kg SWU per machine) operating continuously require 23-29 months to enrich enough uranium for a bomb; 3,000 P1 centrifuges would take 8-10 months. Either way, we’ve still got time, probably two years assuming the centrifuges can operate continuously.
-Iran still does not operate its centrifuges continuously. Based on Iran’s past consumption of UF6, Iran feeds gas into its centrifuges only about 20 percent of the time, suggesting the machines are either breaking down or that Iran cannot use its own UF6 as feedstock.
-There is no evidence that Iran can mass produce the components of 3,000 centrifuges. The Iranians can claim mass production, but I want to see the evidence that Iran can mass produce ball bearings and maraging steel bellows for the P1. Diplomats have been saying Iran imported enough components for about 1,000 to 2,000 centrifuges. So, my guess is that Iran can make today’s announcement with what they bought from AQ Khan; they may run into problems when they try to push past that number.
All of this is to suggest that today’s announcement seems like a stunt.
Like I said over at Townhall last week, there's a big difference between being strong and pretending that you are strong. Iran is a pretender.
Hotel Tango: Shachtman
Imagine
By Slab
II MEF(Fwd)'s Public Affairs team put together an excellent video about a small group of Marines (to include their Navy corpsman) who are living with and advising a company of Iraqi jundi. Enjoy.
In my four deployments to the CentCom AOR, the time that I've spent with Afghan Security Forces and the Iraqi Army rank up there as some of my favorite experiences. To say that the average Afghan or Iraqi soldier is gregarious would be putting it mildly. The other week I bumped into a former colleague from 2d Battalion 8th Marines. He had just come home from a tour on a MiTT in Fallujah, and of course I spent last summer supporting a MiTT near Habbaniyah. As we compared our experiences, we both talked about how we would both willingly volunteer to go back as part of a MiTT. It is an experience that is difficult to match in any other job. It sure as hell beats being a FOBbit.
In other news, Lex points us to a recent post by Tish Durkin. In Iraq: A Place of Ambivalence, Mrs Durkin takes the anti-war crowd to task on some key points. Mind you, she doesn't give the pro-war crowd a pass either. As Lex points out, no one gets off easy in this one, as she does not choose to seat herself neatly in one corner or the other. I certainly wish that we'd see more writers like Mrs Durkin - people who don't try to paint the war in neat shades of black and white, but who show the limitless ambiguities, and still express some hope despite their misgivings (and Tish Durkin has quite a few). Unlike most opinions about the war, this hope isn't wrapped up in politics, but instead it is rooted in a deep sense of concern and empathy for the Iraqi people.
Picture of the Day: Pigs on Parade
By John
Thought I'd tuck ya'll in to bed this evening with a little motivational airpower....
Four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs fly in formation behind a KC-135 Stratotanker April 4 over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex. Nearly all internal fuel, approximately 200,000 pounds, can be pumped through the flying boom, the KC-135's primary fuel transfer method. The A-10s are from the 355th Fighter Squadron, and the KC-135 is from the 168th Air Refueling Squadron, all from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force
It's Been a Year....
By John
Posting here at OPFOR. Flew by, really. Thanks for the patronage!
The Obligatory VMI Puff Piece
By John
Activate the way-back machine, all the way to yesterday.
McCain Likely to Find Friendly Audience at VMI:
LEXINGTON, Va., April 10 -- In recent years, Virginia Military Institute, with its turreted buildings and surrounding mountains, has been a scenic and suitably martial backdrop for supporters of the Bush administration to report on its foreign policy hopes and achievements.President Bush came here in April 2002 to announce a reconstruction effort for Afghanistan modeled after the Marshall Plan for Europe. Then-Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld gave a graduation speech last year in which he defended his oversight of the Iraq war. On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), the most outspoken supporter of the war in the field of 2008 presidential candidates, will argue that success in Iraq is essential to the nation's security.
McCain will find an audience generally receptive to the message on which he is staking his presidential campaign. But the 1,200 cadets at the state-run military school are hardly unaware of the uncertainties about the U.S. mission in Iraq that threaten McCain's candidacy.
I was at the Bush speech in '02. Pre-Iraq, simpler times. Still, I remember the speech being sold as a "reaffirmation of the President's vision for the Global War on Terror." Yeah, 8 months in and the public already needed reminding.
n-e way....
