October 2007 Archives
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Picture of the Day: Naughty Parts
By John
Question: which one of these airframes is most relevant to today's war on terrorism? (More on that subject l8rrrr)
An F-22 Raptor, an F-117 Nighthawk, an F-4 Phantom and an F-15 Eagle fly over Holloman Air Force Base, N.M. Oct. 27 during the Holloman Air and Space Expo. The expo showcased Air Force capabilities and the 49th Fighter Wing. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Jason Colbert)
Yeah, uh.. I didn't know either. Ummm, the Phantom?
Nevermore!
By Lt Col P
John has his "Obligatory Halloween Thriller Post" -- John, just how old were you in '82?? I'll see your King of Pop and raise you a Poe-m, to wit, the greatest reading of "The Raven" eva.
RAPID UPDATE-- Dammit, Beavis!! The youtube link doesn't work, so you'll have to make do with the original text.
Enjoy.
Update 2 (John): Got it fixed. This was a great call on Col P's part. I think that "stupid seraphim" is the quote of the day.
MORE ON SAN DIEGO FIRE DONATIONS
By Richard S. Lowry
I received a request to publish the contents of the letter Colonel Abbas sent along with his men's donation.
Select Read More to view the text of the letter and to personally send a message of gratitude to Colonel Abbas and his men.
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
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Obligatory Halloween Thriller Post
By John
Eight mikes instead of thirteen. Sure, Thriller without intro werewolf scene is like the Mona Lisa without the smile, but let's face it... by minute 10 you're starting to fade a little.
There it is folks. In 1982 musics videos peaked out with this classic. It was all downhill from there, sans November Rain and possibly that Aerosmith video where Steve Tyler's daughter takes her clothes off. Michael was still black, still into chicks, and still doing totally badass choreography.
With Zombies.
And Vincent Price narrating.
Life was good. Happy Halloween!
What's A Guy To Do?
By Lt Col P
Project Valour IT: Op-For is officially part of the Air Force Team.
BUT, Michelle Malkin is part of the Marine Team.
I admit to being conflicted. If this wasn't a win-win situation for a good cause, there'd be trouble.
Read More »
What Goes Around - Comes Around - Update
By Richard S. Lowry
Last Saturday morning I was going through the press releases I receive daily from Baghdad when I came across a story I knew I had to get out to America. I immediately set out to write a short post while my wife was preparing breakfast. She finished before I did and was calling me to the breakfast table, warning – “It’s getting cold!”
I made a few quick proofreads and a couple of changes and posted the story of Iraqi soldiers donating $1000 to the victims of the fires in San Diego: http://op-for.com/2007/10/what_goes_around_comes_around.html. I made it to the breakfast table before my eggs were cold. I thought nothing more of my post for the rest of the day. When I checked later, I noticed that the story was beginning to propagate over the web.
If you would like to personally thank the Iraqis who contributed to the San Diego fire victims - Read More
Richard S. Lowry is the author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
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Action on the High Seas
By Bull Nav
The mighty USS PORTER (DDG78) gets some.
071028-N-0000X-185 INDIAN OCEAN (Oct. 28, 2007) - A pirate skiff burns after being hit by several rounds from a 25mm gun aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Porter (DDG 78). The skiff belonged to a group of pirates that had taken a cargo ship. U.S. Navy photo (RELEASED)
A fine COMDESRON 2 ship.
I am looking forward to hearing more about this.
Huff'Po Knows Military
By John
This is too good to pass up. Mike Goldfarb at The Worldwide Standard braved the fever swamps of the Huffington Post to bring you this precious gem of an op-ed from English professor and apparent military genius Barry Sanders.
You're going to have to read it in chunks, because there are so many factual errors I have to copy the Goldfarb style of deconstruction.
The Green Zone: The Military's Addiction to Oil
Feeding the appetites of these voracious machines, with gasoline or diesel or kerosene, requires intricate logistical planning and support from some 2,000 trucks, a battery of computers, another 20,000 GIs, and, according to an Associated News report for September 2007, as many as 180,000 workers under federal contracts--more contract workers, in fact, than soldiers. Of the twenty-eight private security companies operating in Iraq, the major ones are Blackwater USA, Triple Canopy, Kellogg, Brown and Root, DynCorp International, and the Vinnell Corporation. The largest of them is not even American, but British, named the Aegis Corporation.
DynCorp does aircraft maintenance, logistics work, and provides security guards to deployed locations. KBR helps build operating bases. Vinnell trains the Saudi National Guard. Also, it'd help to learn the definition of mercenary. I know that every since some genius applied the term to Blackwater it's been the latest hot topic. But a merc is a soldier who fights the wars of a foreign government. Think the Hessians during our Revolutionary War or the Swiss Guard. Blackwater provides security for State and other VIPs. That's it. I can't stand the way people try to add a sprinkle of sensationalism to their rants by twisting around words to provoke an emotional reaction. It's dishonest and annoying.
Many of the contract workers are former military Special Forces troops, such as Navy Seals and the Army's Delta Force. The Seals conduct their operations with the philosophy of "spray and pray," a credo which seems to determine a good deal of the behavior of the mercenaries working for Blackwater USA, whose CEO, Erik Prince, left a career appointment in the Seals to start what is now a billion-dollar federal contracting firm, Blackwater USA.
Two paragraphs in and I'm already embarrassed for the guy. "Spray and pray?" SEALs and Delta are the most precise scalpels in our inventory. The thought of either unit running into combat with firing their weapons on full auto without even the courtesy of aiming is just plain idiotic. This also has nothing to do with military fuel consumption, Sanders is just going off on a weird inaccurate rant here.
The Navy uses an enormous amount of fuel for its nuclear and non-nuclear aircraft carriers. The recently decommissioned USS Independence, at its top speed of 25 knots per hour, consumed 134 barrels of fuel an hour, or close to 5,600 gallons an hour. (The ship boasts 4.1 acres of flight deck and a crew of 2,300.) On its way to the Persian Gulf in 2002, a trip that took fourteen days, the Independence went through two million gallons of fuel. Every four days, the ship took on an additional one million gallons of fuel, half of which went to supply the carrier's jets.
Uh, the Indy was decommed in the 1990s. It never steamed to the Gulf in '02. Also, I'm not sure if a carrier needs an UNREP every four days, but perhaps one of our Navy readers can confirm/deny? It's obvious that a conventionally powered boat like the Indy will eat more fuel than a Nimitz class, every four days seems a bit high.
Buckle up for the next paragraph folks, it's a dooz.
According to the 2006 Navy Almanac, at the beginning of 2006, the Navy held an inventory of 285 combat and support ships, along with 4,000 planes and helicopters. The DoD keeps classified the number and kinds of vessels stationed in the Gulf. But, we do know that President Bush ordered the USS Stennis and the USS Ronald Reagan to the Gulf in January 2007 as part of the surge. He also sent a "strike group," led by the nuclear aircraft carrier the USS Eisenhower, along with a cruiser, a destroyer, a frigate, a submarine escort, and a supply ship. Already sitting in the Gulf were ten other "Carrier Task Forces" built around the aircraft carriers Kitty Hawk, Constellation, Enterprise, John F. Kennedy, Chester W. Nimitz, Carl Vinson, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington, Harry S. Truman, and the Abraham Lincoln. Ninety attack planes sit on each carrier's deck, ready at any moment to fly into combat.
That's right. Every carrier in our inventory, plus one that has been waiting to be turned into scrap metal since 2003 (Constellation), was in the Persian Gulf earlier this year. Soak it in folks, military commentary doesn't get much better than this.
Of all the branches, the Air Force uses the most fuel. In 2006, for instance, the Air Force consumed nearly half of the DoD supply, 2.6 billion gallons of jet fuel, the same amount of fuel consumed from December 1941 to August 1945, during World War II. Flying machines, like the Apache helicopter, blow through fuel at an astonishing rate. Powered by two General Electric gas-turbine engines, each rated at 1,890-horse power, the Apache gets about one-half mile to the gallon. Just one pair of Apaches in a single night's raid will consume about 60,000 gallons of jet fuel. Any of the large helicopters--the Sea Stallion, Super Stallion, Sea Dragon, or Pave Low III--sucks up five gallons every mile. But that's nothing compared with the fighter planes. With its afterburners fired up, the F-16 Fighter Jet uses 800 gallons per hour, the F-15 about 1,580 gallons per hour. More dramatically, the F-4 Phantom Fighter uses 40 barrels of fuel, or more than 1,600 gallons an hour, each and every hour. But the gas hog award goes to the B-52 Stratocruiser, which has eight jet engines, and zips through an astonishing 86 barrels of fuel, or roughly 3,334 gallons per hour. In one hour of flight--600 miles--the B-52 uses as much fuel as the average driver uses in seven years.
We haven't flown the F-4 in over a decade. How dramatic. Not mentioned was the fact that the Air Force has been one of the most aggressive organizations in the world when it comes to the push for alternative fuel sources. What lacked in accuracy could have been slightly compensated for in honesty, but... whatever.
The Pentagon places the fuel it reserves for supposed international purposes--primarily for the Navy--in a category called International Bunker Fuel. Bunker Fuel--or more accurately called Bunker Oil--remains off the record, ghost stuff, as non-existent as the prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, making the CO2 emissions for the military even grosser than anyone's assumptions and calculations. The problem is further compounded by the fact that Bunker Oil contains a higher concentration of sulfur than other diesel fuels, and so pollutes not just with CO2, but with SO2 (sulfur dioxide), as well. The two gases in combination do more damage to the environment, for they form a thicker layer in the atmosphere and hold the heat in more tenaciously. In actuality, then, the military may be consuming twice as much fuel as the DoD suggests, or even higher--perhaps three times as much--and polluting much more--again, perhaps, by a factor of three. Surprisingly, the United States does not figure into its own annual CO2 numbers any of the greenhouse gases that the military generates.
Can we assume that this guy knows about as much about climatology and the science behind global warming that he does about the military? I've read this paragraph three times and I still don't know what point he's trying to make here. Bunker fuel, specifically No.5, is what powers most ships...military and civilian alike. Why is he arguing that it's use is some sort of "off the record" conspiracy? And who the hell ever said that the prisoners at Gitmo were "non-existent?"
Okay so he rambles on about fuels, switching fire to JP-8 fuel which is a component of the Air Force's alternative energy program, and says this:
One of those studies, completed in March 2000 and funded by the US Environmental Protection Agency, says absolutely nothing about the contamination caused by that same jet exhaust when a squadron of F-22s, say, fly sortie after sortie, at fairly low elevations, over a crowded neighborhood in Baghdad.
Uh. We have F-22s at Elmendorf AFB, Langley AFB, and Tyndall AFB. They haven't been to Baghdad, and I can't see any possible reason for a fighter which prides itself on stealth to be flying at "fairly low altitudes." Now I remember doing an FTX in a training area at the end of Tyndall AFB's runway a few years ago where, to the delight everyone, two F-22s buzzed us at about 50 feet as they were taking off. I wasn't gassed by some mysterious noxious emission and -even at the end of a runway at one of our busiest fighter bases- I don't remember the air being the least bit smoggy.
Trying to calculate CO2 pollution for military flying is near impossible. For one thing, if we consider the Stealth F-117, we know nothing of its fuel consumption. We do know, however, that sorties for that plane at the beginning of the Iraq War lasted 1. 6 hours. Flying out of some distant bases raised the average sortie time to 5.4 hours, with some sorties lasting up to seven hours--refueling accomplished in the air. Forty-two F-117s each flew over 1,300 combat sorties.
Hi, I get all my information from Wikipedia.
Forty-two F-117s each flew over 1,300 combat sorties.
Really? Each one flew 1,300 sorties? Not the combined force? Kind of makes this equation:
Using an average of five hours per sortie, at 619 miles per hour, time in the air for just this one type of plane comes to 190,827,000 miles, resulting in an astonishing 26 million tons of carbon. To get some idea of the magnitude of that number, it would take a fully loaded Boeing 747-100, flying from Los Angeles to New York, 328,165 trips to produce that same amount of pollution. On average, 40 flights leave from LAX for JFK daily, so those 328,165 trips, in commercial terms, would take 8,204 days, or almost 23 years. Sixty other kinds of planes flew sorties over Iraq. The total amount of carbon dioxide that went into the atmosphere is not just high--but goes totally unreported.
...seem a bit off, doesn't it?
Anyway, this guy might be a bright English professor, but he is way, way, waaaaay out of his league here. Zero grasp of the subject matter. Not even a basic understanding of the military..."spray and pray," yeeesh.
It's embarrassing.
And it syncs up precisely with an enormous pet peeve of mine, military commentary from folks who know zip about the military. Blind leading the blind. We're fighting two wars and this guy wants the military to stop and form a carbon counting commission. So not only did HuffPo fail to fact check this column, they gave the guy a whole series on the subject called "The Green Zone."
