Homeland Security Archives
Computer Literacy
By Lt Col P
See what happens when I have a hippity-hoppity internet connection? I miss things like THIS: "War game reveals U.S. lacks cyber-crisis skills".
"Scene: The White House Situation Room.
"Event: A massive cyber attack has turned the cellphones and computers of tens of millions of Americans into weapons to shut down the Internet. A cascading series of events then knocks out power for most of the East Coast amid hurricanes and a heat wave.
"Is the assault on cellphones an armed attack? In a crisis, what power does the government have to order phone and Internet carriers to allow monitoring of their networks? What level of privacy can Americans expect?
"A war game, sponsored by a nonprofit group and attended by former top-ranking national security officials, laid bare Tuesday that the U.S. government lacks answers to such key questions."
From my own experience with the landmark NORAD-Northcom Homeland Defense/Civil Support Study, I can tell you that cyber-defense emerged as the primary concern. In my opinion a massive cyber-attack is morally (and perhaps physically) the same as a military attack, and should be treated as such. Policy and law have not kept pace, unfortunately, but hopefully there have been advances in the last year. We'll see. Sobering as they are, it's good that we hold these events to highlight our vulnerabilities. Keep 'em coming.
More On EMP
By Lt Col P
Some of you might have seen this post on Michael Bane's blog, about an article by William Fortschen, author of One Second After. (If you haven't read the book, I suggest you do.)
The topic has appeared now also in Rawles's always-interesting Survival Blog, first here and now here.
Thought you might want to know. Feel free to write in or comment if you know different, or know more. It is a subject I am increasingly interested in.
Swine Flu
By Lt Col P
Still too early, despite its potential, to know if this will be an endemic, a pandemic, or just a big fat problem.
Random thoughts, based on my own readings and having been somewhat exposed (no pun intended) to the DOD discussions on pandemic influenza.
- The real pandemic flu won't be an event, it'll be an environment.
- Be very, very clean.
- Don't we wish we'd controlled the damn border? I blame El Presidente Arbusto. He had eight years to do it, and he failed utterly. Forget waterboarding. If you want to get him, get him on negligence. I wish I didn't have to say that, but there it is. And the open-borders crowd?? Don't get me started.
- Based on the severity of the disease, there are significant homeland security implications. '"Has anyone thought about where 20 million residents of Mexico City will go when they all start to panic and bug out of the city?"'
Yeah, We've Seen It
By Lt Col P
Unbelievable. Or all too believable-- We (well, some of us) voted for change, and we're getting it good and hard.
Detailed AAR: Minuteman Rifle Course, 4-5 April 09
By Lt Col P
Allright, grab your note-taking material, hold all questions til the end.
To recap the basic facts about FPF Training's Minuteman Rifle Course, 4-5 Apr 09:
Class size: 12, usual gamut of civs and mil.
Gear: unadulterated WASR-10 w/ a Specter sling, six magazines; Beretta 92-G in an old mil-issue holster.
Round count: about 400 7.62x39 (all Golden Tiger), about 30 9mm.
Ranges: 5 yds to 100 yds, majority were at 25.
The course started with paperwork and then about three hours of classroom work. Safety is a big topic, for obvious reasons. Murph uses the basic four safety rules, handed down from Gunsite, so nothing outlandish, unheard-of, new, complex or misleading. Muzzle awareness is also a major point, and the subject of considerable discussion and demonstration. He also went over the range rules (as distinct from the basic safety rules), which concerned the dos and don'ts for our specific range.
Other lecture topics include a very interesting session on detailed disassembly of the AR-- I've been doing that for 20 years and I still learned something-- with the obligatory showing of the video of the little girl field-stripping her gun. He gave a great comparison of the various M4-geries, showing which ones were built standard with certain key features, and which were not. (Very eye-opening.) He also gave what I thought was the best, bare-facts-only discussion of why a 50-meter zero is better for an M4 than a 25-meter zero. There was also a good leavening of John Murphy SOP humor, off-color cracks and one-liners. Altogether, good stuff, although three hours is about the max and we were all ready to head out start slinging lead.
Rapid chow-stuffery ensued, and then we convoyed to the range, on private land a few miles outside Culpeper. The facility is evolving, but there was plenty of room for twelve shooters on a 25-yd line, and about half as many for 50; clever use of terrain also yielded a single lane for 100 but we didn't use that til Day Two. I thought it was a good range, well-bermed, and with the improvements underway it'll soon be a very versatile place to shoot. I'd shoot there on a daily basis, if I could.
Day One shooting began with zeroing at 25, then again to 50 to illustrate the difference. Because I was shooting a stock WASR-10 with its open notch and blade sights, I chose to get as good a zero as I could at 25, and just note the holdover for 50. Good choice for the course, but I might change it later to 50. (Note: bring a front sight tool, no matter what kind of gun you have. It makes life much easier, and with the AK it's a must.)
Then we went back to the 25 to begin the beguine, as the Greaseman would say. The rest of the day was spent in presentation drills with single shots, moving to controlled pairs and hammers, all basic stuff but then again this course is about mastering the basics. The distribution of shot holes began to migrate slowly towards a central point, and everyone started to feel pretty good about the way things were going, and that's the way we ended the day.
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Quick AAR: Minuteman Rifle Course, 4-5 April 09
By Lt Col P
A much more detailed report will follow, but let me give you the highlights of the rifle course I took this weekend.
Class size: 12, usual gamut of civs and mil.
Gear: unadulterated WASR-10 w/ a Specter sling, six magazines; Beretta 92-G in an old mil-issue holster.