Good article, but the WaPo just couldn't resisit this old song and dance:
It is a mark of how long the war has lasted that the cadets graduating this spring will have spent their entire time here under its shadow. Several said the war has helped shape, in one way or another, their thinking about the major decision facing them: whether to accept a military commission.All cadets must be enrolled in the reserve officer training corps of one of the service branches, but after graduation only half have decided in recent years to join the armed services. (A small fraction of cadets serves in the Reserves or National Guard while enrolled.) More than 1,000 VMI graduates have served in Iraq, and eight have been killed. That is fewer than the 10 cadets who died in a single day of fighting in 1864 at the Battle of New Market in the Civil War, and far fewer than the 180 alumni lost in World War II.
Yup, body counting. Press loves it for some reason. What they didn't count was the commissioning rate, which has gone up -significantly, I hear- since 2003. Now part of that is a renewed pledge by the VMI administration to up commissioning rates from the 40% norm, wheels that were in motion prior to OIF. But then there's the cadets who just want to get in the fight. My brother is one of them, pursuing a Marine commissioning track at the Institute as we speak. That's got to be worth a mention. Not my brother, he's a dork....the commissioning part.
Pressing. I always love the standard party line on how much the place sucks:
Amenities are limited to a gym, a PX and a single TV room. Cadets cannot have cars on campus until their fourth year; they have serious restrictions on cellphone use, and they are not allowed televisions in their rooms (or microwaves or coffee makers).Actually you've got to fold all four of your racks up, unless you have the much coveted "hay down," where the damn thing is authorized to remain in the down position. But that's a small nit to pick. Especially given how much I loved this guy referring to the ratline as a "toughening up period." Heh, that's one way of putting it.They typically live four to a room, in spaces so cramped that two of the cots are folded up each day. They wear dress uniforms at almost all times -- the street clothes they arrive in can't even be kept in their closet but must be stored in a separate locker. First-year students, or "rats," endure a toughening-up period in their first six months.
Charlie and I beat most of these rules using the Cadet Newspaper, where we reigned as editators (not, mind you, an editocracy). Our fat regulations book, the Blue Book, had volumes on what was authorized and what was unathorized in barracks. Nothing on academic buildings though, which is where we kept our publication offices. This was a loophole that we fully exploited. TV, DVD player, xbox, couches, a ping pong table, microwaves, a pizza oven (couldn't make that up if I tried), stereos. It was heaven. And it was a great place to store those unauthorized civilian clothes. Most of our staff wore pajama bottoms and a various assortment of weird hats, if I remember correctly.
Part-time cadets, it was great. The rankers in barracks, you know....the type that takes themselves very, very seriously....gravely seriously, actually... hated our guts. Tried their best to destory our empire. We won out, the bad guys weren't too skilled at outside the box thinking...But, I suppose, that's a story for another time.
What that has to do with the article, nothing. I just like traveling down memory lane.
McCain at VMI
By John
Wish I could have been at the old alma mater today....
First thought, he delivered the address from Jackson Memorial Hall. Taking into consideration size and capacity (older facility, smaller seating capacity), it sounds like demographic breakdown of the audience was simple enough: corps, a few select faculty, press.
No faculty behind the Senator on the stage, sans General Peay.
Perhaps the Institute's PR wonks had last May's commencement speech in mind, where the cameras couldn't avoid panning over a bunch of pissed off looking English professors seated behind the keynote speaker, Secretary Rumsfeld.
Cadet vets of the Iraq/Afghanistan wars in the front row. Good. I picked out three that were my "Brother Rats," meaning they matriculated in the fall of 1999. Gives you an idea of how long they put off their educations so that they could prosecute this war. One of them, my "Rat Roommate" Patrick -who rendered me my first salute at my commissioning- served on a Marine FAST team, protected our embassy in Liberia, and finished out his service with a tour in Iraq. Was proud to see those guys front and center, where they belonged.
The speech. God, we needed this didn't we? No fluff, no BS. No long historial diatribes (many a VMI keynote speaker has been seduced by that quick and easy path). Just "America: We.Are.At.War. Congress, start acting like it."