I hope they turn it off. Seriously. I don't have the energy to do this again.
Active Denial System is... uh, Active
By John
It ain't just a system in Egypt...
though, given the overall crabbiness of the Cairo street... maybe it should be.
Update: Linky
Hotel Tango: Danger Room
Valour-IT Drive 07 Kicks Off!
By John
It's that time of the year, folks. Project Valour-IT has turned into a blogosphere monster, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy voice-activated laptops for soldiers' who have lost the use of their limbs.
About this amazing project, from the horse's mouth:
Valour-IT has had a great year of fundraising, but the needs of the wounded continue, and our coffers are empty.Just in time, because the 2007 Valour-IT Veterans Day Fundraising Competition begins on Monday, October 29. Last year a merry band of milbloggers and friends raised over $230,000 dollars. This year, need among the wounded hasn't changed, with as many as 100 laptops going out each month. But every year, the amazing bloggers who participated have exceeded Valour-IT's wildest hopes. Let's do it again!
Here's the who, what, where, when, why and how of the competition:
Who: Bloggers of any and all stripes who support the U.S. Military
What: Raising $240,000 ($60,000/team) for Project Valour-IT,
Where: Starting on the blogs, then spreading through your community and into major media
When: Monday, 29 October through Saturday, 11 November (Veterans Day)
Why: Because reconnecting the wounded with the world is a vital part of their recovery
How: Signing up for your favorite military branch, blogging, auctioning, emailing, and spreading the news
Once again, OPFOR will be supporting Team Air Force (ignore any subversive treason from Marine/Navy/Army OPFOR bloggers). Here's the donation link:
Please consider donating! You won't find a more noble cause.
Speaking of Slab
By John
He had the quote of the year in an email this morning:
So far, it's been an effing boring deployment. [My wife] asked what I wanted for Christmas, and I said "Insurgents." I don't know that we've necessarily turned the corner out here, but they're definitely on their heels and reeling.
Picture of the Day: Double Whoosh
By John
Yeah, more Hogs. Don't act surprised, you knew it was coming.
Slab's favorite airframe btw. Okay, or not. Our own ANGLICO Marine says:
Meh, give me a section of skids (AH-1Ws and UH-1Ns) any day. For that matter, I'll take an AV-8B or an F/A-18D over an A-10. I am a little biased, but I guess I'll just continue to be the naysayer around here.
Two A-10 Thunderbolt IIs fire AGM-65 Maverick missiles over the Pacific Alaska Range Complex April 24 during live-fire training. The A-10s are from the 355th Fighter Squadron from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. Members from the 355th FS are tasked to provide mission ready A-10s and a search and rescue capability, in Alaska and deployed sites worldwide. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Robert Wieland)
IAEA Chief: Next Time, Ask Our Permission
By John
Israel has said it bombed a military target inside Syria September 6, but has provided no additional details, amid speculation that the target may have been a site storing nuclear materials from North Korea.Mohamed ElBaradei said he had been told by Syria that the site was a military facility and "has nothing to do with nuclear."
"I would hope if anybody has information, before they take the law into their own hands, to come and pass the information on," he said.
Uh, what law? Anyone?
Look, Syria promised that the site wasn't nuclear. ElBaradei and Bashar Al-Asad pinky swore on it, okay? We're talking real cross-your-heart-and-hope-to-die shit here. So next time, Israel better check with irrelevant UN bureaucrats before violating the tenets of an imaginary legal system.
Because Hell hath no fury like a sternly-worded UN memo.
Welcome Back
By John
The Marathon
By Lt Col P
The 32nd Marine Corps Marathon is underway!
I ran it in '99 and 2000, and then actually went back on temporary active duty to work on the staff in 2002. It is a great race-- exceptional organization, spectacular scenery, motivating crowd. If you want to do a marathon, just one to say you did it, but don't know which to choose, this is the one. You don't need a qualifying time and the support structure is outstanding. Then there all the nuts in the field, like the frog-suit guy, the tuxedo guy, the juggling guy, squads of Marines in boots and utes, guys carrying full size American flags, and much more. I've (literally) run into lots of VMI alumni as well.
When I was training, one of the strange things I noticed was that after a while, a ten or twelve mile run was nothing. Only when I got up toward 20 miles was it challenging.
If you've done the Marine Corps Marathon, feel free to leave a comment on what you thought was the hardest part of the course. For me, it was always Hains Point. In the past couple years they've done Rock Creek Park (or "Crack Rock Park" as I call it), and Rosslyn, VA. Both of those would be tough hills to climb.
Yes, I'll probably do it once more, just to nail down the elusive target time.
What goes around - Comes around
By Richard S. Lowry
Unfortunately, most Americans do not consider Iraqis as people. We see them as terrorists or victims, not as everyday people with the same values as our friends, neighbors and relatives. Yet, most Iraqis are decent human beings with the same concerns, dreams, and compassion as most Americans. They want peace and are concerned about their fellow man.
Is it no wonder that we feel differently about the people of Iraq, when the American media only reports sensational news? If it doesn’t bleed or explode, you just aren’t going to see it on the evening news. I received a press release from Baghdad today, which I know the mainstream media will not pass on to you all. Here is an example of Iraqi charity and gratitude which touched my soul. Imagine how incredibly generous these soldiers are. They have little to support their own families. It’s not enough that they are fighting daily to bring peace to their country. They are actually reaching out to help unfortunate Americans.
Richard S. Lowry is author of Marines in the Garden of Eden and The Gulf War Chronicles.
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Picture of the Day: It's Beautiful Man
By John
The Hog is only like my favorite airplane EVA...
An A-10 Thunderbolt II pulls away after receiving fuel from a KC-10 Extender flying over Afghanistan Dec. 14. The tanker is from the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing, home of the largest air refueling wing in Southwest Asia. Unit aircrews fly KC-10s and KC-135 Stratotankers in support of wartime operations. U.S. Air Force photo/Capt. Justin T. Watson
This pic is great, photographer got close enough so that we can see her curves. Hawt.
No True Glory
By John
Look, it's no secret that I have a total man-crush on Marine General Mattis. So when I find out that one of my favorite actors is going to play one of my favorite generals in a film adaption of a book by one of my favorite authors...
omg, swoon.
Translation, in order: Harrison Ford will play the role of General Mattis in No True Glory: The Battle for Fallujah.
Looks, it's kind of old news. Blackfive blogged about the casting back in 2004.... but I hadn't heard it until now, so it's new to me. According to IMDB, No True Glory is slated for a 2008 release. Here's an news clip from 2004:
Hollywood "Marines" could soon be taking orders from actor Harrison Ford if Hollywood carries out plans to cast the leading man as former 1st Marine Division commander Maj. Gen. James Mattis in an upcoming film about the Marines' assault on Fallujah last spring.In what entertainment writers say would be the first feature length film about the war in Iraq, Universal Pictures plans to base the movie on the upcoming book, "No True Glory: The Battle for Fallujah" by Bing West, a Marine veteran and former U.S. assistant secretary of defense, according to the Reuters news agency.
I like the timing. One year after a shotgun blast full of Hollywood anti-war films tank at the BO, we get a nitty-gritty Blackhawk Down style flick that will (presumably) focus on the individual heroism and ultimate nobility of US Marines. If No True Glory does as well as BHD did, it'd send a pretty clear message to Hollywood.
Courages sells.
Weakness doesn't.
What, you think 300 was a smash because of the costumes?
Here's hoping they do this flick right.
Progress
By John
Finally, an Air Force general who speaks my language.
On the use of UAVs to help identify fires in southern California, Brig. General James Poss says "This is the United States Air Force you are talking to. We designed these things to locate targets -- to help us start fires, not put them out."
Hey, he's no General Mattis.... but compare that line to this cumbersome quote from Chief of Staff General Mosley: "America depends on the Air Force to maintain global reach, global power and global vigilance today, tomorrow and into the future" and you can't help but to feel a little foward momentum.
A Kinder, Gentler Private Security Service
By John
Image is everything, even in shady world of private security contracting. So leading US security firm Blackwater, after a string of bad press, is launching a new PR offensive.... complete with a shiny new logo and everything.
Okay, maybe that's not their new logo. But a bunch of folks (including this guy) who read the Danger Room blog think it should be. Click through the image to vote on your favorite.
Aside. I feel for Blackwater. They've got a bunch of dorks running around calling them mercenaries, without even knowing what a mercenary is (foreign soldiers hired by a foreign government to fight its wars). That's a far cry from an American company running protective services for diplomats out in Iraq. But y'know these anti-war folks... they get all hysterical sometimes.
So go soothe their volatile emotions by voting for a pretty, kid-friendly logo already.
Hotel Tango: Blackfive
Soak in the Psycho
By John
I *think* it was Steve Green who asked me rhetorically in an email "You know that crazy cat lady who lived down the street from you? Code Pink is what happened when she got involved in politics."
So I submit to this court exhibit A in defense of the Green hypothesis. I can't think of a more ineffective way to get your point (which is...what?) across than to smear yourself in ketchup and shriek gibberish at the Secretary of State. This broad is a half-step up from writing coded messages with her own feces on the chamber wall.
Anyway, Code Pink does this crap all the time.... they're not smart enough to lobby the normal way, so they throw these shrill temper tantrums on Capitol Hill in the hopes that someone gives them the attention they crave. I've seen it a million times before..... with my friends' toddlers.
So crack open an ice cold Bud Light, and be thankful that the anti-war movement is so childish and inept.
And hey, entertaining too!
"All Hands to General Quarters"
By Bull Nav
So spoke CDR Ernest Evans, Commanding Officer of the USS JOHNSTON (DD557), as Kurita's Center Force bore down on TAFFYIII.
He continued:
Prepare to attack major portion of the Japanese fleet.
All engines ahead flank.
Commence making smoke and stand by for a torpedo attack.
Left full rudder.
And thus the CO and crew headed off into history and doom in the few short hours they had left. On his own initiative, before being ordered to do so, CDR Evans drove his ship towards the overwhelming Japanese force to defend the 6 jeep carriers he was escorting.
Sixty-three years ago today.
Five ships of 13 in TAFFY III lost. Over 1000 men killed.
Yet, the superior Japanese force which could have easily crushed them and then went on to slaughter the invasion force in Leyte Gulf turned around and ran.
After all was said and done, 1 PUC, 1 MOH, 29 Navy Crosses, 2 Silver Stars, and 2 Bronze Stars were awarded.
The story of the Battle Off Samar is well chronicled in James Hornfischer's Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.
Additionally, you can find more information at The Battle Off Samar website.
Drinking the Blue Kool-Aid
By John
I've talked before about how horribly inept the Air Force has become at the fine art of public affairs. Right now, the AF is in the middle of a large-scale modernization effort that is as controversial as it is needed. They have a fleet of aircraft that are falling apart, with the average age of most airframes being appx. 27 years.
The modernization plan is expensive. Way expensive, actually. And the Air Force is having a tough time justifying the acquisition of $200 million dollar fighter aircraft while the Army and Marines scream for funds to fight the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It wouldn't hurt to start talking like human-freakin-beings instead of a corporate cliche machine. Take this Air Force news story on a senior leadership conference onfleet modernization:
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Rodney J. McKinley underscored the impact these strategic plans have on Airmen who accomplish the Air Force's mission."I'm very pleased with the level of discussion and critical thinking that went on here today," he said. "Our Airmen should know that their service's top leaders are fully engaged and working hard to ensure that (they) have the right tools at the right time to defend the nation in the fight tonight and the fight tomorrow."
The summit concluded with senior Air Force leaders -- including major command, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve leaders -- sharing a common vision of a comprehensive, capabilities-based force structure plan to enable continued Air Force mission success.
"America depends on the Air Force to maintain global reach, global power and global vigilance today, tomorrow and into the future," General Moseley said.
Today, tomorrow, and into the future. BLECH. Yeah, that's going to win us plenty of support. What a meaningless quote. Instead of considering the Air Force's need for new jets, I'm still trying to figure out the difference between "tomorrow" and "into the future." Maybe next time we go in front of Congress for funds we can justify it by farting out the core values then demanding a 30 billion dollar check.
The Air Force is not going to be able to win the political backing needed to modernize until they reengage themselves in this fight. That means they stop talking like Hal from 2001: A Space Odyssey, cowboy up and sacrifice some of their new fast movers for a big honking fleet of COIN birds. You know how many A-10s you can get for the price of a single F-22 Raptor? 20. 20. And a full compliment of 22 Super Tucanos for nearly the same price. Even cheaper is the MQ-9 Reaper. We should have so many CAS birds flying over CENTCOM's AOR that you could walk from Baghdad to Djibouti to Kabul on their wingtips.