Round count: about 400 7.62x39 (all Golden Tiger), about 30 9mm.
Ranges: 5 yds to 100 yds, majority were at 25.
General comments: I used this as a foreign weapons prep for deployment (everyone else shot ARs), and it was a complete success. (I'll explain the Beretta later.) I now have a much better appreciation for the AK, and what it can and cannot do. John Murphy puts on a great show-- it's Gunsite quality instruction at a bargain price.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
Brass Balls
By Lt Col P
This is all over the 'net: DoD surplus will no longer offer fired brass for sale in reloadable condition. Confederate Yankee and Michael Bane have more.
Who does that hurt? Well, it cuts the price that purchasers would pay for the brass, thereby limiting revenue for the government. Also, it hurts those businesses who would take the reloadable casings and turn them (at reduced cost) back into loaded cartridges for the civilian and law enforcement markets, which are of course experiencing high demand and limited supply. Then again, it'll hurt the workers in the businesses that reload, in the companies that ship, and the retail outlets that sell. And it further constricts the supply lines that ultimately feed the military and law enforcement and civilian buyers. Loss, loss, loss, loss, all the way down the line.
A wanton petty act of policy malfeasance, short-sighted, unnecessary, and because of its easily predictable effects, all the more wicked for it. WE'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND WE'LL SAY IT AGAIN-- IF YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN A GOOD PILE OF AMMO YET, DON'T DELAY.
UPDATE: Reader Diogenes (see comments) no speak with forked tongue! I'll let Michael Bane bring the good news.
Oh, and by the way, there's THIS too. God help us.
Iowa Guard Training: Good Idea or Bad Idea?
By Lt Col P
Take a look at this post at Michael Bane's place, and then take a look at the one immediately following.
There's some substantial gray area here, and as much as I'd like to give the Iowa Guard at least an honorable mention for trying to get some realistic training (I can't tell from the article whether this is pre-deployment stuff or just a Guard-specific exercise), I have to give it the thumbs-down. I'm going to assume that this is a state active duty or Title 32 event, but if this is a Title 10 exercise, I'd be screaming bloody murder.
Now, to frame my opinions properly, I've always thought that the ideal pre-deployment work-up for a unit headed overseas would be three months in any area of the US, urban or rural, that has experienced a significant natural disaster and where they could conduct a true prac-app on the full range of security and stability ops. Always operating in support of civil authorities, they could get real experience in dealing with local governments, NGOs, and a population denuded of its resources and normal routine. However, I know for a fact that this would never fly, and for a variety of good reasons too, so I'm not just knee-jerking against the Iowa guard.
The same things that bothered Bane bother me. NEVER LET ARMED AGENTS OF THE STATE SEARCH YOUR HOUSE WITHOUT A WARRANT-- FOR PRETEND OR FOR REAL. Never.
What say you?
J.O.E. SAYS WATCH OUT
By Lt Col P
Stories on Fox News in the last couple of days have highlighted the ever-deteriorating situation in northern Mexico, and have referenced a US military publication that describes Mexico and Pakistan as the two states most likely to fail in 2009. (And showed multiple Mexican soldiers practicing awful weapons-handling skills, but that's beside the point. Or maybe not.)
The document to which the reporter referred is the Joint Forces Command's Joint Operating Environment, or JOE. The JOE notes that, "In particular, the growing assault by the drug cartels and their thugs on the Mexican government over the past several years reminds one that an unstable Mexico could represent a homeland security problem of immense proportions to the United States." And it goes on state, "Any descent by Mexico into chaos
would demand an American response based on the serious implications for homeland security alone."
JOE no speak with forked tongue.
Paramilitary Terrorism
By Lt Col P
A most disturbing but provocative article appeared in last month's Journal of Homeland Security Affairs: "Paramilitary Terrorism: A Neglected Threat." The author plausibly and without difficulty constructs a scenario in which simultaneous school seizures are carried out in the US by AQ-linked paramilitary forces. Also without much difficulty he shows how these acts, like the 2004 Beslan siege, would have profound effects on our nation, and then describes the ways in which he thinks our security arrangements are inadequate to deal with them.
He has a point:
"From the standpoint of preparedness and response planning, such scenarios bear little resemblance to the Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) scenarios that command so much of our national attention. Assaults by armed groups, employing improvised explosive devices (IED) as enablers or force multipliers rather than the primary mechanisms of attack, are commonplace tactics of terrorists and insurgents worldwide. By contrast, effective WMD attacks, no matter how theoretically attractive to terrorists, and how extreme their potential consequences, remain so far the stuff of fiction. While paramilitary attacks may not offer first-order effects (casualties and physical damage) equivalent to those of large-scale WMD, their psychological and strategic impact – and thus their appeal as quintessential acts of terror – may be enormous."
As ugly as it is to discuss terrorism on this scale, I think that the author has done a good job of highlighting some gaps and seams, and offering some appropriate recommendations for achievable solutions. We'd all be better off if we engaged in some robust discussions and wargames on these problems.
Keeping Watch
By Lt Col P
Good article in today's WaPo on a couple of the gents who man the "Freedom Center."
Every security breach across eight modes of transportation collects and dumps on the Watch Floor. The unmarked building, originally called the Transportation Security Operations Center, opened in August 2003. It responds to threats to mass transit, bridges, railways, vehicles and roads, pipelines, postal and cargo shipping, maritime matters and ports, and, above all, aviation. One minute, a report comes in about a mysterious truck abandoned on railroad tracks in Delaware. The next, a note is discovered on a ferry in North Carolina: There are bombs on this boat. Do not run. Only a warning. The next, a 78-year-old Egyptian woman in a wheelchair is trying to board a plane from Nashville to JFK with $9,800 in cash and eight boxes of razor blades in her bra.