I gathered three central themes:
1) The future of our national security rests on success (or failure) in Iraq:
Democrats argue we should redirect American resources to the ‘real’ war on terror, of which Iraq is just a sideshow. But whether or not al Qaeda terrorists were a present danger in Iraq before the war, there is no disputing they are there now, and their leaders recognize Iraq as the main battleground in the war on terror. Today, al Qaeda terrorists are the ones preparing the car bombs, firing the Katyusha rockets, planting the IEDs. They maneuver in the midst of Iraq’s sectarian conflict, sparking and fueling the horrendous violence, destroying efforts at political reconciliation, killing innocents on both sides in the hope of creating a conflagration that will cause Americans to lose heart and leave, so they can return to their primary mission — planning and executing attacks on the United States, and destabilizing America’s allies.
2) We have a moral obligation and responsibility to stand by the Iraqi people:
To enumerate the strategic interests at stake in Iraq does not address our moral obligation to a people we liberated from Saddam Hussein’s tyranny. I suspect many in this audience, and most members of Congress, look back at America’s failure to act to prevent genocide in Rwanda with shame. I know I do. And yet I fear the potential for genocide and ethnic cleansing in Iraq is even worse. The sectarian violence, the social divisions, the armaments, the weakened security apparatus of the state — all the ingredients are there. Unless we fight to prevent it, our withdrawal will be coupled with a genocide in which we are complicit.....
In Washington, where political calculation seems to trump all other considerations, Democrats in Congress and their leading candidates for President, heedless of the terrible consequences of our failure, unanimously confirmed our new commander, and then insisted he be prevented from taking the action he believes necessary to safeguard our country’s interests. In Iraq, hope is a fragile thing, but all the more admirable for the courage and sacrifice necessary to nurture it. In Washington, cynicism appears to be the quality most prized by those who accept defeat but not the responsibility for its consequences.
3) The road to mid-east stability travels through Baghdad:
A power vacuum in Iraq would invite further interference from Iran at a time when Tehran already feels emboldened enough to develop nuclear weapons, threaten Israel and America, and kidnap British sailors. If the government collapses in Iraq, which it surely will if we leave prematurely, Iraq’s neighbors, from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Turkey and Egypt, will feel pressure to intervene on the side of their favored factions. This uncertain swirl of events could cause the region to explode and foreclose the opportunity for millions of Muslims and their children to achieve freedom. We could face a terrible choice: watch the region burn, the price of oil escalate dramatically and our economy decline, watch the terrorists establish new base camps or send American troops back to Iraq, with the odds against our success much worse than they are today.
Mary Katharine Ham participated in a post-speech blogger conference call (smart move, Team McCain), linked here. She seemed a bit more interested in McCain's proposed blogger outreach program than the actual speech, but did note --correctly, methinks- that such outreach: "could be hugely beneficial to the war effort, so bravo[sic] to John for saying he'd tackle it."
Hello? What have milbloggers been saying for years? Message, message, message. It's more valuable than armor or bullets. At least in this fight it is. And for some reason, elected officials gave up on the "Why We Fight" meme after 2003. Why? Leadership, like the WSJ said, can mean swimming upstream against the current of public opinion. But sheesh, it doesn't mean public opinion can be ignored.
90% political, 10% military. That's the type of war we're fighting. I'll take a string of speeches like these over a few extra battalions any day of the week.
You want to talk leadership?
I've held this position for four years. I cannot let anything to do with my political career affect my judgment on Iraq."....."I don't know and I don't care what effect it will have on my political aspirations."That's leadership. And that's what I'm looking for in a President.
Photos Courtesy of the Virginia Military Institute
Code Pink on the Airwaves
By John
No, the troops aren't toys to play with. Nor are they propaganda pieces.
These are the same shrill womyn who feel that Walter Reed Army Medical Center is an appropriate venue for protesting. The type who turn their backs on soldiers, mock their accents, and manipulate them for their own selfish political desires.
So forgive me if I find their appeal to America's heartstrings a little...well manipulative. Code Pink is the PETA of the anti-war movement, a group who offers little political clout beyond a handful of melodramatic media stunts each year. Credibility. It counts.
Hotel Tango: Allah, who writes:
Utterly predictable after the first second or so. You can’t expect profundity in half a minute, but a little originality would be welcome; what you’re getting here instead is the thousandth iteration of a meme that’s been popular in anti-war thinking since toy soldiers were invented. Presumably it’s simply a commentary on Bush being cavalier about troop deaths, although with Mother Sheehan’s outfit you never know — they may mean to imply he’s actually getting his jollies from all the fighting.