Yeah, I know that doesn't fit the neat and tidy Five Rings concept of Air War. But if the Air Force really wants to get in the fight, that's precisely what they need. They've got to stop thinking about fighting other states, at least for a while, and start thinking about killing Tangos.
The New Republic Finally Folds
By John
It is now clear that somewhere along the way, TNR stopped acting in good faith and started doing damage control. They cited a Bradley expert who purportedly confirmed that the vehicle could be operated as Beauchamp described. But when Bob Owens tracked down said expert, BAE spokesmen Doug Coffey, he denied making any such statement, saying that TNR had mischaracterized his comments and that the editors had never shown him Beauchamp's stories. He added that having read the stories, they were indeed "suspicious," and that he did not believe the Bradley could be operated as described. TNR never acknowledged Coffey’s later statements or its apparent misrepresentation of his earlier statement.And then came our report that Scott Beauchamp was no longer standing by his stories. The editors at TNR responded to this report by insinuating that THE WEEKLY STANDARD was not a credible source. They also accused the Army of "stonewalling" and preventing them from speaking with their author. That was on August 10. Bob Owens subsequently reported that TNR spoke to Beauchamp on September 7--the transcript now posted on Drudge--but TNR never returned to the subject, despite their claims of a "commitment to the truth" in that August 10 statement.
Goldfarb keeps thanking the milbloggers for the help in myth-busting this turd, but we're the ones who are grateful. Beauchamp slandered all of us with his S&M military fantasies, all to promote a writing career that wouldn't have gone anywhere even if this crap won him a pultizer (lies aside, he's an awful writer). So thanks to Mike and Bob Owens for their aggressiveness.
I'm expecting radio silence from the anti-war bloggers who so desperately wanted to believe Beauchamp's stories. It's not that I really care about being right or wrong here, I just want them to wise up. Jim Massey, Jesse MacBeth, Daniel Coburn, and now "Scott Thomas".... how many times is the anti-war movement going to be fooled before they catch a clue? Every time one of these idiots crawls out of the woodwork, anti-war bloggers and activists blindly rush to defend them without the slightest consideration for whether or not their stories are true.
So look, I don't care about them admitting they were wrong or apologies or any of that crap. I just want them to stop and acknowledge the fact that they're 0-4... that they've bet on the loser each time... and that next time (and there will be a next time, as long as people heroize these phonies) maybe they could hold back their eagerness to confirm all their fantasies about Bushitler's stormtrooper military, and reserve judgment until someone can actually verify the accusations.
Bin Laden is Crabby
By John
With his LTs, apparently. Walid Phares:
Incredibly, the leader of al Qaeda said the “Mujahidins” in Iraq committed “mistakes.” This was the first time the man used these words in this context: self criticism. In fact he criticized the emirs for the recklessness of their Jihad in the land of the two rivers. If one reviews the public statements of Bin Laden, at least since 1996, this is the first time he has mentioned the Jihadists’ mistakes, not the errors by Muslim rulers in general. Now, these are his own fighters who are at fault.The last time any al Qaeda leader came close to this posture was the shy warning by Ayman Zawahiri to Zarqawi demanding that the killing of Shiia stop in Iraq. But, at the time, the top leader wasn’t addressing the mistakes of the emirs. He dealt with “higher geopolitical matters”, according to the comments of Abdel Bari Atwan on al Jazeera tonight. “Sheikh Bin Laden said Atwan deals with high level issues, such as the confrontation with the United States, India etc., but this time the Sheikh is dealing with issues on the ground.”
Surprised the hell outta me too. I figured Binny would've blamed the mollywhopping his boys have been receiving from surging forces on Zarqawi, the dude being dead and all. Like Dr. Phares mentioned, Osama has been reluctant to publicly criticize Al Qa'ida's failures in the past. That was deliberate, of course. Despite all the ruckus they've caused in Iraq these past few years, your average jihadist is a petty crappy fighter. Their basic strategy is lob a few mortars at a patrol/convoy, empty an AK clip on full auto, tuck tail, run like hell, then squat in some poor Iraqi's living room sipping chai and making awful home videos about how brave they are.
Whenever they're dumb enough to engage in the open, they end up looking like a Jackson Pollock painting.
That's been the story since the insurgency kicked off. Only now that we've got the proper force shape and a dedicated COIN strategy, the dorks don't have anywhere to run. Good news for us, bad news for Osama.
Desperation is a stinky cologne, Binny.
Hotel Tango: The Tank
Oslo Syndrome
By John
Visit the Virginia Military Institute, in Lexington, and cadets will show you the statue of General George C. Marshall '01 on the edge of the parade ground, and add proudly that Marshall was (and remains) the only soldier ever to win the Nobel Peace Prize (1953). They do this partly because Marshall is VMI's most illustrious graduate, but largely because the prize, when Marshall won it, carried with it a significance and prestige that no longer obtains.This was painfully obvious last week, when Albert Arnold (Al) Gore Jr.--as the Nobel committee punctiliously identifies him--was awarded this year's Nobel Peace Prize, in conjunction with the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
In fairness, when I was a cadet I was far more likely to "proudly" show you the secret compartment under my sink where I stashed my alcohol, not Marshall's statue. Such was my cadetship.
I don't really have much to offer on this bit, I'm just linking because the column mentioned VMI.
I will throw in this. Folks are all a-twitter over Al Gore winning the Peace Prize... why? The award has been a paperweight ever since Yasser Arafat won it back in '94. What the green movement has to do with world peace, I dunno. But I do know that it's a step up from giving it to that bug-eyed man-goblin Arafat, even if An Inconvenient Truth's sole purpose seemed to be to scare the bejeebus out of everyone.
Which, as any committed socialist will tell you, scaring the shit out of folks is okay as long as you have a higher purpose in mind... whether it be the dangers of second hand smoke, the Patriot Act, or Global Warming. So, with Gore's victory fresh in my mind, I hereby nominate Jason Voorhees for next year's Nobel Peace Prize, in recognition of his visionary "have premarital sex and I'll stab you in the face with a machete" teenage abstinence program. I hear that Mr. Voorhees' efforts have been just murder on teen pregnancy rates.
har har har. God this blog sucks.
Grenada (Heard From Today!)
By Lt Col P
23 Oct 1983, the same day as the Beirut bombing, a scratch joint task force assaults and takes the island of Grenada, overthrowing its tinpot Marxist government and ejecting Cuban soldiers and workers.
The Navy history website has a nifty little account of the campaign.
Meanwhile, Fox and Echo companies [of 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines] merged north of St. George's and secured a flat, stadium-like area called the Queen's Racecourse, which the Marines dubbed "LZ Racetrack" (LZ standing for landing zone). The battalion landing team commander set up headquarters there."We did a lot of humping today," said Marine Captain Mike Dick, Fox Company commander, after the first day of the operation. He looked over his men and added in a low tone, "It's quite a bit different from Camp Lejeune. We're doing this for real and for keeps."
Make that Capt Mike Dick, VMI '77, now Colonel, USMC, retired.
Two Hundred Forty-One
By Lt Col P
23 Oct 1983-- two hundred forty-one Marines, sailors and soldiers dead.
It's been fairly well established who did it, and who was behind it.
They have yet to be brought to justice, and I don't mean in a court of law.
Some day that account will be settled.
The Pomp and the Toils of War
By John
You want to talk memorable scenes in Patton? Everyone always throws back the opening speech, George C. Scott juxtaposed against a towering American flag, gruffly speaking of our national love for the "sting" of battle.
Me?
Yeah, I like Patton the warrior. But I love Patton the mystic. The poet. The historian.
My favorite scene in Patton wasn't the defeat of the Afrika Corps, or the seizure of Palermo, of even the legendary opening speech. It was this scene. "I was here."
Hardass generals are a dime dozen. Patton's roughness isn't what immortalized him.
It was his poet's heart. That's what made Patton Patton.
Read More »
Warning
By John
Totally rad Osprey pictures ahead.
And it looks like we got em to stop crashing!
....
Knock on wood and all that.
"He Didn't Have Any Quit In Him"
By Lt Col P
Just saw Marcus Luttrell on Bill O'Reilly, talking about his fellow SEAL and Medal of Honor recipient, LT Michael Murphy. O'Reilly asked him to tell us about LT Murphy's character, what set him apart. Set him apart even from those who are in a different league altogether.
"He didn't have any quit in him," came the reply.
About a year from now we'll select our next President, a whole new House of Representatives and a good number of Senators. Are we going to vote for quitters or for fighters?
If you need some guidance, remember LT Murphy and his men-- no quit in them.
Weird Ass Helicopter Video of the Day
By John
Stupid Russians and their freaky deaky whirlybirds.
Hotel Tango: Pinch, who writes that the vid is an: absolute perfect synchronization of the video camera shutter speed and the rotation of the chopper’s rotors.
Phew. I thought that Ivan had perfected hovercraft technology.
Sub-Standard Troops: Keep ‘em?
By Charlie
As my endless deployment draws to a close, I have a philosophical question to offer up to the readership of the blog. Should below-standard soldiers be retained by the Army, or thanked for their sub-standard service and be shown the door?
In any organization, you will have some folks that just aren’t up to the professional standards of the group. In the civilian world, these people are usually fired. In the Army, however, there is a current retention crunch that is persuading many commanders to retain troops despite their performance simply to couch their numbers. Unit manning numbers now reflect on a commander’s evaluation report, giving them an incentive to keep troops in their units, whether they meet standards or not.
So should soldiers be kept on the books if they desire to stay and serve their country but can’t pass the PT test or meet their unit’s duty requirements? A standard is just that, and allowing people to not meet it sets a new standard. Also, some soldiers simply need the right leader to motivate them to meet the standard. However, some troops who have been in for a while are set in their ways, and simply lack the ability to change.
I have my own thoughts on this, but I’d like to get some feedback from the audience on this. Thoughts?
***UPDATE: Let's stipulate that the standards here are either physical or poor performance, not UCMJ.
Public Opinion re Afghanistan
By Lt Col P
Damian from The Torch put up a great piece concerning public opinion on Afghanistan-- sorry, make that public opinion in Afghanistan, and proceeds to compare and contrast it with the voice on the street in Canada.
Bottom line is that a large number of Afghans-- famously intolerant of foreigners in their midst-- appear to be happy with the way things are going, and are glad the Canadians and other forces are there.
Good reading, and the points made are valid south of the border too.
Who was it that said "Never take counsel of your fears"-- George Washington? He's right. And he might well have added, "And while you're at it, don't listen to the naysayers either."
"Her Sides Are Made of Iron!"
By Lt Col P
On this day in 1797, America's oldest warship slipped off the ways into Boston harbor and was launched on a career that has yet to end. One of the six original frigates of the US Navy, she and her sister ships were larger than the frigates of other navies, and were built to outrun those they could not outgun, and vice versa.
Although she is most famous for a series of stunning victories over British vessels in the War of 1812, her in-service years saw peace as well as war. Before 1812 she saw action in the Med against the Barbary pirates, and against the French in the Quasi-War.
She is still in commission today.
Yawn
By John
Iran to Fire '11,000' Rockets at US Bases if Attacked-
Iran warned on Saturday it would fire off 11,000 rockets at enemy bases within the space of a minute if the United States launched military action against the Islamic republic."In the first minute of an invasion by the enemy, 11,000 rockets and cannons would be fired at enemy bases," said a brigadier general in the elite Revolutionary Guards, Mahmoud Chaharbaghi.
"This volume and speed of firing would continue," added Chaharbaghi, who is commander of artillery and missiles of the Guards' ground forces, according to the semi-official Fars news agency.
The United States has never ruled out attacking Iran to end its defiance over the controversial Iranian nuclear programme, which the US alleges is aimed at making nuclear weapons but Iran insists is entirely peaceful.
Unless of course the first thing to go is the Iranian C2 node which disseminates war orders to its rocket forces. Second to go is its backup. And so it goes.
Hell, with PGMs being what they are, we could do that with one F-16. These are the types of scenarios that make the US Air Force giggle with glee.
I've made my stance against attacking Iran pretty clear. But it's hard to not to point out when these guys are being total numbnuts. Back in 91, Saddam made similar threats. That was until the air war started and he found himself completely cut off from his front line troops within minutes. By the time he could get the orders out to his Scud units, most of them had been already been greased. The rest flew at Israel in a lame attempt to break up the coalition.
That was 16 years ago.
Before the B2 Spirit came along.
So make the Air Force's day, Iran. God knows they need it.
Did He Gather Intel Too?
By John
Today's Badass Blogger Award goes to W.Thomas Smith of The Tank:
I snatched a Hezbollah flag — the yellow banner with the green fist and rifle — from one of the enemy's strongholds in Lebanon recently. And when I say stronghold, I literally mean a strong, heavily defended battle position where the Lebanese Army and police dare not enter, and I had to enter covertly.
