NOT a DuffelBlog article.* Do we have money to waste? I think not. By chance, ETP0802 was there for that exercise and wrote in, “Am on the flight back from Morocco early and catching up on e-mails. Don’t know if you heard, but a rift between the US (specifically the US signaling that they would support a UN motion on the Western Sahara) and Morocco ended up with our AT exercise – AFRICAN LION 13 – being cancelled by the Moroccans and us kicked out. … We never fired a shot. We deployed, disembarked, and then literally about to cross [...]
Back in the Former United States of America…
URR comments on the State Prosecutor’s opinion on drone strikes here in the Homeland. I am sure Marty Dempsey will eagerly crumple up that pesky old Constitution to please his masters. Wouldn’t be the first time. And what say you?
Two Thousand Seven Hundred MRAPS
Now belong to DHS. Bought from the Army, apparently surplus. Why, may I ask? If the Border Patrol were using them to track and run down illegals crossing the border, like Koevoet fighting groups did to SWAPO infiltrators in what used to be South-West Africa, well, that’d be one thing. And I’d applaud it. But I can’t, for the life of me, figure out what DHS is doing with two thousand seven hundred mine-resistant ambush-protected carriers. Anybody?
Gun-Day Sunday: Birdshot as a Defensive Load
For Oxidized William and all the shotgunners out there, especially those who keep said weapon for home defense, here is an interesting look at how birdshot performs. Not exactly a conclusive test, but I like how he set up the target– denim, tissue, bone and meat. (Being an apartment dweller, I load with #6 shot and am now more confident about its performance.) It only counts of course, if you’re using the shotgun as a serious defensive weapon, and not shooting it off your balcony into the air. And by the way, when one goes out on one’s balcony to [...]
Targeted Killings of American Citizens
URR eviscerates the Justice Department memo on killing American citizens. This Justice Department Memo represents another, very dangerous precedent. That of the closed deliberations of a Government star chamber replacing the legal processes and requirements for charging American citizens with treason under Article III of our Constitution. It’s worth the whole read, and a re-read.
The Good News Keeps Rolling Right Along
H E R E. I hope our future adversaries go easy on us.
F O O L I S H N E S S
THIS. The price of (re)electing leftists is, among others, military readiness. More, later, on where exactly I think women can serve best in the military. It might not be what you think!
More From Ricks on Mattis
More; a lot more. Here are two points out of several: In his dealings with the White House, Mattis also tried to change the strategic framework, insisting that we need to plan not just for what we assumed Iran might do, but also for what Iran was capable of doing. I am told this was not a welcome thought. The Mattis-Donilon disagreements weren’t just about Iran. Other issues on which Mattis was pushing the White House to think deeper and harder, I am told, were “Afghanistan, concerns about Pakistani stability, [and] response to the Arab spring.” Read and think. What [...]
Mattis Being Pushed Out?
By way of ETP0802, “Report: Obama administration may push Mattis out.” Last month, President Obama nominated Gen. Lloyd Austin to succeed Gen. James Mattis as the head of U.S. Central Command. The choice and its timing immediately raised questions about Mattis’ future, particularly given his standing as one of the most revered military leaders of his generation. Mattis was typically stoic when I approached him for a response. “I’ll remain focused on my job at CENTCOM for now and figure out the rest later,” he said in an email. U.S. military officials have speculated for months that Mattis could leave [...]
ALNAV 006/13
Stand by for heavy rolls… 6. GIVEN THE GREAT UNCERTAINTY WE FACE, WE MUST ENACT PRUDENT, BUT STRINGENT BELT-TIGHTENING MEASURES NOW THAT WILL PERMIT US TO OPERATE THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPS THROUGH THE REST OF THIS FISCAL YEAR IF THE CR IS EXTENDED. EACH OF THESE STEPS ARE DESIGNED TO BE REVERSIBLE, AT LEAST TO SOME EXTENT, SHOULD CONGRESS PASS AN FY-13 BUDGET. ACCORDINGLY, NAVY AND MARINE CORPS LEADERSHIP HAS ADVISED THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE THAT THEY ARE CONSIDERING A SERIES OF ACTIONS, EACH SUBJECT TO EXCEPTIONS FOR MISSION-CRITICAL ACTIVITIES. ACTIONS INCLUDE BUT ARE NOT LIMITED TO: – CURTAIL [...]