Yah, and then there's that whole "volunteer" concept, something Code Pink has never been able to wrap their minds around. The four year anniversary of the fall of Baghdad is significant in ways outside of purely historical context, it marks the end of a soldier's initial four-year service commitment. Meaning, our current crop of fighting men either volunteered after OIF, or reenlisted to continue the mission.
Because the Last One Was So Effective....
By John
Gitmo Inmates Resume Hunger Strike
MIAMI — Terrorism suspects at a maximum-security prison at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, have resumed a mass hunger strike to protest the conditions of their confinement, detainees' lawyers said Sunday.Guess it's on again. Standard operating procedure is to force-feed 'em until they knock it off, using an IV feeding system. Which sounds reasonable enough to me. But, believe it or not, this "won't eat my peas" crap actually works with some folks here in the States.The on-again, off-again action involving at least 20 prisoners over the last few months started after more than 170 of the 385 men currently detained at Guantanamo were moved to the newest and harshest facility, Camp 6.
Firedoglake:
No government has the moral right to treat any human being this way. Under George Bush and Dick Cheney, Rumsfeld, Gonzales, Libby, Addington, Yoo, Hayes, et al, our government has become immoral, inhumane and lawless, and it needs to be changed. And those responsible should be held accountable. Enough.
Treat them what way? Soccer balls, 3-square Islam friendly meals a day, and board games? Forgive me if I don't buy into the dramatics here. Mistreatment would be if we were purposefully starving these guys. We're not...they're starving themselves. And they're not very good at it either, judging by the the last great cry for attention in 06.
So essentially, the inmates are sending a message to ideologues who are already on their side. People like the crew at Firedoglake, who have already made clear that their well-being isn't quite the goal, but rather bringing down BUSCHO! and his band of thugs.
But hey, Firedoglake has said ENOUGH! And, based on their past successes, like when they got Ned Lamont elected, The Path to 9/11 pulled off the air, and President Bush impeached, all the bad guys down at Gitmo have to do is play the waiting game.
Careful What You Wish For
By John
BAGHDAD -- Calling the United States the "great evil," powerful Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr on Sunday ordered his militiamen to redouble their effort to oppose American troops and argued that Iraq's army and police force should join him in defeating "your archenemy."
US to Sadr: Oh it's already been broughten -
In Washington, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, an independent of Connecticut, said al-Sadr's words showed the American troop surge was working."He is not calling for a resurgence of sectarian conflict. He's striking a nationalist chord. We're going to have to watch him closely. He's not our friend. ... He's acknowledging that the surge is working," the senator, a strong backer of the war, said on CNN's "Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer."
I'd just like to echo Mike Yon's words of wisdom from a couple of months ago: "We need to kill Sadr. We will lose a lot of people taking on the militias, but we should either take them on or pack up and go home. I vote for killing them."
Hey I'm sure it's written somewhere that the simplest solutions are the most effective solutions. Just hate for it to be one of those hydra scenarios, where one head gets lopped off and another three grow in its place. Y'know?
Shifting Momentum
By John
From the....New York Times?
BAGHDAD, April 8 — Nearly two months into the new security push in Baghdad, there has been some success in reducing the number of death squad victims found crumpled in the streets each day. And while the overall death rates for all of Iraq have not dropped significantly, largely because of devastating suicide bombings, a few parts of the capital have become calmer as some death squads have decided to lie low.
But!
But there is little sign that the Baghdad push is accomplishing its main purpose: to create an island of stability in which Sunni Arabs, Shiite Arabs and Kurds can try to figure out how to run the country together.
And caveat!
For American troops, Baghdad has become a deadlier battleground as they have poured into the capital to confront Sunni and Shiite militias on their home streets. The rate of American deaths in the city over the first seven weeks of the security plan has nearly doubled from the previous period, though it has stayed roughly the same over all, decreasing in other parts of the country as troops have focused on the capital.
And stunning revelations!
Many of the new troops are joining long-term garrisons along with Iraqi forces in particularly violent neighborhoods of Baghdad, keeping up frequent patrols and trying to strengthen relations with Iraqis by meeting with local leaders and residents.That has put the Americans in the middle of sectarian battlegrounds, and their death rate in the city has nearly doubled. The number of Americans killed in combat or other violence rose to 53 in Baghdad in the first seven weeks of the push, from Feb. 14 to April 2. That is up from 29 in the seven weeks before then.