Ever vigilant. And not at all shy of a fight either:
"...Hey, Chuck, what's the matter, nothing going on?""Nothing," says Chuck, a retired Marine. Chuck has 26 guns in his basement, forearms as thick as thighs and a 105-pound Rottweiler he loves because "I don't want a rug rat that's good for 30 yards, if you kick 'em right." Every night, as Chuck leaves work, he calls his wife because "who knows who's watching the building?" They have a code word, "in case there's trouble. If I use 'cupcake,' she calls the police."
Chuck had served as a master sergeant in counterintelligence. "We're still fighting the same fight," says Chuck, who is about to turn 50. "We stand in the breach." No one will hurt Americans, "not on my watch, not while I'm standing here."
This has got to be a brutal, thankless job. Anyone who has worked in a COC can tell you how draining it is. And this one surely has the highest pressure of them all. Our side has to be right 100% of the time. My hat's off to the these guys.
BTW... Speaking of 26 guns in the basement, look for a Gun-Day Sunday post tomorrow on a new acquisition. Hint-- it rhymes with "AK."
The Reason Why Good People Should Carry
By Lt Col P
TURLOCK, Calif. — Police killed a 27-year-old man as he kicked, punched and stomped a toddler to death despite other people's attempts to stop him on a dark, country road, authorities said.
Even though it was an untraveled rural road, there were witnesses. Some tried to intervene, and at least one called the police. But they couldn't do anything to stop it. They could only stand by and watch.
The suspect had a child's car seat in the back of his four-door pickup truck. The truck caught the attention of an elderly couple at 10:13 p.m. Saturday because it was stopped in the two-lane road facing the wrong direction, Singh said.As they got closer, the couple saw the man brutally beating the toddler behind his truck and throwing the child on the ground, according to Singh. Two or three other cars stopped, an unusual number to be passing through the remote area surrounded by a dairy, a cow pasture, a cornfield and a farmhouse, he said.
"What we got from witnesses is he was punching, slapping, kicking, stomping, shaking," Singh said. "They tried to intervene and get involved, but their efforts really didn't have an effect. The suspect was engaged in what he was doing. He just pushed them off and went back to it."
Just pushed them off and went back to it. Awful. Do you know what would have been an effective intervention? A full magazine of .45 ACP in the upper thorax. Immediately, without hesitation.
According to the article, six minutes elapsed between the 911 call and the arrival of a police officer, who promptly shot and killed the attacker. SIX. MINUTES. Long enough for him to beat the poor child to death.
Folks, this is why good citizens carry guns. Or, rather, should carry. The police, no matter how dedicated and skilled, will almost never arrive in time to do much but clean up after the fact.
Remember this well, when you hear candidates, politicians and journalists (like this little Princess) tell you what rights you may and may not exercise.
Military Better Prepared Than Ever for Disaster Relief, Official Says
By Charlie
Interesting assertion, with the high unit deployment turnover:
The Defense Department and U.S. military are better prepared than ever to aid disaster-relief efforts, and have improved measures for tracking military families affected by catastrophe, a top Pentagon official said yesterday.Among other services, department entities are poised to assist with evacuations, emergency transportation and search-and-rescue missions as the nation braces for the hurricane season that starts June 1, Paul McHale, assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas’ security affairs, said.
“Today, the Department of Defense -- active, reserve and National Guard -- is better prepared to assist civil authorities than at any other time in our nation's history,” McHale said at a Hurricane Awareness Day news conference at the Federal Emergency Management Agency here.
However, the thoroughly debunked media template of "the military response to Katrina was botched" is replayed again here:
The Defense Department also is working with U.S. Northern Command to implement a system to track and account for troops and military families evacuated or displaced as a result of natural or man-made calamity. The effort has been spurred on by the chaos that occurred in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005, McHale said.
From that Popular Mechanics article:
Bumbling by top disaster-management officials fueled a perception of general inaction, one that was compounded by impassioned news anchors. In fact, the response to Hurricane Katrina was by far the largest--and fastest-rescue effort in U.S. history, with nearly 100,000 emergency personnel arriving on the scene within three days of the storm's landfall.Dozens of National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters flew rescue operations that first day--some just 2 hours after Katrina hit the coast. Hoistless Army helicopters improvised rescues, carefully hovering on rooftops to pick up survivors. On the ground, "guardsmen had to chop their way through, moving trees and recreating roadways," says Jack Harrison of the National Guard. By the end of the week, 50,000 National Guard troops in the Gulf Coast region had saved 17,000 people; 4000 Coast Guard personnel saved more than 33,000.
I was there, I know...Will this media template ever be put to bed??
Front Sight, Press!
By Lt Col P
A clearer picture of the facts of the Colorado Springs church shooting has emerged over the last day or so, and even though it appears that the gunman died by his own hand, I think this doesn't change the essence of the armed guard's response one single bit.
The church staff understood the danger of this sort of attack (however remote the possibility), had a multi-facted plan in place to address an emergency, and executed that plan. Part of the plan was an immediate response by a small group of volunteers who assumed the duties of armed watch. When the shots were fired, one of them ran to the sound of gunfire and took the only appropriate action.