Yup, you pretty much have to read the whole thing.
Kinda Like That
By Bull Nav
Driving west-bound along I94 in Michigan tonight it was damn windy. My F150 was getting blown around and buffetted all over the road. It was impossible to tell the direction of the wind because the sun had long since set and the usual points of reference (trees, flags, etc.) were masked by the darkness.
It reminded me of an underway.
Now, when a hurricane is headed for your port, the ships all get to go to sea because they would be severely damaged if/when the hurricane force winds hit. Not to mention the tidal surge. It would be a bad situation, so you sortie the fleet.
I don't remember the names of the storms, but we sortied from Norfolk in 98 and 99 for hurricanes.
They get everyone ready and come up with a schedule, but when it comes down to it, you go based on who is ready first. And based on when the carriers need to go because they suck up all the tugs.
One ship gets out in the channel and the tugs go get the next one.
In this case we were the second unit to go. I think the first was a battle-FFG.
It was an amazing sight when we got to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. Looking astern out the scope, there was a ship/submarine/big deck every 500-1000 yards all the way up the channel. You might have thought we were going to war, but for the fact there was a storm coming.
What to do ships do for a hurricane? They try to avoid it. Go to sea and try to drive around it as it goes ashore.
What do submarines do? Head straight for it and submerge.
Imagine you have these nice long rollers coming in on the reciprocal of the ship's head. You are driving straight into the seas, which are intensifying as the night settles in.
After a while, the boat starts pitching with a very slow period because the period of these waves is pretty long. As OOD, you are sitting on the bridge trying to see if there is anything out there. You have no night vision because the submarine ID beacon is flashing right behind you and the masthead light is right above that.
Not that anyone in there right mind is out in this mess.
Soon you start taking waves. The bad part (which is what I was reminded of tonight) was that you can't see the waves coming. One second you are squinting into the darkness, the next you are being thrown around as a wave crashes over you. Maybe one comes from right off the bow and then a few minutes later one comes from the starboard beam.
You never know where or when the next one is going to get you.
After a couple of hours, you get close to the dive point so then you can go below after rigging the bridge for dive.
Cold, wet, and dark.
Yeah, lots of fun.
The Things You See on the Road...
By Bull Nav
Driving along I94/I80 west bound tonight on my way to NAVSTA Great Lakes, I saw a billboard by these guys that said
BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!
It's just a couple of miles before you get to the new Cabela's in Hammond, IN (and I did not make it in time for the official opening of the store today in case anyone was wondering).
I tell you, I saw that sign and I thought:
HELL YEAH, BRING 'EM HOME NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LET'S GO GET OUR BOYS OUT OF THERE. I MEAN WE'RE ALL PEACEFUL NOW SO GET THEM THE HELL OUT OF THERE. WE ARE SPREADING NOTHING BUT HATRED BY BEING THERE!!!!!
Come on, what are we waiting for?!?!?!?!?!?
Just have our guys immediately drop what they are doing and head on out!!!! Hell, we have lots of experience doing that!!!
And it made everyone like us so much better...
Somalia, Lebanon, South Viet Nam...
While we are at it, let's get out of Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, the Horn of Africa, Turkey, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium, the UK, Colombia, Honduras, Japan, the Phillipines...let's get out of EVERYWHERE BECAUSE EVERYBODY HATES US AND THAT'S THE ONLY WAY WE CAN BE PEACEFUL!!!!!
YEAH! YEAH! YEAH! GET THEM HOOOOOME NOW! NOW! NOW!!!!!
I felt SOOO inspired!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Idiots.
Taps
By John
This just sucks.
Friend, blogger and contributor to The Blog of War, LTC Brian Delaplane was serving as the assistant professor of military Science at St. John’s University in Queens (NY), where he was found unconscious by his cadets last week. The autopsy revealed that it was a sudden death from a pulmonary embolism.
Here are the details.
Lt. Col. Brian N. Delaplane United States Army May 6, 1960 - Oct 9, 2007Lieutenant Colonel Brian N. Delaplane passed away suddenly on Tuesday, October 9, 2007 in New York following a pulmonary embolism. He was a Logistical Officer in the United States Army currently serving as The Professor of Military Science at Saint Johns University in Queens, New York. Brian Neal Delaplane was born on May 6, 1960 in Glenwood Springs, Colorado to Helen and David Delaplane. He graduated in 1970 from Glenwood Springs High School. He joined the Army in 1984. He received his Bachelors Degree from Metropolitan State College, Denver, Colorado and his Masters Degree from St. Bonaventure University, Olean, New York. He continued his career in the U.S. Army for 23 years and rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He received multiple medals and accommodations to include the Bronze Star Medal and the Meritorious Service Medal. Brian was a man of distinction, character, and integrity and was known for his compassionate leadership, mentorship and friendship. Brian married Pamela Mackowiak on May 22, 1999 in Olean, New York who survives him and lives in Colorado Springs. LTC Delaplane is survived by his wife: Pamela, his parents: Helen Delaplane of Silt, Colorado and David Delaplane of Denver, Colorado. Pam's children: Molly, Matthew and Sarah, children by his first wife, Felice: Matthew and Jessica, and his brothers: Timothy, Mark and Glen. Visitation is planned for 4-7 pm on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at the Shrine of Remembrance Chapel in Colorado Springs. A Vigil Service will follow at 7:00 pm in the Chapel. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10:00 AM on Friday, October 19, 2007 at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, 8755 Scarborough Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80920. Graveside services with full Army Honors will follow at Evergreen Cemetery. The family and friends will return to St. Gabriel's Church Narthex for Fellowship.
Another warrior marches through Valhalla's gates. Godspeed, Sir.
What to do, What to Do
By John
WASHINGTON - While military action against Iran is a last resort, the U.S. has the resources to attack if needed despite the strains of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday.
Navy Adm. Michael Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the focus now is on diplomacy to stem Iran's nuclear ambitions and its support for insurgents in Iraq.But, he told reporters, "there is more than enough reserve to respond (militarily) if that, in fact, is what the national leadership wanted to do."
Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Iran's acquisition of nuclear weapons could set of an arms race in the Middle East. "The risk of an accident or a miscalculation or of those weapons or materials falling into the hands of terrorists seem to me to be substantially increased," he said.
I think alot of folks have simmered on the "bomb Iran" talk recently, and I can't help but to agree with the chill. Mainly because the Iranians are ducking fumb and we're constantly overestimating them.
I've worked with nukes and I know what goes into making a functional bomb. It ain't easy. Iran is still shopping for flour and eggs, don't think they've even started to bake the cake. And that doesn't even touch the immense technological hurdle in shrinking a bomb so that it can be mated to a proper delivery system, whether that be a Shahab-III or one of their crappy ass new fighters that would get shot down before it got to within 300 miles of its target.
Iran is ripe for another revolution. Absolutely ripe. The bulk of their population was born after the '79 revolution, there are mass protests weekly, and the Mullahs are desperately trying to drum up nationalistic fervor to ward off a potential coup. Why give it to them? I'd rather patiently work these clowns from the inside instead of bombing their shitty, backwards nuclear program that'd reunite Persia against the West.
In the end, we all want the same thing. Mullahs out, democracy in. The debate is in how we do it. Fostering internal revolution seems the most effective way to get what we want, bombing is too short term and can't change governments. And invasion? That's just not going to happen folks.
We've got some time on this. I say we use it.
Obligatory Bean Post
By John
I couldn't get through this job if it wasn't for coffee.
Longtime Starbucks fan, but I've returned to my east coast roots. Went back to Dunkin' Donuts joe, which I was delighted to find at the local Safeway.
Is it just me or does Starbucks burn their beans?
Anyway, any other good blends that I should look into? I take my coffee black, so bean quality...yeah, it's important.
"For the honor of my family and the honor of my country"
By John
The mystical "old man strength" rears its head...
72 Year Old Stops Suicide Bomber-
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – A 72-year-old man stopped a suspected suicide bomber from detonating himself at a checkpoint in Arab Jabour Oct. 14.The man approached a checkpoint where Mudhehr Fayadh Baresh was standing guard, but did not make it very far.
Baresh, a tribal commissioner and member of the Arab Jabour Concerned Citizens program, said he ordered the man to lift his shirt - using training received from Coalition Forces - when he did not recognize him as a local villager.
The suspect refused to lift his shirt. Baresh repeated the command again, and the suspect exposed his suicide vest, running toward the checkpoint.
Baresh opened fire which caused the vest to detonate, killing the suspect.“I did it for the honor of my family and the honor of my country,” said Baresh, when he met with Col. Terry Ferrell, commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division.
Does that sound like an insurgency that has the popular support of the people?
Even the senior citizens aren't afraid of them anymore.
Adios, Achmed.
Say Again?
By John
Paul Leads in Donations from Military Voters:
WASHINGTON — Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul, the congressman from the Houston area who opposes the Iraq war, has gotten more contributions than any other White House contender from donors identified as affiliated with the military.According to a Houston Chronicle analysis of campaign records from January through September, Paul received $63,440 in donations from current military employees and several retired military personnel.
Democrat Barack Obama, another war critic, was second in military giving. The Illinois senator got $53,968 during the nine months.
He was followed by Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz, a decorated Navy pilot and former Vietnam prisoner of war, who received $48,208 in military-related giving. McCain has been one of the most vigorous defenders of President Bush's decision this year to increase U.S. troops in Iraq.
The military contributions — nearly 1,000 of them are listed in Federal Election Commission records for this year — represent a small fraction of the overall contributions to the candidates.
Paul, whose campaign Web site notes his military service as a flight surgeon in the Air Force in the 1960s as well as his opposition to the current war, raised a total of $5 million from July through September alone. Also, many contributors do not disclose their occupations, making it difficult to determine the total extent of military contributions to any one candidate.
You know I while I'm pretty sure that this is the millionth time that someone has tried to spin up a lede to make it look like the US Military is universally against this whole Iraq thing, but -once again- it just doesn't jive with my own experience in uniform.
I conducted an informal poll in the squadron when I read this story. Of the six other dudes in the room, only one had even heard of Ron Paul, with the only mental connection being "isn't that the dude with those weird ass supporters?"
Yes.
But that's aside the point.
I hate this subtle fishing for some sort of anti-war, anti-Bush vibe in the military. I hate the way deserters are fawned over and heroes ignored. If the media was so interested in how we feel, all they have to do is take a peek at any one of the 1600+ active military blogs. We're overwhelmingly in favor of this mission, and -based on my own experience serving- we represent the majority of the military.
Or, they could get off this crap and hit the CENTCOM news wire. Y'see, we're finally starting to wrap our fingers around the throat of this insurgency, and it'd be nice if the MSM let the American people know about it. Just sayin'.
The Hammer Swings
By Bull Nav
It looks like the Air Force is taking their little nuclear weapon incident from August seriously and some heads are gonna roll:
The Air Force has decided to relieve at least five of its officers of command and is considering filing criminal charges in connection with the Aug. 29 "Bent Spear" incident in which nuclear-armed cruise missiles were mistakenly flown from North Dakota to Louisiana, two senior Air Force officials said yesterday.
I was wondering if something like this was going to happen.
You just don't play around with those things.
Although some details are not yet publicly known, officials familiar with the investigation say the problem originated at Minot when a pylon carrying six nuclear-armed cruise missiles was mistaken for one carrying unarmed missiles. Minot had been in the midst of shipping unarmed cruise missiles to Barksdale for decommissioning.
Sounds to me like someone got a little careless.
That initial mistake was followed by many other failures, ultimately allowing six nuclear warheads to slip outside the Air Force's normal safeguards for more than 36 hours. The warheads were airborne for more than three hours and sat for long periods on runways at both air bases without a special guard. Air Force officials say there was little risk that the warheads could have been detonated, but the lapses could theoretically have led to warheads being stolen or damaged in a way that could have disseminated toxic nuclear materials.
This is what happens when you settle into a "routine" and get lackadaisical about major evolutions.
Every time you have a major incident like this, it is a leadership issue. Period.
Clearly standards were not being enforced and that comes from the top.
Picture of the Day: Spirit in the Sky
By John
A B-2 Spirit bomber refuels from a KC-135 Stratotanker during a deployment to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. The bomber deployed as part of a rotation that has provided U.S. Pacific Command officials a continuous bomber presence in the Asia-Pacific region, enhancing regional security and the U.S. commitment to the Western Pacific. The B-2 is from the 509th Bomber Wing at Whiteman AFB, Mo. The KC-135 is assigned to the Illinois Air National Guard's 126th Air Refueling Wing at Scott AFB, Ill. (U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Val Gempis)
We've only got 24 21 (last three canceled!) of these suckers. I wonder how many they hold back for the nuclear strike mission, and how many they let play out in CENCOM's sandbox.