You mean that placing US troops directly into harm's way actually increases casualties?? See, this is why I still subscribe to the local newspaper, someone has got to connect these dots for me.
Still, sigh. I suppose this is the best we'll get out of the NYT's. A somewhat optimistic lede followed by three pages of tedious explanation as to why it's no reason to get your hopes up.
Update - Jules Crittenden quips: "The New York Times is forced to acknowledge progress in the surge. Grudgingly."
Spring & Summer Grilling
By John
I've always felt the real first day of spring was easter Sunday, not the vernal equinox or (DC locals) when the cherry blossoms bloom.
So, in that vein, I'm sharing with ya'll an incredible, specialized grilling recipe that I picked up while stationed in the Santa Maria Valley in California: grilled tri-tip.
There's a great history here, that traces back to the era of the first Santa Maria cattle ranchers.
In the early days of the great California ranchos the rancheros gathered to help each other brand their calves each spring. The host would prepare a Spanish style barbecue as a thank you for his vaqueros, family and friends. Under the oaks of this serene little coastal valley, they would enjoy a traditional feast that included beef barbecued over a red oak fire, and served with Pinquito beans bread, salsa and homemade desserts. Still today, this practice continues as a ceremony of spring on the area's cattle ranches.
Celebrating grilling your cows by.....um, grilling your cows. I like it!
Recipe below the fold:
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Happy Easter To All
By Lt Col P
I'll be maintaining radio silence for the rest of the weekend, and I expect so will the rest of the crew. A Happy Easter to all, and may the joy of the Resurrection be with you now and always. And to the boys (and girls) overseas, may this time next year see you home, safe and sound, and see the nation one step closer to victory.
PS... If you haven't read this post, take some time to do so, and follow the link at the end to make your views known. Unbelievable, simply unbelievable.
Picture of the Day: Turn and Burn
By John
They're almost worth the price tag in looks, ain't they?
The F-22 Raptor performs for thousands during an April 1 air show at Naval Base Ventura County in Point Mugu, Calif. This F-22 is based at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The F-22 is the Air Force's newest fighter aircraft. The sophisticated F-22 aerodesign, advanced flight controls, thrust vectoring, and high thrust-to-weight ratio provide the capability to outmaneuver all current and projected aircraft. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force
Shachtman's got more photos of the cloudy looking stuff around the airframe over at his place, plus...an explanation!
McCain to Speak at the "I"
By John
Well, this is one way to get my vote:
U.S. Sen. John McCain will speak at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington next week as part of a buildup to officially announcing his presidential candidacy later this month.The last time Senator McCain was at VMI, he was speaking atMcCain, a Republican from Arizona who lost the GOP presidential nomination to George W. Bush in 2000, will speak at VMI on Wednesday, according to a press release from his campaign office. No time or location was provided.
While at VMI, McCain is expected to address his commitment to winning the war in Iraq as part of a series of policy speeches he plans to give this month. The speeches will culminate with a campaign tour beginning April 25 in New Hampshire and concluding April 27 in Arizona, with stops in South Carolina and Iowa.
In America our rights come before our duties, as well they should. We are a free people, and among our freedoms is the liberty to care or not care for our birthright. But you know, as well I, that those who claim their liberty but not their duty to the civilization that ensures it live a half-life, having indulged their vanity and self-interest at the cost of their self-respect. The richest man or woman, the most successful and celebrated of our citizens possess nothing of any real value if their lives have no greater object than themselves. They may be masters of their fate, but what a poor destiny it is that claims no higher cause than wealth and fame.Service guarantees citizenship!
I kid. Hey, the guy understood his audience. Duty, honor, and sacrifice will always resonate with the VMI crowd. Mainly because we spend four years there wondering why the hell we didn't go to a beer drinking college like Tech or UVA. Being reminded that VMI men fit a role, served a purpose, contributed to a cause....well, it numbed the pain. Even if the message came from a fancy-pants Academy aristocrat.
No, seriously. I kid.