By all of the various press accounts I've read, this lady seems to fit the profile of the sheepdog--alert, capable, dedicated. The phrase that comes to mind is, "dialed in." Whether or not she consciously used the color code, I'd say she definitely started the day in Yellow, and switched to Orange and then Red in rapid succession. That her shots were not ultimately the fatal ones matters less than the fact that her shots took the gunman off his plan of action and stopped him in his tracks. She had the skill to hit what she was firing at-- I'd like to hear accurate reports on the range involved-- but more importantly she had the will.
Those of us who carry regularly and class ourselves as protectors should review this case again and again, and rededicate ourselves to the principles of self-defense. Urge your church and school system to adopt more realistic and effective policies against attacks, and be watchful against creeping complacency. The flag will go up when we least expect it, and we ought to be ready for it. The traits we need are skill, will, and attitude. Skill we must have, but will is foremost, attitude is supreme. Cultivate them all.
God bless the poor family who lost loved ones there, but thank God a real citizen was there to do what needed to be done.
National Ammunition Day: Do Your Part
By Lt Col P
19 November is National Ammunition Day. (Or Week, 17-25 Nov, for those who can't hit the gunstore on the actual day.) The goal is for law abiding citizens to clean the shelves of their local supplier.
If a big retail store is your only option, then go for it. But I prefer to swing my business to the mom-and-pop gunstores, who are always looking for business and are the first victims of anti-gun legislation and lawsuits.
One hundred rounds a man (or 'man). Buy what you can, but buy some.
Update On Houssein Zorkot
By Lt Col P
BR BullNav brought us the first look at Houssein Zorkot, the ever peaceful med student in Michigan, who was peacefully arrested while peacefully sitting in his car outside a city park while peacefully clutching an AK-47. Nothing to see here! Move along!
Michelle Malkin gives us an update. (BTW, Michelle, give BullNav some credit too! He doesn't crave MM attention as much *others* in this blog, who shall remain nameless, but he did get on this one quickly... )
There's a lot to be concerned with here. I echo what BullNav said about being ready. At. All. Times. For those of you who carry, I'll pass on something that was taught to me in the pistol course I took back in May-- when you see someone with an AK start shooting, immediately think "body armor" and adjust your point of aim and your tactics accordingly.
(And for commenter "ME" in BullNav's post-- how's life back on 10 Sept 2001? Nice and easy? Carefree? If your head's not in the sand, it's definitely shoved somewhere else.)
Another reason to be ready...
By Bull Nav
I have said many times, "Carry."
I am, of course, referring to legally carrying a concealed pistol, not only for self-defense, but for any situation in which others may be placed in danger by someone who would do them harm.
I also advocate that anyone who does not or cannot carry do what you can to be ready. Pay attention to your surroundings. Always have a plan. Follow Rule 21.
So after this morning's run, I am watching the news, and I watch this little tidbit (from WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit):
Doctor-in-Training Caught in Park with AK-47Last Update: 9/12 6:13 pm
Federal authorities are investigating a Wayne State University medical student who was arrested in a Dearborn park with a loaded AK-47.
His name is Houssein Zorkot and he is (was?) a third year med student at Wayne State University in Detroit.
No one has given an explaination as to why the Dearborn Police found him Saturday night in a park with a loaded AK-47 (I realize that it was not an AK-47, but a knock-off; however, that is what was reported), in dark clothing, with his face blackened. Apparently the FBI is now investigating the case.
Oh, yeah, on his website he says he supports Lebanon and the Resistance. Take a look at it.
I don't understand why more is not being reported on this. The Dearborn Mayor apparently did not want people making a connection between this individual and the 9/11 anniversary.
I will make the connection.
This is the type of home-grown individual that the people of the US need to be aware of. I am not saying to persecute every Arab-American, or anyone with dark skin. I am saying that folks need to know that this type of individual exists right here in the USA and we all need to be ready at all times.
Head on a swivel.
Situational awareness.
Or, as I learned in the Boy Scouts, "Be Prepared."
And Another Thing!
By Lt Col P
Since I'm in a particularly bellicose mood today, allow me to introduce you to the newest member of the family... 6.85 pounds, 32 inches long, solid black...
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NIX THE FORT DIX SIX
By Lt Col P
Terrorists or not, they ought to be hanged. They are poster children for military tribunals. Try them, convict them, hang them. And let that be a lesson to the others. The great Jeff Cooper (whose birthday was yesterday) was fond of noting, "We threw the Moors out of Spain in 1492, but apparently we didn't throw them far enough." Time for another heave-ho, I'd say.
We learned an(other) expensive, bloody lesson for cheap. How many more passes do we get before our luck runs out? A Beslan-aboard-base? I shudder to think of it.
One article I read in the WaPo ended with the usual comment from the neighbors of these six creatures, you know, he-seemed-like-such-nice-boy, etc. "They were just average Muslims," said one man. Yes sir, they probably are, but not in the sense you think.
TRY THEM. CONVICT THEM. HANG THEM. Terrorists, enemy soldiers, AQ operatives-- it doesn't matter. Their necks will snap the same way.
Commitment
By Bull Nav
Yeah, that.
You know, the USMC/USN core values: The part that comes after "Honor, Courage…COMMITMENT" Remember them?
Sometimes, when you you are young, folks tell you, "Honor your Commitments."
When you are older you realize that sometimes you need to, "courage honor your commitments."
Particularly when your commitments, those things which you said you were going to do or were going to support get hard, difficult, or unpopular.
Or perhaps those commitments get to a point where you can achieve personal gain by abandoning them. What to do, what to do…
Such a dilemma.
Well, actually it is not a dilemma. I don't have a problem with commitments. When I agree to do something, by God I am going to get it done.