More Bad Guys Busted
By John
Greyhawk says that we've already won. He's actually in Iraq and would know better than me, but I'm still reserving judgment until we see some evidence of solid, irrefutable political progress.
Still, these stories have been popping up on the CENTCOM wire with so much frequency, I can barely keep up. Maj. Danielson (wax on, wax off?) says that AQI is "losing their grip." Based on the remarkable military gains we've seen since surge elements reached full strength in June, I'd say that's a pretty accurate statement.
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition forces captured four wanted individuals and detained an additional 11 suspected terrorists early Wednesday during operations targeting al-Qaeda networks in central and northern Iraq.
Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be a foreign terrorist facilitator and two other suspected terrorists in Tikrit. The wanted suspect is reported to be linked to a primary agent involved in trafficking foreign terrorists and is believed to be an associate of many current and former leaders of the network. Intelligence also links this individual to the movement of weapons, originating from outside of the country, throughout the Tigris River Valley. After the ground force secured the objective, the three were detained without incident.
In Ar Ramadi, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual along with four other suspected terrorists with connections to Syrian-based extremists. Intelligence indicates that the wanted suspect was connected to a senior terrorist named Muthanna, who was killed during operations Sept. 11 near Sinjar, in northwest Iraq. Muthanna was the Emir of the Iraq and Syrian border area and a key facilitator of the movement of foreign terrorists once they crossed into Iraq from Syria. Upon securing the target building, ground forces discovered possible improvised explosive device making material and several Iraqi police uniforms.
In Baqubah, a wanted individual surrendered to Coalition forces without resistance as they quickly secured the target area. The suspect is reported to be a well known al-Qaeda weapons facilitator and terrorist cell leader. He has been linked to several previous Coalition objectives and has ties to several associates within the network. Two other suspected terrorists were detained during the operation.
Another wanted individual was captured during an operation in Mosul targeting associates of a senior terrorist network leader. Intelligence indicates that the targeted suspect is connected to the leader of the northern terrorist group and individuals with access to the senior leadership of al-Qaeda. In addition to the targeted suspect, three other suspected terrorists were detained in the operation without incident.
In Baghdad, Coalition forces captured a wanted individual believed to be the newly appointed leader of a local al-Qaeda cell operating in the southern part of the city. The city’s car-bombing network has been attempting to re-establish operations after significant degradation by Coalition forces in recent weeks including the Oct. 16 capture of the wanted individual and two additional suspects during an operation in southern Baghdad.
“Al-Qaeda still attempts to terrorize the Iraqi people in many areas,” said Maj. Winfield Danielson, MNF-I spokesman “There is still more work to be done, but through successful operations like these, they are losing their grip.”
Rejoice and Be Glad
By John
KALSU, Iraq – Information provided by concerned citizens in Haswah led to the capture of 12 terrorists, including the second most wanted man in North Babil, Oct. 12.
Acting on the tip, Iraqi policemen and Paratroopers from Company A, 3rd Battalion, 509th Airborne, 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division cornered the suspected high -value individual inside a mosque.
The 4th BCT’s second most wanted individual is responsible for attacks against Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition Forces and local residents.
After receiving approval, the Iraqi policemen entered the mosque and detained the men.
Two AK-47 machine guns, two grenades and two ammunition vests were also found inside the mosque.
The suspected extremists are being held for further questioning.
The weapons were confiscated for use in the investigation.
Two AKs, grenades, and rambo vets found in a mosque???
And here I thought the US and Israel were the only ones who violated the Geneva Convention.
Answering the Call
By John
Albeit a somewhat different call....
Sidney was assigned to the storied West Somerset Yeomanry, trained long and hard alongside men many years his senior, and upon completing training was sent with his unit to Egypt where he quietly celebrated his seventeenth birthday. As will soon be made clear, by this time his comrades and officers were certainly aware of his real age.Once in Egypt, his unit was tapped to form the 12th battalion of the Somerset Light Infantry and officially became part of the 229th Infantry Brigade, 74th (Yeomanry) Division, XXI Corps. Palestine.
All around them war was raging. It was 1917, and although Sidney couldn't know it, the insanity that would later be called the first world war would end in just a few short months. In fact, it would end, in part, due to his unit's heroic efforts against the Turks defending the seam-line between British strongholds in Gaza and the heart of Ottoman Palestine; Jerusalem.
Of the 19 battalions raised under the banner of the Somerset Light Infantry during WWI, nearly 5000 men would be killed in battle, and countless more maimed for life. But to a seventeen-year-old, I'm sure the possibility of a tragic outcome was beyond consideration. I mean, what teenage boy isn't immune to danger... completely immortal... the center of the known universe? Surely he was slated for greatness after distinguishing himself in the war!
In late 1917, word arrived on the doorstep of 21 Church St., Sturminster Newton, Dorset, that young Sidney had indeed achieved greatness. It was a letter informing John William Watts that his son, Private Sidney Watts, had been killed in action against the Turks on November 6th, and that he'd been interred in the Commonwealth War Cemetery in a place called Beer Sheva alongside many of his fallen comrades.
It was the custom of the time to allow next of kin to select an inscription for their loved one's headstone... and this task now fell to the grieving parents of a young man who ran away to seek adventure, and who would now never have the opportunity to grow into his name. They settled on "Rest in Peace", likely too distraught to formulate anything more elaborate.
I came upon the details of this small heroic tragedy thanks to someone doing a Google search stumbling across a couple of my posts about the importance of Commonwealth forces in defeating the Turks in Beer Sheva, and how that victory laid the foundation for the British Mandate... and on its heels, the formation of the Jewish State.
The reader who wrote to me was seeking information about a great uncle of his who had run away to join the army and who was buried in Beer Sheva. He wanted to know if I could visit the grave of this young man and find out a bit about his final resting place.
What a silly question.
It was both an honor and a privilege for me to be able to 'write home' on behalf of this young man... and in some small way, put his family's mind to rest as to his whereabouts.
Thoughts flashed through my mind as I was reading this post. Sometimes a history education can get you all tangled up.
I settled on this. When you come to appreciate the values of the Republic... I mean truly love our wonderful virtues...freedom, justice, courage... all those traits that make a democracy a democracy, you begin to develop a profound appreciation for those who watered the tree of liberty with their blood, sweat, and tears.
Sometimes that appreciation transcends border. Sometimes it transcends time. And sometimes, it transcends both.
To honor a warrior who fell in defense of democracy is to honor democracy itself.
Thanks to Treppenwitz for remembering that, and thanks to Robert Avrech for sending me this inspiring story.
Air Force Adopts Army Aircraft
By Charlie
...a very small one...
October 15, 2007: The U.S. Army’s Raven UAV (RQ-11A) (VIDEO) has now been adopted by the U.S. Air Force. Last year, the U.S. Marine Corps replaced their Dragon View UAV with the Raven. In addition, all three services are using the newer Raven B. Nearly 4,000 Ravens (mostly the “A” model) have been produced so far. SOCOM (Special Operations Command) is also a big ser. In Iraq, Raven’s have flown over 25,000 sorties so far.
The big advantage with Raven is that it’s simple, reliable, and it works. A complete system (controller, spare parts and three UAVs) costs $240,000. The UAV can be quickly taken apart and put into a backpack. It takes off by having the operator start the motor, and then throwing it. This can be done from a moving vehicle, and the Raven is a popular recon tool for convoys. It lands by coming in low and then turning the motor off. Special Forces troops like to use it at night, because the enemy can’t see it, and often can’t hear it as well.
The Raven is a great example of how the high-technology advantage we have can be used to produce a simple, durable piece of equipment that troops can employ on the battlefield with little train-up.
Granny in Iraq
By John
Yup, it's exactly what it sounds like.
Picture of the Day: Raven over the Range
By John
Seems like we've been doing some talking about F-111s lately. The Aussies still fly em, y'know.
An EF-111 Raven makes the approach for an in-flight refueling mission in support of a no-fly zone north of the 36 degree parallel from Iraqi air and ground incursion. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
Hmmm, I'd say Operation Provide Comfort circa 93-96. The Raven/Aardvark force was old....but those suckers were cheap, they were capable, and they carried an impressive load. Maybe we got rid of em too early. They ate gas, but hell.... what supersonic fighter/bomber doesn't?
Update from ISAF HQ
By Lt Col P
Our Man "91" on the ISAF staff in Kabul just sent me a note.
Things are going reasonably well here (At HQ I mean). A few days ago, I gave a brief to the NATO Military Committee. They are the senior national military advisors to NATO. Mostly two and three stars. I talked about the future of the PRTs, but the most interesting comment came from the J2. I can't get in to everything that he said, but the first comment he made was regarding the status of the war. As to who is winning and/or losing, he said that the insurgents are not winning. Someone in the Pentagon asked me the same question a few weeks ago. In my opinion, we are not losing, but to evaluate who is winning or losing is one of thethings that makes a counter-insurgency so difficult to gauge. There is no front line to track, so how do you decide if you're winning? We are killing the enemy by the hundreds when they openly engage us, but we can not be in every village in Afghanistan. So, what happens at night when we are not there? The part time Taliban come out and do their evil and we are seen to be unable to stop that kind of activity. Some places are doing very well - Bamian and Panjshir provinces for example. But there are a lot more that are not. Almost all of RC South and a lot of RC East.
On a positive note, Germany has agreed to extend their mission in Afghanistan. In an interview I did with a group of German reporters [91 is fluent in German] a few weeks ago, they asked if I thought that the German forces should be in southern Afghanistan. While additional forces could do nothing but help,especially in the South, if the Germans leave northern Afghanistan, who will take their place? We, the US, do not have enough forces to takeover the mission in northern Afghanistan, and I would be stunned if anyone else in ISAF was willing to deploy an additional 3000 people to Afghanistan... Even more importantly than the tactical placement of the troops is the strategic impact the German extention will have on the alliance. There are more than a few countries who would leave Afghanistan in a heartbeat if they could come up with a reason. A major coalition partner like Germany withdrawing their forces would provide just such a reason. So, the German decision to stay will hopefully influence the other members of ISAF to stay as well. If Germany, with a population that is ever more opposed to involvement in Afghanistan will stay, then why shouldn't everyone else?
Why not, indeed? I've been pretty hard on the allies that look like they're starting to weasel, but let's be honest. The Germans rucked up on this one. We should all be very very pleased and relieved.
The Torch looks at the same issue from the Canadian point of view.
To our NATO allies I say, stay on target. Remember what Margaret Thatcher told President Bush in 91-- THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO GO WOBBLY.
And good work, 91. Keep your head down, and keep the updates coming.
Picture of the Day: Underway Replenishment
By John
Complete with obligatory setting-sun background!
The Military Sealift Command dry cargo/ammunition ship USNS Lewis and Clark coasts off the bow of amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge before a replenishment at sea while under way in the Arabian Gulf Oct. 1, 2007. U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class William S. Parker
What is Wrong with the Air Force?
By John
Buckle up folks, this one is a bear.
JERUSALEM, Oct. 13 — A study of the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah war commissioned by the United States Air Force and to be published this month concludes that Israel’s use of air power was of diminishing value as the fight dragged on because it was used without enough discrimination.Although the war was widely criticized in Israel and abroad for relying too heavily on the air force, the study argues that air power remains the most flexible tool in fighting groups like Hezbollah, because ground forces alone could not have achieved Israel’s aims. Israel’s error, the study concludes, was insufficient discernment in its airstrikes.
By bombing too many targets of questionable importance for its aims, and not explaining why it bombed what it did, Israel lost the war for public opinion, according to the author of the study, William M. Arkin, an expert in assessing bomb damage. “Israel bombed too much and bombed the wrong targets, falling back upon cookie-cutter conventional targeting in attacking traditional military objects,” Mr. Arkin wrote. “Individual elements of each target group might have been justified, but Israel also undertook an intentionally punishing and destructive air campaign against the people and government of Lebanon.”
If this guy could stick to straight-shooting analysis, I'd have no problem with the Air Force drawing on him as a resource. The problem is, everything that he writes is corrupted by his ideology. His military "analysis" was slanted enough to draw the attention of The Weekly Standard back in 2003:
For starters, he is the scribbler who launched the assault on Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin a week ago by providing NBC with tapes of Boykin speaking in churches, and then followed with a Los Angeles Times op-ed that accused the general of being "an intolerant extremist" and a man "who believes in Christian 'jihad'" (Arkin later admitted on my radio program that Boykin never used the term "jihad").Arkin also wrote that "Boykin has made it clear that he takes his orders not from his Army superiors but from God--which is a worrisome line of command." This statement, like the "jihad" quotation appears to be pure fiction.
ARKIN TOLD ME he got his tip on Boykin's faith talks from a Pentagon source, which suggests that the general has an enemy inside the Pentagon. But if, as most of Boykin's critics have argued, the danger presented by the general's private talks about his faith is their effect on the Islamic world, then why did Arkin rush to publicize these private, little-noticed talks that he believes will hurt the U.S. abroad?