Navy Civil Affairs
By Bull Nav
Well, it seems logical that we are going this way, but I had not heard this until today:
The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) officially established its newest command, Military Civil Affairs Group (MCAG) during a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, March 30.Of the 6174 Navy Reservists mobilized, there are a number who are backfilling Army Civil Affairs requirements. In fact, one guy from my unit is reporting this month for processing for just that mission. He gets to go through 5 months of training at Ft. Bragg before going, however.MCAG’s mission is to assess, plan and execute civil affairs (CA) activities in the maritime operational environment.
It seems the NECC is a little more expansive than I originally thought, but in a good way. The stand up of this new command (MCAG) will, I think, help with engagement overseas.
I just wonder if there will be a reserve unit associated with it...
The Defense of South Georgia
By Slab
In light of recent events in the Northern Arabian Gulf, I thought it might be appropriate to call your attention to another occasion where a hostile Navy decided to "bow up" on the Royal Marines, 25 years ago today. Things went a bit differently for the Argies, however.
Near the Falkland Islands was another island, known as South Georgia, that was uninhabited except for a team of scientists from the British Antarctic Survey, stationed at Grytviken. However, the Argentines had decided to make a point on South Georgia. Their point would not be as well-taken as the one made by a small detachment of Royal Marines guarding the BAS station on the island.
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Falklands War; Recommended Reading
By Lt Col P
I have a short reading list below, four book that I think are not only well written and authoritative, but when read as a set paint a reasonably complete picture of the whole conflict, from the strategic to the tactical.
But before I list them, let me address one other issue. The Royal Navy and Royal Marines, with whom we have stood and fought side by side for many years now, are taking it on the chin over the mess with Iran. Lots of bloggers have pointed out that they should have fought it out (correct), that Nelson is probably spinning in his grave (correct), and that the UK today probably couldn't mount another Falklands op independently (correct, unfortunately). I don't want to pile on, but would rather send this note to them: We need you in the fight, because the list of the able and the willing is short indeed. So let's take our lumps, boys, and resolve to get back in action. Your fellow Marines of Naval Party 8901 fought like hell on the Falklands, and even more so on South Georgia where they nearly pulled off a mini Wake Island, with a true Nelsonian Royal Navy captain alongside them.
Now the reading list.
The Battle for the Falklands (Hastings & Jenkins). This is the first and still probably the best, an A to Z view of the war, its origins and conduct. I have been grubbing around for my copy, but have since forlornly realized that I lent it to someone years ago and never got it back.
One Hundred Days: The Memoirs of the Falklands Battle Group Commander (Adm Sandy Woodward). I didn't read this one til 1994, when I was aboard the 2nd Fleet flagship off Haiti as the LNO from 24th MEU SOC. And it's a good thing I didn't because I wouldn't have been able to appreciate fully the expeditionary challenges that lay before the British task force, without having had three full floats under my (then) non-reg riggers belt.
No Picnic: 3 Commando Brigade in the South Atlantic (Julian Thompson). A very good view by the Commando Brigade commander, detailing both tactical and operational issues, with a good bit about having to execute a full landing and then a bold movement across the island into the teeth of the enemy's defenses. Add in that Thompson's span of control increased from three RM Commandos and supporting units to five maneuver units with the addition of two Army parachute battalions, that at no time could the task force guarantee him immunity from air attack, and that the logistics of his advance eastward were, to put it mildly, strained, and you begin to appreciate his enormous task. This too, I lent to someone and can't lay my hand on it.
Last but absolutely not least, Take That Hill! Royal Marines in the Falklands War, by (then) LtCol Nick Vaux, who commanded 42 Commando. This book ranks as one of the finest books a young officer, or an older one, can read to gain insights on his trade. I bought it when I was a cadet and have jealously guarded it ever since, reading it over and over again. Among Vaux's challenges were having a whole compnay group yanked from him at embarkation-- they went to retake South Georgia-- and having to build a new company with wherever he could get people and gear. In doing so they proved the worth of the "every Marine a rifleman" philosophy that colors the Royal Marines as deeply as it does the US Marines. Military readers will also appreciate the detail he provides about preparations for major actions, the imperative for brilliance in the basics, and how a good commander sets himself up for success in battle. (I was privileged to meet one of his provisional rifle company Marines later on, in 1994, in a NATO exercise in Sardinia. I happened to have the book with me on that float, recognized him from a photograph and his name from the text. Damn good guy, he was as surprised as I that I figured out who he was.)