I will put everything I have into completing the task. Once all the debate/compromise/collaboration is done, it is time to get down and dirty and get the job done. You put your best assets in and go do it. If it gets hard, guess what: you still have to do it. You made a COMMITMENT.
If you have the opportunity for debate, you use it. If you are not going to debate because it might hurt you, then don’t' complain later. Have some principles. Take a stand.
Have some respect for those you sent in harm's way. Those who have given their lives for your decision to send them there. Those who believe that their leaders have the country's best interests at heart and who believe that their elected leaders would not send them on a fool's errand. Those who believe that when the President said and the Congress said it was time to go, they went. And they will go until the job is done. Done right.
If someone is not getting the job done, the guy in charge needs to fire them and get someone who can get it done. Lincoln did. The American fighting man's life should not become a political football to be kicked around and thrown away.
DO NOT renege on your commitments to the men and women you sent to do God's work in the badlands.
We need...we MUST be ONE AMERICA.
Those who oppose us...WANT A DIVIDED AMERICA.
All for one, one for all...
Gun-Day Sunday: Europe's Porcupine
By Lt Col P
I saw today an interesting article in the WaPo, about Switzerland's armed neutrality and its (entirely laudable) gun-culture. The latter is apparenty abhorrent in today's emasculated and disarmed Europe, where the individual can be told how to live in excruciating detail by hordes of bureaucrats in remote cities, speaking languages unintelligible and espousing philosophies wholly foreign to him.
This follows on the heels of a gloomy post at the Other Side of Kim: "Swiss Go Wussy." If true that is bad news. I can only hope that the vast majority of sturdy Helvetians guard their liberties jealously and put a quick halt to the disarmament move. No good can come of it, and their grandchildren will have every reason to despise them for their weakness, if they do choose that route.
On the contrary, more Europeans should copy them. The Swiss speak softly but carry a big stick. They offer violence to no one, but promise plenty in return should they be molested. A very good way to live, for both individuals and nations.
So, in honor of a great gun culture under siege, I direct you to a lovely little article on teaching the young to shoot, to shoot often and to shoot well. Wouldn't we love to see THAT being practiced in the good old U-S-A?? Wouldn't that cause Schumer, Pelosi, Feinstein and all the others to sh*t themselves?
God Bless the Swiss. I hope they remain ever armed, polite and prickly, no matter what the freaks, weirdos, yahoos, pinkos and asshats on all sides think of them. Good shooting!
12 Years Ago Today
By Bull Nav
Yes, the Oklahoma City bombing occurred 12 years ago yesterday, but I did not hear about it until a day later.
At the time I was on the staff of Commander, Destroyer Squadron 22 (CDS 22) as the Staff ASW Officer and the Submarine Operations Officer. Our flagship was USS TICONDEROGA (CG47) which was serving as REDCROWN in the Adriatic Sea as part of Operation Sharp Guard. This included enforcing UN sanctions and the No-fly zone that was in effect. We were only one month into our 6 month Med deployment as part of the Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group (commanded by then RADM Fallon), and we were on our second of 4 weeks straight in the Adriatic. The Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (they had 24MEU on board commanded by COL Marty Berndt) was also out there.
At that point in time, there was much strife and conflict in the countries which used to be Yugoslavia. Lots of other ships around from various countries, but we had the largest contingent. This was back in the good old days when lots of ships deployed with the carrier. In our case, we had two CGs, one CGN, one DDG, and two FFGs. We also had two SSNs attached, although they were for the most part out conducting other missions.
I think Tico and ARLEIGH BURKE were in the Adriatic, while the TR, HUE CITY, and MISSISSIPPI had gone on to the Arabian Gulf. Since my boss was the next senior guy, he became Commander Task Force 60, the Med Battle Force Commander. Since at that time the DESRON staffs were considered "Tactical Destroyer Squadrons" we only had about 12 people on the staff (we were not the ISIC for the ships as that went to CDS2 in Norfolk; the ISIC, Immediate Superior in Command, was responsible for admin, maintenance, manning, etc.) so we were very busy handling upwards of 1000 messages a day, none of which dealt with events outside the Med.
This particular day, I had an uneventful morning watch, and then had lunch in the wardroom. It was a beautiful day outside so I figured I would go hang out on the missle deck by the aft Mk26 launcher after lunch. It was so clear that we could see the mountains, even though we were 50-60 miles from shore. I remember thinking what a wonderful day it was and how much it was going to suck to go back to the space we used for our office to review message traffic and prepare the Commodore's daily intentions message.
Now remember that this was 1995. We did not have email at sea or continuous live TV feeds. We only got news through the broadcast or when you pulled in and got mail. Because we had so much operational traffic to review and act upon, I barely gave the news and sports messages a second glance.
There was a third way to get the news: shortwave radio. One of the other guys on the staff had one of those radios that receives HF. He would go out to the missle deck after lunch every day, smoke a cigarette, and listen to the BBC.
Anyway, as I approached him, he asked me if I had heard the news. I, of course, said no, to which he replied listen to this. The BBC was carrying a story about how the Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City had been blown up by a truck bomb and that over 150 people had been killed.
Stopped me dead in my tracks.
I did not think Islamic jihadist or Al-queda POS. No, I figured it was some pissed-off American with a grudge who figured he would take out some fellow Americans as a means of protest. This was two years after Waco and only 2 ½ after Ruby Ridge. There was still lots of talk about militias here in the US and that is immediately who I thought had done it. It made me extremely angry. Here we are 50 miles off the coast of a country that has committed genocide and God knows what else and some SOB back home has to go kill a bunch of fellow Americans? Women and children? Man, I was pissed. We are trying to prevent the same thing from happening in Yugoslavia and it happens at home because a dumbass has his priorities wrong? Made me wonder how safe my wife was back in Chesapeake.