The answer is best found in Arkin's own speech to an audience at the U.S. Naval War College on September 25, 2002. In this lengthy and vitriolic attack on the Bush administration, Arkin admitted to feeling "cynical about the fact that we are going to war to enhance the economic interests of the Enron class," and declared that "the war against terrorism is overstated." Arkin believed, in fact, that the war "is not the core United States national security interest today." He rhetorically asked the audience: "Aren't I just another leftist, self-hating American?" and condemned the administration for taking "enormous liberties with American freedoms." "The war against terrorism," he said, "if it is a war at all, is not World War II or the Cold War, and it is grasping at empty patriotism to claim that it is." He warned of "our tendency to fall back upon secrecy and government control." And he concluded by warning that our foreign policy "convey[s] the wrong message, which is that we have no values, that we are for sale...."
Arkin caused a national uproar earlier this year when he accused American soldiers of being "mercenaries." So yeah, while he's got the cred to talk about the war, it's pretty obvious that his inability to separate factual military analysis from his strong political convictions makes him completely unreliable as an analyst.
So let's analyze his analysis.
“Israel bombed too much and bombed the wrong targets, falling back upon cookie-cutter conventional targeting in attacking traditional military objects,” Mr. Arkin wrote. “Individual elements of each target group might have been justified, but Israel also undertook an intentionally punishing and destructive air campaign against the people and government of Lebanon.”
So if I'm reading this correctly, Israel restricted itself to "cookie-cutter" aim points against strictly military targets, while they waged an unrestricted air war against the Lebanese people.
Yeah, it confused me too.
This is junior high crap, real armchair general stuff. If the US Air Force is "influenced" by Arkin's report, then the Air Force has bigger problems than its budget. Israel's air war was a highly sophisticated, force-centric campaign. Sophisticated enough, the Israelis thought, to do the job of ground troops. Hence the light grunt footprint back in summer 2006. Which, both Arkin and I agree, was foolish..... although for completely different reasons.
Here's a simplified version of the problem:
Arkin is regurgitating a popular meme in anti-war circles, that the Untied States and Israel indiscriminately use air power in their quest to defeat Islamic terrorists, despite the fact that Hezbollah is clearly the one ignoring the established law of armed conflict. It's become a common trademark with Arkin's military analysis. He disguises his opinion pieces by garnishing them with all the right military language, "target sets" and "precision air campaigns," and his only interest seems to be in pushing his ideology.
So that's that. He's a self professed leftist (not that there's anything wrong with that) and his analysis fits a common leftist narrative.
The bigger question is, why did the Air Force hire a used car salesman like Arkin? Or to paraphrase Michael, the OPFOR reader who sent me this link, "What is wrong with the Air Force????"
The New York Times answers:
While critical of how Israel used its air force, Mr. Arkin defends the flexibility of air power in counterterrorism. Although Israel was retaliating for a Hezbollah raid that captured two soldiers and killed others, he considers the war pre-emptive. He said Israel used the raid as a pretext to destroy most of Hezbollah’s longer-range Syrian and Iranian missiles and launchers, which posed the largest threat to Israel.In a post-9/11 world, Mr. Arkin said, the likelihood of the United States’ engaging in another ground war like Iraq is very small. A better model is the fight against the Taliban in 2001, he said, emphasizing air power, special operations and covert action. The 2006 conflict was only the second war of “pure counterterrorism,” he said, which is why the Pentagon wanted to study it.
Why did the Air Force hire Arkin? Because Arkin makes the Air Force relevant again. He writes what they want to hear: that air power is critical to a successful COIN strategy, that properly executed air campaigns can win low-level wars, and that technology -not boots on the ground- is the key to winning to the War on Terrorism.
Think it'd piss off Arkin's buddies at Human Rights Watch and Greenpeace that he's one of the biggest advocates of Secretary Rumsfeld's failed Transformation concept?
This is what the Air Force needs to be told, folks. With the Soviet Union dissolved, they have a dozen secondary missions and no primary one. There's no big bad Bear to fight anymore, just a loosely organized confederation of platoon sized cells..... mosquitoes that the Air Force wants to kill with its cannons. They need someone to say that they're still important, so they hired Arkin to say it.
Unfortunately, despite Arkin's expert "bomb assessment," the Lebanon War proved one thing. This war is a grunt war, it can't be won with the "flexible" employment of air power, or any use of air power for that matter. It takes hearts and minds to win hearts and minds folks, something that a PFC running patrols in Mosul could tell you....but William Arkin and impressive academic resume could not.
Hey Look...
By John
...a Red aircraft carrier. Or a "destroyer," if you're Japanese.
The linked article, -written last year- said this:
"I am convinced that before the end of this decade, we will see preparations for China to build its first indigenous aircraft carrier," said Rick Fisher, the Washington-based vice president of the International Assessment and Strategy Center and an expert on the Chinese military.
You don't say. This is the Russian boat Varyag by the way, not an indigenous Chicom construct. Chinese bought it on the cheap. Really.freaking.cheap.
A Chinese company Chong Lot Travel Agency bought the Soviet-made Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier VARYAG (Viking), lacking an engine and a rudder (John says: haw haw!), from Ukraine for US$20 million in 1998, and wanted to tow it to Macau from the Black Sea and convert it into a floating casino.Construction of the Varyag began in 1985. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ownership of the carrier was transfered to newly independent Ukraine. Ukraine halted construction in 1992, when the vessel was about 70% complete. The total estimated cost of the ship was about US$2.4 billion, and more than US$500 million was needed to complete her construction.
Varyag is now under very sophisticated upgrading at Chinese naval base Dalian where it had been tied up for three years after a towage lasted 627 days.
Still, building/buying a carrier is one thing. Developing the finely tuned, highly skilled craft of carrier flight operations (something the US has perfected over decades), might take a little longer. Probably longer than it took the US Navy, communists being communists.
Hotel Tango: Reader John
SF Retention Bonuses hit Six Figures
By Charlie
This has been common knowledge for a while:
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon has paid more than $100 million in bonuses to veteran Green Berets and Navy SEALs, reversing the flow of top commandos to the corporate world where security companies such as Blackwater USA are offering big salaries.
...
Overall, more than 1,200 of the military's most specialized personnel near or already eligible for retirement have opted for payments of up to $150,000 in return for staying in uniform several more years.
This article goes on to blame the rise of private military contractors such as Blackwater for the loss. Retention has been a huge problem for the military, and the Army seems to be paying out more and more cash to soldiers to persuade them to stay in.
The Army could do itself a huge favor by looking at how to identify and fix some of the reasons people want out in the first place –instead of paying off soldiers to stay in.
Reasons for the increased monetary incentive include increased deployment tempo, more time away from home, more hazardous duty, frustration with the command climate, and limited career progression. In certain fields (such as IT (signal), intell, and transportation/logistics) the civilian market is very attractive for soldiers nearing their ETS date.
This trend will continue until the military expands enough to alleviate deployment tempo, and looks at its soldier-care issues that lead to good soldiers becoming good civilians.
They Will Teach....
By John
AND YOU WILL LEARN!!!!
This is how Slab, Charlie, and I "met cadre" during our first week at VMI. Will have to ask Col P and Bullnav if they went through a similar ritual or if it was different back in '85.
The ceremony hasn't changed much, after all these years. I believe this particular video was shot this past August, with the only noticeable difference being that cadre "posted" at the end of each squad, instead of barreling directly into the rats upon the "MEET YOUR CADRE" command.
Oh and that slow march? Takes some serious drill precision and a line of drummers who know their business to pull off. Very, very tricky.
Thought my heart was going to beat through my chest, back when I suffered this rite in the fall of '99.
Picture of the Day: More Hog Love
By John
God I love this airframe.
An A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft pulls up sharply out of a low-level strafing run during a combat search and rescue demonstration at Moody Air Force Base, Ga., Oct. 4. The digitally upgraded A-10 is equipped with satellite-guided precision weaponry and advanced communications data links for transferring information with ground-based warfighters. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres)
A VMI Man Makes a Cameo
By John
Ever since my VMI days, I've been a huge fan of Robert Kaplan. Back when I was a second classman, one of my professors had us read The Coming Anarchy. From then on out, I was hooked. I couldn't put Imperial Grunts down, and Balkan Ghosts is pretty much required reading for any military leadership deployed to Kosovo.
Right now I'm in the middle of Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts.... Kaplan's latest. So imagine my delight when, on page 146, I found a good friend and Brother Rat highlighted in a chapter that covered Kaplan's embeds on the USS Benfold and USS Houston.
Prior to departure, lunch was served in the officers' wardroom- a replica of the Benfold's, though so much smaller that the Formica-covered walls seemed almost to breathe. Instead of a picture of Eddie Benfold, there was, there was the Houston's insignia, featuring the American and Texan flags, along with the Latin words for "Always Vigilant." The officers sat jammed together, making light fun of a Virginia Military Institute graduate at the end of the table, Ensign David Bartles of Falling Waters, West Virginia, who, they told me, could never stop talking about how superior VMI was to the Naval Academy and every other institution of higher learning.
Try to picture the size of my sh*t-eating grin after reading that. My buddy Bartles (we never called him Dave), one of the most junior officers on the ship, sitting around the wardroom telling higher ranking officers that their schools sucked.... well, compared to VMI at least.
Bartles, by the way, was one of the sharpest guys in our class. He graduated number 2 in our class, and (I believe) top graduate in a Mechanical Engineering program that started with 60+ cadets our Rat year and was down to 10 by the time of graduation. He breezed through the rigorous Navy Nuke School in Charleston, as well as navy Dive School.
Those are the type of brains that it takes to get into the submarine service, or so I hear. Why do you think we let Bullnav post here???
More Dead Tangos
By John
Coalition troops in Iraq killed 14 terrorists and captured 12 others during a series of operations in the central part of the country today and yesterday.-- Coalition forces killed 13 terrorists west of Baghdad while targeting associates of al Qaeda in Iraq linked to a local car-bombing network. A group of targeted individuals had gathered in a field near a recent attack. Coalition aircraft engaged the armed men, killing 10 terrorists. As coalition ground forces secured the area, they discovered three more armed men. Another coalition air strike was called in, killing the three terrorists, one of whom was wearing a suicide vest.
-- Coalition forces west of Balad destroyed two buildings linked to al Qaeda in Iraq operations.
-- Information obtained from an anti-terrorist operation in Baqouba yesterday led coalition troops to a nearby location today. When coalition forces called for the target building’s occupants to come out, an armed man challenged the coalition troops and was killed. Nine suspects were detained. A cache of weapons, ammunition, grenades and military-style assault vests were found on site and destroyed.
In operations yesterday:
-- Coalition ground forces killed one terrorist and detained three suspects in Baqouba while targeting an alleged associate of al Qaeda in Iraq senior leaders. “We’re continuously pursuing al Qaeda in Iraq’s leadership, finding the places they hide and operate, and disrupting their ability to attack innocent Iraqis,” said Army Maj. Winfield Danielson, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman.
-- U.S. soldiers destroyed two booby-trapped houses and captured 10 suspected insurgents in Adwaniyah. While looking for insurgents responsible for emplacing improvised explosive devices, the soldiers found two empty houses wired with explosives. After the area was vacated, the houses were destroyed with Hellfire missiles.
-- Terrorists killed more than a dozen people and wounded scores of others in Beiji as the result of two suicide car-bomb attacks. The separate attacks targeted the homes of the Beiji police chief and a local citizens group leader. The police chief and the citizens group leader escaped harm, but the attacks claimed 14 lives and injured 42 others.
“This cowardly act was a sign of desperation by terrorists, in an attempt to disrupt security forces and concerned local citizens who have joined together to combat terrorism throughout Salahuddin and other areas of northern Iraq,” said Army Col. Bryan Owens, commander of 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.
“These attacks on the local community show these terrorists have a complete disregard for human life and lack of respect for Iraqi lives and property,” Owens said. “Iraqi security forces and concerned local citizens will continue to hunt these extremists to prevent senseless attacks on the people of Salahuddin province.”
In an operation a day earlier, Iraqi soldiers captured four suspected insurgents during a patrol in the New Baghdad district of the Iraqi capital Oct. 8. When soldiers searched a vehicle that contained suspicious-acting passengers, they found a rifle and three videos depicting attacks on coalition forces. The four people that were in the vehicle are being held for additional questioning.
Gawd, can you feel it? It's momentum baby!
Picture of the Day: Hop, Skip, and a Jump
By John
U.S. Air Force airmen from the 720th Special Tactics Group jump out of a C-130J Hercules aircraft during water rescue training over the Destin coastline in Florida on Oct. 3, 2007. The training is designed to enhance aerial zodiac deployment and personnel recovery. DoD photo by Senior Airman Julianne Showalter, U.S. Air Force. (Released)
Marines to take Afghanistan?