Go forth, read, and enjoy. You'll learn a lot.
Admin Note
By Slab
I am changing my display name on OPFOR from Lightning to Slab, in light of recent events. My peers saw fit to dub me "Slab" during our trip to Germany, and that is the name I will use from here on. I may post the story behind that, if I feel like it, or if I am able to concoct a version that is suitable for public consumption.
As you were...
The Speech President Bush Should Give
By Slab
From Murdoc, via Winds of Change.NET, comes an excellent idea on how President Bush should phrase his opposition to the emergency spending bill.
I am going to veto the bill because America cannot afford to give up on a cause that has come so far. Make no mistake. There is still a very long ways to go. And, sometimes, it seems like we're not moving forward. But while freedom can be granted in a day, it takes years, generations perhaps, for freedom to really get a hold on a people and for people to really get a hold on freedom. To quit now, simply because we haven't finished a decade-long job in four years, would signal that we don't have the heart and determination to see our cause through.
Some excellent points are brought up in Murdoc's post. I particularly like his twist on the ever-popular Vietnam analogies.
Read the rest at Murdoc Online.
H/t to Winds of Change.NET.
Hey Look
By John
I've got another column up over at Townhall.com. One where I use lots of important sounding military phrases and words like "paradigm."
I wanted to title it "IRAN IS TEH SUXOR!!!!!" but Mary Katharine wouldn't let me. She also spell-checked the hell out of it....did you guys know there was an "h" in dinghy? Seriously.
The Avro Vulcan
By John
Since LtCol P seems to have officially kicked off Falklands Week here at OPFOR, I figured now would be as good of time as any to profile one of the heroes of the conflict, the British Avro Vulcan bomber.
She's pretty, even for a broad that was built in the early 1950s (B-52 jocks take no offense).
The "Tin Triangle's" primary mission was to nuclear body-check the Ruskies:
As part of Britain's independent nuclear deterrent the Vulcan initially carried Britain's first nuclear weapon, the Blue Danube gravity bomb. Blue Danube was a low-kiloton yield fission bomb designed before the United States detonated the first hydrogen bomb. The British then embarked on their own hydrogen bomb programme, and to bridge the gap until these were ready the V-bombers were equipped with an Interim Megaton Weapon based on the Blue Danube casing and Green Grass, a large pure-fission warhead of 400 kT yield. This bomb was known as Violet Club. Only five were deployed before a better weapon was introduced as Yellow Sun Mk.1.
But it was the Falklands War where the Vulcan really cut her teeth:
Although the primary weapon for the Vulcan was nuclear, Vulcans could carry up to 21 x 1000 lb (454 kg) bombs in a secondary role. The only combat missions involving the Vulcan took place in the 1982 Falklands War with Argentina, when a number of Vulcans flew the 3,380 nautical miles (6,300 km) from Ascension Island to Stanley to attack Argentine radar installations with missiles and bomb the occupied airfield there with conventional bombs in Operation Black Buck [1] [2]. Victor aircraft were used for air-to-air refueling in a complex scheme described here: [3].Five Vulcans were selected for the operation: their bomb bays were modified; the flight refuelling system that had long been out-of-use re-instated; the electronics updated; and wing pylons designed, manufactured, and fitted to carry an ECM pod and Shrike anti-radar missiles. The engineering work began on April 9 with the first mission on April 30–May 1, 1982. While only one 1000 lb bomb hit Stanley's runway, this first raid demonstrated the willingness and ability of the British to attack targets in the South Atlantic.
There were seven raids planned, but only five went ahead, with two scoring hits on radar installations. At the time these missions held the record for the world's longest distance raids. One effect was to force the Argentines to withdraw their Mirage II fighters from what had become their vulnerable position on the Falkland Islands to stand defence over the similarly at-risk Argentine mainland. The planning and execution of the "Black Buck One" raid has recently been described in Rowland White's book "Vulcan 607" [4].
Those were the good ole days, when the Brits were strong.
The Falklands War
By Lt Col P
On 2 April, 1982, the armed forces of Argentina invaded and seized the Falkland Islands, compelling the surrender of its British governor and small garrison. Thus began a short, sharp, decisive little war that few saw coming and many did not believe would happen even as it was happening. Yet it ended as abruptly (and decisively) as it began, and as with all mlitary history, offers us some important lessons.