Anyway, I got over it pretty quick. Too much work.
We only got spotty news on it until we pulled into Genoa a couple of weeks later. Still sucked. That was definitely not the highpoint of the deployment, but it is one which I will never forget.
Virginia Mourns
By John
Hearts go out to our Virginia brothers down at Tech, according to the last update on Fox News, the count is at 32.
Virginia Mourning her Dead, Virginia Military Institute
I spent many-a-weekend down at VPI while I was a cadet at VMI. Truly an open, welcoming group...those Hokies. And I'm not saying that in light of the tragedy either. Blacksburg was my favorite weekend destination in my drinking days, because the students were just so damn fun to party with.
Sad day for Virginians, sad day for the nation.
Glenn writes:
... reader John Lucas, who works with a Virginia law firm, emails that Va. Tech is a "gun-free zone." Well, for those who follow the law. There was an effort to change that but it failed: "A bill that would have given college students and employees the right to carry handguns on campus died with nary a shot being fired in the General Assembly." That's unfortunate.
Could the same happen at VMI? Probably not, the Institute is a place where the students shoot back. On one hand I feel bad injecting the gun debate into such a monumental tragedy. On the other, I can't help but to feel frustrated that one armed student (or cadet, VPI has a corps) could have help avert this disaster.
Update: I feel somewhat less guilty for waxing gun control, after reading the comments at Firedoglake:
Veritas78 says:
April 16th, 2007 at 9:58 amIt’s an awful tragedy that shouldn’t happen to anyone, but it happens 2-3 times a day in Iraq.
------------------------------------------------------------------- mc says:
April 16th, 2007 at 9:59 amUntil we implement and enforce strict gun control laws in this country, we’ll always have plenty of our own terrorists.
------------------------------------------------------------------- Mason says:
April 16th, 2007 at 10:09 amI’ve got to say though that responsibility for 600,000 dead Iraqis and 3,300 dead Americans plus about one million wounded rests squarely on the shoulders of Bush, Cheney, Wolfowitz and the rest of the neocons and their enablers. To my way of thinking, their crime dwarfs what happened at Virginia Tech. Yet, I understand that ranking the relative importance of the two means nothing to someone who has lost a loved one. Nothing is more painful or incomprehensible and no one ever gets over it.
Somehow, openly wishing that there were looser gun restrictions, as means of limiting the tragedy, doesn't seem so classless anymore.
The .45 Turns 96
By Lt Col P
My Gunsite calendar tells me that tomorrow is the birthday of the M1911 .45 ACP pistol. In truth, I look upon the occasion more as the commissioning date for the pistol than the birthday, since it was on 29 March 1911-- hence the nomenclature-- that this magnificent weapon was adopted by the U.S. Army. (The Marines brought it on a few years later.) Six and one-half dozen; either way, the old warhorse is nearing the century mark and still going strong.
(The Kimber Warrior, discussed below.)
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Gun Day Monday: Shoot More, It's Your Patriotic Duty
By Lt Col P
Instead of directing you to my other blog-- where I can vent on punks who richly deserve it and not sully this august forum-- let's do Gun Day Sunday (or rather, Monday) right here this week.
If you've been following my other threads you'll know that I'm interested in calling attention to, and promoting, the theory and practice of widespread civilian marksmanship, especially as it relates to preparing for defense of the nation. I believe that that neglected and misunderstood aspect of American life is one of the conrnerstones of our defense and needs to be reinvigorated. Today let's take a look at how the civilian shooting industry plays an unheralded but vital role in national defense.
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Gun Day Sunday: A Proficiency Test for a Well Regulated Militia
By Lt Col P
Still positively giddy about the recent victory for the cause of liberty in the nation's capital, I've been giving more thought to the concept and practice of a "well regulated militia."
Go check it out and give me your ideas.
Yet another Distraction
By Bull Nav
So, everybody on TV and in congress wants AG Gonzales' head because 8 US Attorneys were fired. Big deal. Tell me when in the last two administrations the AG was not embroiled in controversy.
But tell me why you don't see this in the news these last couple of days:
Last Tuesday, after being on the job only 11 days, Attorney General Janet Reno had the Justice Department moving and shaking. She requested the prompt resignation of all 93 U.S. Attorneys around the country "to build a team" that represents "my views" and those of the President. Although expected eventually, the move triggered alarms at the Washington prosecutorial office, which has been probing the finances of a key Democratic floor captain, House Ways and Means chairman Dan Rostenkowski. Reno insists there was "no linkage"' between the dismissals and the probe, which insiders say will continue.
That quote was from the April 5, 1993, issue of Time Magazine.
Again, the country's focus should be on The Long War and Iraq. This is just a distraction (one of many).
Gun Day Sunday: We, The Militia
By Lt Col P
For general interest I posted a nice civics lesson back at Rule 308-- the first in four months-- which you can use to educate people on the real meaning of the militia, the people, and the right to keep and bear arms. If you're on the right side of the argument, it might provide you with some more ammunition in your arguments. If you're on the other side, go take a look; it might open your mind.
That is all. Carry on.
Be Prepared
By Lt Col P
I’ve been enjoying Laughing Wolf's “Preparedness Week” series at the oft-visited B5. Another good series on the same subject can be found at our favorite beefy Afrikaner’s place, and in various elements of Farnam's Quips. Also, there is the incomparable Hurricane Katrina AAR at Father Frog's Pad, which I strongly recommend to all.