By John
Update: So LtCol P beat me to this story by appx. 10 minutes, with almost an identical title. Great minds, suckas.
LtCol P says... How will they get there with no beaches? John, my friend, our reach extends way beyond the beach. :-)
Anyway I'll leave this post up, so everyone noes that I <3 the KISS method.
But how will they get there with no beaches to storm?
The Marine Corps is pressing to remove its forces from Iraq and to send marines instead to Afghanistan, to take over the leading role in combat there, according to senior military and Pentagon officials.The idea by the Marine Corps commandant would effectively leave the Iraq war in the hands of the Army while giving the Marines a prominent new role in Afghanistan, under overall NATO command.
The suggestion was raised in a session last week convened by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for the Joint Chiefs of Staff and regional war-fighting commanders. While still under review, its supporters, including some in the Army, argue that a realignment could allow the Army and Marines each to operate more efficiently in sustaining troop levels for two wars that have put a strain on their forces.
As described by officials who had been briefed on the closed-door discussion, the idea represents the first tangible new thinking to emerge since the White House last month endorsed a plan to begin gradual troop withdrawals from Iraq, but also signals that American forces likely will be in Iraq for years to come.
Simplification. I like it. I understand the whole concept behind the "purple force," but to be honest... most of the (few) experiences I've had with joint commands is that they were poorly organized goat screws.
I don't know any of the details of this Marine proposal, but it makes sense from an air war perspective. The Marines have self-contained air wings, Harriers, Cobras, Hornets, etc that should fill the Afghan mission nicely. That leaves the Air Force to support the Army in Iraq.
Anyway, I'm a big fan of the KISS (Keep it simple, stupid!) methodology.... so at first glance I'm liking this plan. Marines in Afghanistan, Army in Iraq, and the Air Force out somewhere in middle America reminding everyone of how important they are.
Marines to Afghanistan?
By Lt Col P
From Fox News, "Report: Marines Seek Iraq Exit, Redeployment To Afghanistan."
Top Marine Corps brass is lobbying the Pentagon to allow its forces to vacate Iraq for the purpose of leading the fight in Afghanistan, according to a New York Times report.Marine Corps Commandant James T. Conway proposed the idea during a session with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and several regional military commanders, said the article.
The NYT article actually has some interesting information. I can see some definite strong points to the argument.
More to follow!
The Air Force's Crappy New Language
By John
Back when I was a transition student, waiting to enter official Air Force technical training, I pulled some hours in the base protocol shop. I wasn't too excited about the job, until I found out that we'd be working with base public affairs. PA was actually my first choice on my "dream sheet" for assignment selection. I was kind of bummed when I didn't get it, but that quickly turned to relief when I started learning more about the career field.
One thing I learned to hate about the way Air Force personnel handled the media was their fierce determination to be as rigid and uninformative as possible in press releases. Here, I'll give you an example:
COMBINED AIR OPERATIONS CENTER, Southwest Asia - A U.S. Air Force F-16CJ Fighting Falcon dropped precision munitions near Al Nussayyib, Iraq Sept. 25, killing Abu Nasr al-Tunisi and two other Al Q'aeda in Iraq operatives.
They were killed when the aircraft, assigned to U.S. Central Command Air Forces, dropped two laser guided 500 lb Joint Direct Attack Munition GBU-12 bombs, destroying the terrorist safe house where the three were meeting
"Air power is crucial to setting the conditions for stability in Iraq," said Lt General Gary L. North, Combined Air Forces Component Commander.
He continued with, "Air power overhead provides capability to the fight with precision targeting which was used on Tuesday to ensure these individuals could no longer target innocent Iraq citizens."
You could pratically write a formula for these obtuse canned statements. Acknowledge the overall mission, define impact, and outline your contribution to the overall good. I remember a colonel calling my friend (a PAO) into his office and delivering a 30 minute ass-chewing over an article in which the colonel felt he was misquoted. Turns out he wasn't misquoted, my friend had simply used the parts of the interview that were pertinent. He had quoted the boss word-for-word. Probably left out the part where "Air power is crucial to setting the conditions for stability in Iraq."
It's as if John Madden is doing the war's play-by-play: "scoring is the key to winning, Al." Ugh.
It's not all PA's fault. Somewhere along the line Air Force senior leadership developed this universal lame-speak. Listen to a dozen colonels talk and 11 of them will give you quotes that are so similiar and ambiguous you could interchange each quote to fit a different news story.
Distant from the fight and hated for a controversial acquisitions program, I've always felt that the Air Force is the most disliked service in the Armed Forces. Image is a huge issue with the force right now, and our Public Affairs methodology isn't helping.
I wish the Air Force would shoot straight in these interviews. Talk like men, talk like leaders... instead of talking like robotic bureaucrats.
Take my man General Mattis, for example. When asked in an interview if there would be an increase in the deployment schedule, the hard-charging Marine general replied:
You know, we are at war and the enemy gets a vote in this thing. If the enemy makes a press, a full-court press, and we have to react, we would shrink the dwell (the time troops spend between deployments). It's whatever it takes. But we, what we will not do is permit the enemy an initiative that we don't check him on.
"Full court press" and "check him." You'll never hear an Air Force officer talk like that, not anymore at least. But that's how Americans communicate, that's what America understands. No wonder the public doesn't know what's going on over there. We'll never win the political side of this fight if we keep using this stiff, alien "take me to your leader" dialect.
The Air Force had a General Mattis once. An unapologetic warrior, disdained for his bluntness but so damn alpha-male that you couldn't help but to want to follow the man. A cigar-chomping sonuvabitch who fantasizes about slaying his enemies and made batsh*t crazy claims like we'll "bomb them back to the stone age."
The New Pledge
By John
Now with 60% more egalitarianism!
I pledge allegiance to the flag and my constitutional rights with which it comes. And to the diversity, in which our nation stands, one nation, part of one planet, with liberty, freedom, choice and justice for all.
Blech. Pledging allegiance to "diversity?" That doesn't make any sense to me, unless you're talking about this painfully awesome poster.
And on that note, I'm positive that the deliberate use of the word "choice" had nothing to do with abortion and everything to do with our right to choose to carry firearms and smoke in public. Right?
Right.
So besides that unbearable "Under God" line, what pissed progressives off about the old pledge?
I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.
Harmless.
And I love references to America as "The Republic." Always have. The flag flies for the Republic, and the Republic stands for strength, justice, and liberty. Who looks at something that poignant and thinks "let's change things up a bit?"
And "one planet?" Whiskey tango foxtrot, over? I can't wrap my head around it, but there's something cosmically stupid about this line. Maybe it's because I can't stand the UN mentality, where all nations and peoples are equal.... so you get folks like Syria sitting on the human rights commission. When I pledge to the flag, to the Republic, I'm also acknowledging that a society of freedom and justice is superior to craptastic hellholes like North Korea.
Not that we're both part of "one planet."
Anyway, keep the panties untwisted.... like most progressive intiatives, this new pledge is just a fantastical concoction of some half-baked dreamer who thinks that, despite a century of failures, communism can still work if only the right people were put in charge. Some asshole will probably incorporate it into one of those lame murals that depicts all the children of the world holding hands and signing, but that's about as far as this socialist wet-dream will go.
As for me? I'll be taking it a step further and lobbying to incorporate "one solar system" instead of "one planet." Because honestly, the favorable carbon based Earth environment isn't any better than the crushing gravity and hydrogen/helium based atmosphere on Jupiter. Who are you to judge, fascist?
Picture of the Day: Oldie but a Goodie
By John
This is how much the Air Force's inventory has aged. Take away the F-111, add the B-2, and we used most of the same airframes to fight Gulf War I as we did Gulf War II.
F-16A Fighting Falcons and F-15C and F-15E Eagles fly over burning oil fields during Desert Storm. Operation Desert Storm began Jan. 17, 1991. Photo Courtesy of the US Air Force.
True Warriors at the Army Ten Miler
By Lt Col P
OK, this motivates the hell out of me. Motivates me to PT a little harder. Motivates me to motivate some of my young Marines half my age who seem to having a hard time passing the Airborne PFT. Motivates me to sign up for next year's A10M.
I saw the story on Fox News yesterday, with reporter (and racer) Griff Jenkins being interviewed by (the jaw-dropping) Julie Banderas on these never-say-die runners. He quoted MAJ Mark Rozelle, who lost a foot in Iraq: "You can knock an American down, but you can't keep us down." Here's MAJ Rozelle stretching:
Jenkins said that MAJ Rozelle had crossed the finish line in 90 minutes. Not bad at all, considering the distance he ran and the high temperatures during the race. (One man died 200 meters short of the finish.)
I hear the challenge. Have you?
(And good work to one Op-Forian who wrote in to say he crossed the line at 70 minutes!)
The Physics Behind Agincourt
By John
Interesting stuff.
The Physics of Medieval Archery
Don't let the word 'physics' put you off - read the article for an insight into how modern science can help us understand the history of the weapon we now use for sport (and ignore the formulae if you must!) [John says: Will do!] It is generally believed that the main factor responsible for the English victory at the battle the Agincourt in 1415 was the longbow. Gareth Rees describes from a physicist's point of view why we believe this simple weapon was so devastatingly effective.
If you're really hurting, I'm sure Bullnav can explain it to you.
Hotel Tango: Ace of Spades
Sure, Why Not?
By John
The Cold War Unicorns Play Set allows you to play out the intense struggle between two global superpowers in the majestic fantasy world of the Unicorn! Can the Communist Unicorn’s horn of classless social structure hold up against the Freedom Unicorn’s hooves of capitalist opportunity? Each hard vinyl unicorn is 3-3/4" tall with articulated joints for all sorts of dramatic poses.
Guaranteed to appeal to.... well just about no one. Minus some smartass old war planners/merry pranksters dwelling deep in the bowels of the Pentagon, I suppose.
Although, I gotta confess. Part of me wants to click "order," just so I can live out my Cold War Rocky IV fantasy. Y'know, where Communist Unicorn trained in state-of-the-art Soviet facilities, with a team coaches and doctors, and was injected with performance-enhancing steroids.... while Freedom Unicorn sweated it out in a frosty Russian barn, training with nothing but an old pack mule cart and a cargo-net full of rocks.
Eventually...yes... Freedom Unicorn does go on to avenge his dead friend My Little Pony, killed by Communist Unicorn.
Anyway...
Feel free to stop reading this blog.
Seriously.
Hotel Tango: Farley
"Congratulations, Mister Mayor. San Francisco is now France."
By John
No, seriously.That's a direct quote.
Blunt, yo.
That's how military.com rolls.
Army Ten-Miler & AUSA
By Lt Col P
The A-10-M is today, in fact it's going on even as I type. This is a great race, one that I have done twice before and hope to do again. It's very much like the Marine Corps Marathon in that it's very well organized and superbly executed. Today, unfortunately, it looks like it's going to be very warm and humid, when it ought to be nice and cool.
Are there any Op-Forians running? If so, how did you do?
Are there any Op-Forians attending this week's AUSA Exposition? I know a frequent commenter has said he will be there. If so, send me an email, I might be able to break away from work.
Picture of the Day: Redneck Heaven
By John
Next, we'll see what happens when they dogfight.
An F-16 Fighting Falcon, one of the Air Force's most powerful single-engine fighters, races an XJR15 Jaguar down a one-mile stretch of runway Sept. 29 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev . The F-16 won the race, one of three special events held during the two-day Nellis Autocross. (U. S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Nadine Barclay).
I dunno who thought of this sideshow, but I can almost guarentee that involved a group of fighter pilots and a keg of beer. I just wish I was there to bet on it.
You Don't Need Stealth Tech
By John
....to defeat a state-of-the-art radar system. Just a computer geek and a laptop.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said the Israelis struck a construction site at Tall al-Abyad just south of the Turkish border on Sept. 6. Press reports from the region say witnesses saw the Israeli aircraft approach from the Mediterranean Sea while others found unmarked drop tanks in Turkey near the border with Syria. Israeli defense officials admitted Oct. 2 that the Israeli Air Force made the raid.
The big mystery of the strike is how did the non-stealthy F-15s and F-16s get through the Syrian air defense radars without being detected? Some U.S. officials say they have the answer.
U.S. aerospace industry and retired military officials indicated today that a technology like the U.S.-developed “Suter” airborne network attack system developed by BAE Systems and integrated into U.S. unmanned aircraft by L-3 Communications was used by the Israelis. The system has been used or at least tested operationally in Iraq and Afghanistan over the last year.