I was in the 9th grade at the time, and was even then a keen student of military history. I remember some of the editorial cartoons published right after the Argentine invasion-- puns on "The Empire Strikes Back!" and another showing a gaucho on horseback, perched on the edge of an island, grinning at a figure in pith helmet and monocle rowing a patched rubber boat away from the shore. "I'll be back," says the figure in the boat, "And when I do, you're in for a bloody thrashing!"
That was all pretty funny, but also very prophetic. The empire did strike back; it was bloody on both sides, and Argentina did indeed get a thrashing. More importantly, the resolve and military capability displayed by Great Britain and her iron-willed Prime Minister, gave a critical boost to the NATO alliance and showed the Soviets that a Western power could and would fight to the finish, and could project power across the globe.
We at Op-For will be examining the Falklands War over the next few weeks, and presenting analysis of some of the more important actions. I suggest referring to this site, Honour Regained, for an excellent series of articles and photographs.
Victory PAC
By Slab
Armed Liberal over at Winds of Change.NET is trying to start a PAC to support candidates, of either party, who oppose premature withdrawal and support plans for victory in Iraq. From Victory PAC's website:
I've been waiting for four years for the White House to start really explaining the war to the American people, and to do anything sensible at all to maintain the political capital necessary to keep America in the fight - to keep us from withdrawing because the war is too messy, or too long, or just plain makes us feel bad.During that time I was blogging about the war and issues around it at Winds of Change.NET, felt I was doing my part, and hoped that the leadership of the country would wake up and realize that public support for hard things - like wars - must be earned and maintained.
I've given up, and decided that it's up to each of us to start doing more. To that end, I've decided to start a PAC that will offer support to Congressional candidates of either party who support a foreign policy that doesn't involve wishing problems away. Not necessarily support for the invasion of Iraq, or blind allegiance to White House policies - but some plan that's better than taking our ball and going home, leaving the country to become a bloodbath. All I ask is that they have some clue as to what we should do about violent radicalism in the Islamic world other than surrender, withdraw, and hope for the best.
Here is a political movement I can get behind. I really don't care too much for a candidate's domestic politics right now, but I truly care whether or not they plan to turn their back on the sacrifices of my comrades for the sake of political expediency. Visit Victory PAC and see what they're about.
(Hat tip to Blackfive)
A Chat with General David Petraeus
By John
The following is an OPFOR exclusive. Our friend Richard S. Lowry, currently working on a historical account of the surge, sat down for an extensive phone interview with General Petraeus last Thursday. Richard transcribed the conversation into the post below, to be -with General Petreaus' permission- reposted here at OPFOR.
This is an absolute fascinating look into the fight to win Iraq, told by a master storyteller. Enjoy.
March 29, 2007
There has been a dramatic change in America’s strategy in Iraq. The new priority has become security of the people of Baghdad. America’s fortress mentality is gone and there is a whole new feeling of partnership in the Multi-National Force-Iraq.
While the situation in Iraq remains dire, we have finally adopted a strategy that has a chance of returning sanity to the people of Baghdad. It is still too early to determine if Fardh al-Qanoon (enforcing the law) will work. All the odds are against General David Petraeus, but if anyone can bring peace and stability to Iraq, it is he.
General David Petraeus
We are involved in a worldwide conflict and the front lines are in Iraq. We are involved in a conflict our military was not prepared to fight in 2003. We are involved in a modern-day counterinsurgent war – a netwar. General Petraeus knows the seriousness of this assault on the free world and he knows how to win against these 21st Century insurgents. Before taking command of the Multi-National Force, he was the Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division; the commander of the Multi-National Security Transition command where he helped build the new Iraqi Army; and most recently the commanding general at the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center at Fort Leavenworth, where he oversaw the revamping of the Counterinsurgency Field Manual FM3-24.
Last Thursday, I had the privilege of speaking with him on the telephone. We started by talking about the Iraqi people. The General spent several minutes talking of the sheer horror Iraqis have suffered most of their lives. They have lived through the Iran-Iraq war, Desert Storm, a decade of sanctions and the Invasion of 2003. Then, instead of freedom, they have suffered through the chaos of the last several years.
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Complexity
By John
What's that old saying about simplicity being key to victory??
Hotel Tango: Chic[k] Pilot, which is an appropriate enough name for her blog, I suppose.