I blogged about disaster prep almost two years ago, based on my experiences traveling in and out of DC on the metro. I am pleased to reprint an updated version below the fold, specifically addressing what the well-prepared commuter needs to have with him, especially if he works in a major city that can expect a terror attack.
The bottom line is this: Prepare now, execute on demand. Your task is first to be part of the solution by not being a compounding part of the problem, and then to be able to bear a hand in helping others.
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The Strategist and the Protestor
By John
I told this man that although security has been tightened, I was surprised there hasn't been a major attack in the United States since September 11.Why?
Because it seems that it would be easy to pull off.
How so?
How hard would it be to plan a coordinated attack on a subway system in New York or Washington?
Why would they want to do that?
Because they can.
How would they benefit from pissing off the American people right now?
They live to piss off the American people. Their mission is to kill us.
Terrorists don't have the support of the American people in the sense that we generally define support, but the American people are giving them what they want by clamoring for retreat. It's not in the terrorists interest to hit the United States right now.
Game, set, match. Of course that by that logic, staying on the offense in Iraq (and Afghanistan) would be the best defense for the homeland. Not exactly a bolt-from-the-blue revelation for us military types, but it might be tough medicine to swallow for some.
Reminds me of a recent conversation with an anti-victory friend:
So you support withdrawal?And such was the conversation. We've got a dangerous crossing of brain patterns in the craniums of our domestic anti-warriors. No concept of strategic consquences coupled with a complete unwillingness to accept responsibility for their political positions. Not the type of pundits that we should be listening to, particularly when we're talking about something as important as our defense.Of course, I was against this little adventure from the git-go.
That's 2003's debate buddy, we're in 07 now. What happens if we leave?
Well.....we let the Iraqis work it out.
Do you even understand what you're proposing? Iraq will tear itself apart, turn into a terror-friendly vacuum, or..worse..a satellite of Iran, and Al-Qaeda will turn their eyeballs west towards America again. And that's to say nothing of the thousands of Iraqis that we can except to die in the turmoil. Do you accept responsibility for what happens when we leave?
No of course not. This was Bush's war, not mine.
President Bush is not advocating for premature retreat, you are.
......Yeah, but it's Bush's --
Right. Oil, Halliburton, profit...fill in your theory. Let's go get some beers, and let's try not to mix them with politics alright?
k.
Guns, The Citizen, and the Citizen-Soldier
By Lt Col P
A couple of items in the news are worth discussing. Although this is a milblog, the subject of firearms, and the right of Americans to keep and bear them (and love them like their children), is closely related to military matters.
Item 1: The Salt Lake City shooter. Details are still coming in but from all reports one thing seems clear, and that is that the off-duty officer having dinner with his spousal unit was able to engage and delay the shooter (at the very least), allowing other officers responding to the incident to apply deadly force. Two things enabled him to respond. One was his outstanding combat mindset, which prepared him to act decisively. The second was his pistol, which allowed him to engage the adversary effectively. What's the functional difference between an armed off-duty cop and an armed citizen? Not much, I'd say. Not every cop, unfortunately, is dialed in and prepared when he's not on the clock, but chances are the armed citizen *is*. In either case, he is performing a militia function: armed response in defense of his fellow citizens against an armed attack where no organized government agents are on hand. And the essential piece of gear to have is a gun. We Americans retain that right, and we should guard against all attempts to take it away.
Item 2: Related to 1 above, see this new documentary coming out on the 2nd Amendment. From the trailer, it looks pretty good. As MM said on HotAir, "it's the amendment that guards all the others." Long may it reign.
Item 3: Steyr-Mannlicher .50 cal boarhoggery. B5 picked it up, as well as K du T. I like some of Kim's reasoning-- the best remedy is to kill every m-f'er found with one in Iraq-- but I also think that Steyr needs to lie in the bed it made. I'd say they can kiss any U.S. military and police contract good bye, or at least I'd like to think so. They ought to be lucky that we're not the Israelis, and we won't do what the Mossad would probably do. And by the way, I own a Steyr Scout rifle, which is a truly outstanding piece of gear, and which I bought long before this incident. If you've got one, good for you. If not, I don't know what to tell you except maybe try to find one used so you don't buy direct from Steyr. If I didn't have one, I probably wouldn't buy one now.
Gunmen Advance on National Guardsmen Along the Border
By Slab
Guardsmen overrun at the Border
Basically, the story I am hearing is that National Guardsmen, on an observation post near the border, saw two groups of two gunmen advancing on their position. The men were wearing dark clothing, body armor, and carrying AK-47's. The Guardsmen, being unarmed and unable to defend themselves, reported and withdrew from their position. Armed Border Patrol agents arrived, and the unknown gunmen retreated back into Mexico. As far as I can tell, no shots were fired... this time.
The fact that we have National Guardsmen, deployed to an international border that is known to be crossed regularly by armed and dangerous criminals, who are unable to defend themselves against aggression is unconscionable.
From a 1996 article in Harper's Magazine:
The truth about illegal immigration is that until such time as U.S. law barring the employment of illegal aliens is enforced--or U.S. wages drop below those of the Third World--poor foreigners will continue to come here. Our elected representatives have neither the political security nor the will to alter this fact. We now live in a time when everything crosses national borders--images, capital, technology, disease, ideas--and as the century draws to a close, there will no doubt be more dramatic demands that the border be properly policed. These demands our government will oblige with grand operations and congressional bills designed to pacify the populace until after the next election. We should, however, expect little by way of substantive change--just more empty gestures, and more aliens.