The technology allows users to invade communications networks, see what enemy sensors see and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can’t be seen, they say. The process involves locating enemy emitters with great precision and then directing data streams into them that can include false targets and misleading messages algorithms that allow a number of activities including control.
A Kuwaiti newspaper wrote that "Russian experts are studying why the two state-of-the art Russian-built radar systems in Syria did not detect the Israeli jets entering Syrian territory. Iran reportedly has asked the same question, since it is buying the same systems and might have paid for the Syrian acquisitions."
Ahhh makes me think of Patton: "Fixed fortifications are monuments to the stupidity of man." Integrated anti-air defenses haven't really been all that effective since the Vietnam era, and I'm starting to think that they're obsolete technology.
I hope the cyber nerds in the Pentagon take note though. Based on this Syrian example, imagine the devastation that a successful hack could do to our net-centric military.
Hotel Tango: Danger Room
Army Recruiting Soaring
By John
U.S. Army Meets Expanded Recruiting Goals....Again:
October 4, 2007: The U.S. Army again achieved its recruiting goal (80,000 new recruits) for fiscal 2007 (that ended on September 30). That will also be the goal for 2008 as well, unless the army is given permission, and several billion dollars, to speed up their expansion of 13.5 percent (from 482,000 to 547,000), by doing that in four years instead of five.
The army recruiting effort is unprecedented for wartime. Never in American history has a war this long, been sustained with only volunteers. Party politics and media concentration on that has prevented the story behind this from getting out much. There are several reasons for the army recruiting success.
Anti-war types, always the military experts, love to write these positive numbers off as the Army "lowering its standards." Nice, huh? Those dudes support us so much it hurts.
In reality, it's a mix of things. Enlistment bonuses, heightened sense of patriotism since 9/11, more effective recruiting campaigns, etc. One that's often overlooked is the fact that the Navy and Air Force are shrinking faster than the Army and Marines are expanding. That drives potential recruits over to the grunt services, while programs like Blue to Green allow Airman to trade their blue uniforms for green Army ones.
Strategy Page also cites an interesting argument for the favorable numbers, low casaulties:
Although the media gets obsessed with U.S. casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, the reporting tends to ignore the fact that those casualties are the lowest in history, any army's history. Put simply, troops are half as likely to be killed or wounded in Iraq, as they would have been in Vietnam or World War II. A combination of better equipment, training and leadership made it happen. These are trends that have been going on for decades. The lower casualties make a big difference, especially for troops who have gone back to Iraq or Afghanistan several times. But the recruiters know that there's enough real danger there to attract young men looking for some adventure, but not so much that most potential recruits would be put off by it. "Extreme" (very dangerous) sports have become much more popular in the last few decades, and for many young men, modern combat is in that league, plus you get to kill people. Most reporters have forgotten how teenage males think. The recruiters haven't, and the U.S. Marine Corps consistently exceeds it recruiting goals by emphasizing the danger and challenges. The end result is that it's more difficult to recruit for support jobs, than for the combat ones.
Hotel Tango: Steve Green, who titles the story "Buried somewhere on page B14.."
The Saga of a Bent Spear
By John
Just after 9 a.m. on Aug. 29, a group of U.S. airmen entered a sod-covered bunker on North Dakota's Minot Air Force Base with orders to collect a set of unarmed cruise missiles bound for a weapons graveyard. They quickly pulled out a dozen cylinders, all of which appeared identical from a cursory glance, and hauled them along Bomber Boulevard to a waiting B-52 bomber.The airmen attached the gray missiles to the plane's wings, six on each side. After eyeballing the missiles on the right side, a flight officer signed a manifest that listed a dozen unarmed AGM-129 missiles. The officer did not notice that the six on the left contained nuclear warheads, each with the destructive power of up to 10 Hiroshima bombs.
That detail would escape notice for an astounding 36 hours, during which the missiles were flown across the country to a Louisiana air base that had no idea nuclear warheads were coming. It was the first known flight by a nuclear-armed bomber over U.S. airspace, without special high-level authorization, in nearly 40 years.
The episode, serious enough to trigger a rare "Bent Spear" nuclear incident report that raced through the chain of command to Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and President Bush, provoked new questions inside and outside the Pentagon about the adequacy of U.S. nuclear weapons safeguards while the military's attention and resources are devoted to wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
That last line was a bit irritating. A couple of maintainers screwed up. That was it. If you want to go looking for root causes, look no farther than the policy of storing conventional and nuclear bombs in the same igloo. Rest of the article is pretty interesting though, check it out.
The Liberation Trilogy, Book II
By Bull Nav
Rick Atkinson's second book in his Liberation Trilogy is finally available.
The Day of Battle covers the Italian campaign from 1943-1944 and I am very much looking forward to reading it. I read the first book, An Army at Dawn when it came out 3 years ago and was astounded by the depth of his research and thoroughness of the book. He left no stone unturned and did not paint anyone in a glorifying light. It was an excellent historical study that was a very good read.
I expect the same from the latest endeavor, but I will have a hard time waiting for the last installment...
Picture of the Day: Busy Busy
By John
Well alright then...
A formation of UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters fly over a C-130 Hercules aircraft on Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Sept. 24, 2007. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joshua T Jasper
Sure it had nothing to do with this:
BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan – Approximately 20 anti-Coalition militants were killed early this morning in Helmand Province during an Afghan and Coalition forces operation to deter hostile activities in the area.
Acting on credible intelligence sources, Afghan and Coalition forces made their way to Reeg District where extremist forces were hiding.
During the course of operations, the combined force came under attack by anti-Coalition militants using automatic and small-arms weapons. Precision munitions and small-arms fire were used to suppress the attacks, killing more than 20 combatants.
There were no indications of deaths or injuries to non-combatants.
During the course of operations damage occurred to the buildings the militants fired from at Afghan and Coalition forces.
Taliban keeps lining em up, we keep knockin' em down.
The Surge is a Failure!
By John
Oh...wait.
The Iraqi government reported on Monday that civilian casualties dropped by more than 50 per cent in September, a month in which US casualties also declined to their lowest level in 14 months.All estimates of civilian casualties are contentious, due to the difficulty of obtaining complete data from conflict zones scattered across the country as well as the danger that statistics will be politically manipulated.
But September’s drop is one of the most dramatic since the Iraqi government began releasing figures, and is in rough accordance with other data suggesting levels of violence may be dropping.
The apparent decline also comes in spite of September’s partial overlap with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which usually sees an increase in attacks by Sunni Arab militants. A tally provided by Iraq’s health, interior and defence ministries quoted by news agencies noted 884 civilians killed in September, down from 1,773 in August, 1,653 in July and 1,227 in June.
The independent Iraq Body Count, which tallies press reports of civilian deaths, recorded higher numbers but showed a similar trajectory – 1,280 killed in September, 2,575 in August, 2,600 in July, and 2,092 in June.
US casualties also declined. Icasualties.org, a website which keeps a tally of US deaths, reported 63 fatalities in September, compared with 84 in August and 126 in May. September’s total is the lowest since July 2006.
Still, it takes a willing suspension of disbelief for me to choke this down.
Y'know?
NYT's New Toy
By John
The New York Times hammers Blackwater:
Guards working in Iraq for Blackwater USA have shot innocent Iraqi civilians and have sought to cover up the incidents, sometimes with the help of the State Department, a report to a Congressional committee said today.The report, based largely on internal Blackwater e-mail messages and State Department documents, depicts the security contractor as being staffed with reckless, shoot-first guards who were not always sober and did not always stop to see who or what was hit by their bullets.
In one incident, the State Department and Blackwater agreed to pay $15,000 to the family of a man killed by “a drunken Blackwater contractor,” the report said. As a State Department official wrote, “We would like to help them resolve this so we can continue with our protective mission.”
The report was compiled by the Democratic majority staff of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which is scheduled to hold a hearing on Blackwater activities on Tuesday. That hearing is sure to be contentious now that the chairman, Representative Henry A. Waxman, Democrat of California, and other members have the staff’s findings to study.
"Not always sober." Okay, there was once incident of a drunken Blackwater employee. He was fired.
"...and did not always stop to see who or what was hit by their bullets." You're right, next time they should stop in the middle of an ambush so that they can conduct a freakin' survey.
This is a pretty aggressive piece, even for the Old Gray Lady. Get used to follow-ups run above the fold for the next few weeks too, if the Times goes after the private security firm as aggressively as they've tackled other ideological endeavours.
There's alot of noise out there on Blackwater right now. Most of it is bullsh*t. The fact that Henry Waxman is leading the congressional charge against the company should be red flag numero uno. That dude is the king of House dog-and-pony shows (Jessica Lynch/Pat Tillman anyone?). The fact is, this doesn't have anything to do with Blackwater's behavior in Iraq (overall, they've been superb). For the anti-war community, this is about killing two birds with one stone. Anti-war groups like A.N.S.W.E.R. and MoveOn hate the military and they hate corporations. Blackwater is both, and that makes them one enormous ideological target.
It's all bread and circuses for the nutroots. Waxman's military investigations are like Jerry Springer episodes, they appeal to the lowest common denominator, solve nothing, and are more about entertainment than fixing problems. So while tax dollars are spent propping up Waxman as a hero to the democratic base, military resources could potentially be shifted away from the fight and over to the protection and security roles that Blackwater had traditionally filled.
Yeah, Blackwater has screwed up over in Iraq. So has our military. The fog of war sucks, folks. But that doesn't detract from the fact that they are keeping Americans safe out in the box. Their record with the State Department is perfect, and their reputation in security circles simply sparkles.
I will say that if they're pulling some sort of war profiteering scheme, then let the hammer fall. But if this is just another one of the anti-war left's petty campaigns to reduce our overall effectiveness in Iraq, then enough witch hunts. Let them boys work.
Best Sunday Ship Post EVA
By John
Eagle1 of Eaglespeak combines two things near and dear to every VMI man's heart: The Goshen Pass and Matthew Fontaine Maury.
Although I barely recognized Eagle's pictures of Goshen. Place just doesn't look the same without half a company's worth of piss drunk VMI cadets exploring innovative new ways to break limbs on Goshen's rock-strewn waters.
I still have scars, folks.
Anyway, go over to Eagle's and learn something. I'm pretty sure that OPFOR only makes people dumber.
Yale Anti-War Noobs PWND!!!
By John
Forgive the title, I've been playing quite a bit of Halo 3 as of late.
Yale Law School suffered a rare loss today in a legal battle with the Department of Defense over the rights of military recruiters to operate within the school. Yale Law had previously rejected the presence of military recruiters based on their objection to the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy that bars openly gay individuals from service. While the federal government contends the university has been up to now opting out of its minimal obligations to the country’s defense, the school complains that recruiters are the only employers allowed who do not comply with its nondiscrimination policy.The stakes for Yale in this case? The university would stand to lose $350 million a year in federal grants, nothing to shake a stick at – even for the school with the highest rate of growth in its endowment of all private universities. Yale’s Professor Robert Burt, the lead plaintiff in the case, explained Yale’s position succinctly: “We had a choice… We’re not going to bring the medical school and the whole science enterprise to its knees.”
Activists at Yale are hoping their militant anti-militarism holds water. Students plan to stage a silent protest today, as the recruiters move in for the kill – I mean, the Fall Interview Program. After all, there remains something worth fighting for at Yale law: ROTC classes are still not allowed.
If there's a debate in this country that makes me want to yank out bloody fistfuls of hair (someone else's, not mine), it's recruitment on campus.
The whole raison d’être of the "recruiters off campus" movement is to oppose Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Yeah yeah, you don't admit gays, we won't admit your recruiters...fascist pigs! I get it.
Only the military had a whole lot of nothing to do with the policy. Don't Ask, Don't Tell was mandated by Congress and signed by President Clinton in 1993. And, for those of you Ivy Leaguers whose 40k a year education hasn't taught you the basics of the civil-military relationship, that means the Pentagon has zippy say in whether or not they admit gays.
Quite frankly, with the Army and Marines trying to expand as rapidly as they are, I think Ace and Gary would've have been given matching pink M4s years ago, had it been up to the brass.
So either Ivy Leaguers are too dumb/lazy to understand Don't Ask, Don't Tell, or they are knowingly manipulating the policy to mask their hatred for the US Armed Forces.
A little of both, says I.... but that's all gravy at this point anyway. Recruiters are back, and I've learned an important lesson: convictions in the Ivy League run only as deep as their pockets.
I do wonder which poor NCO draws the short straw and has to brave academia. I suggested that we reactivate Sgt. Slaughter for the mission, but nobody ever listens to my awesome ideas.
Picture of the Day: We Fill, You Kill
By John
Tankers man. I do love these flying Exxon stations.
F-16 Fighting Falcons receive fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt Suzanne Day)
I know posting has been slow, bear with me. Was down in Alabama for a wedding. And yeah, I was pretty much the best groomsman ever.
More to follow.