How long must this continue?
Military Police?
By Charlie
Charles J. Dunlap Jr. On deploying active duty troops to disaster-relief : (H/T Instapundit)
The cool efficiency of full-time military professionals on the hot New Orleans streets was exactly what the people wanted to see. And apparently they want to see more of it when the need arises -- and sooner. Indeed, few would debate the utility of a faster deployment of the active-duty military's rescue, logistics and engineering resources. … The 1878 Posse Comitatus Act bars most direct military involvement in law enforcement, with several exceptions, including civil disturbances. Since Sept. 11, 2001, such threats as terrorist use of weapons of mass destruction have given the armed forces new legal authority. Should there be more? Americans don't seem especially worried about increasing the full-time military's role. Despite troubles in Iraq and detainee abuse scandals, polls show that the armed forces are the most trusted institution in American society.
I was down in Katrina, not New Orleans, but Gulfport, Mississippi. Our operation was 100% Reserve component, with an on-the-fly task force consisting of about a division. There were so many troops there, I thought that a follow-on mission to invade Mexico wouldn’t have been out of the question. The streets were flooded with military vehicles, MPs were on every street corner, my infantry prowled through the devastated coastline looking for looters and providing security for the local populace to gather their belongings and begin to rebuild their lives. All the while, logistics troops from packhorse battalions and truck companies ferried needed supplies, water, and food to the populace, civil affairs guys liaisoned with the local civic leaders, Engineers partnered with local relief workers and set up a Blue Roof program, Aviation units kept helicopters flying 24/7, and mechanics, cooks, and administrators kept things running smoothly behind the scenes.
All of this was done by the National Guard and Reserves. We had no Active units, and really didn’t need them. Personally, I think the insertion of Active units into the AO was for political reasons.
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The Eagle and the Bear
By John
Sigh, I do miss the Cold War. That's why NORAD-vectored US and Canadian fighter jets intercepting Bear Bombers gives me nostalgic warm fuzzies.
Bring back the Evil Empire. Ivan was a far better opponent than the clowns we're fighting today.
The Suitcase Nuke Myth
By John
I had a spirited discussion with the Euphoric Reality girls on Wide Awakes Radio this evening, centered around why I think the suitcase nuke threat is a non-sequiter Such is the logical fallacy: if Al-Qaeda is pursuing suitcase nukes, and Russian officials claimed to have developed (and lost) suitcase nukes, then terrorist cells must be in the US with suitcase nukes.
Otherwise stated as :if 1 is true and 2 is true, then 3 must be true...
The allegations arguing that there were dozens of missing Russian suitcased-sized bombs have been busted as myths, and most of the testimony and claims to the contrary have been disproven, see this Wall Street Journal piece for details.
If Al-Qaeda does try to execute a nuclear attack on a US city or cities, I'm sticking by my contention that the delivery system will be a private jet large enough to carry a warhead sized weapon. Air bursts do far more damage than ground bursts, and flying the bomb in allows you to bypass borders and customs.
But that's another debate all together....
24 versus Real Life
By Charlie
Here's an interesting article from National Review on the popular show 24 and national security. Some key quotes:
Make-believe antiterrorism and real antiterrorism have some things in common and many things different, but they matter to one another in this respect: What Americans watch on TV about counterterrorism operations, whether fact or fiction, affects what they expect in real life. Further, what we expect of their homeland defenses affects politicians, which in turn influence the agencies. This is where 24 matters to our real war on terror, it seems: Jack Bauer sets our expectations, which can make things tough for our leaders.
More on Jack Bauer:
On deeper examination, however, this overdependence-on-Washington criticism does not apply to 24, because 24 is a true American drama and Jack Bauer is an American hero. When I was in Germany a few years ago, a Cabinet official said that Europe was once half-full of free-thinkers and independent spirits, but then they all got up and moved to America. The American hero is the cowboy: He is Maverick, he is Han Solo, he is Batman (though, when Batman is in trouble, he turns on the Jack Bauer signal), he is the rag-tag minuteman fighting the well-trained Lobsterbacks.So Jack Bauer is not Big Brother, and he is not the establishment. Jack Bauer was expelled from CTU and he disobeys orders. He does what needs to be done and he does it in his own way. (Jack Bauer once played Russian roulette with a fully loaded gun, and won.) He is the fitting heir to Rambo and Maverick.
And like Rambo and Maverick, Bauer’s inhuman excellence (Jack Bauer, for example, could strangle you with a cordless phone) still doesn’t keep us from identifying with him. “Jack Bauer is an everyman,” Writer and Executive Producer Howard Gordon said on Friday, “he is the guy who stands for that American, can-do thing.”
On a closing note, Jack Bauer can eat five times his body weight in terrorists.
One Mind, Any Weapon
By Maj P
Via Blackfive and B-I-A, this magnificent little story.
Good work, Marine!
Maj p
America the Beautiful
By Charlie
I spent some time this weekend in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and getting away from the bustle and congestion of Northern Virginia. While I was there, I took some time to reflect. Being surrounded by the majesty of nature, the enormity of the terrain, and the sheer peacefulness of the area, I arrived at a simple conclusion: America is a great place, and I’m lucky –or blessed- to live here and be a part of it.
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Hurricane Season’s coming! Run for your lives!
By Charlie
UPI:
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said FEMA will test revamped command procedures with states in the next two weeks and, among other improvements, a week's supply of ice and water for 1 million people has been stockpiled.The United States is "much more prepared as a nation than we have ever been to confront a major hurricane," Chertoff said.
U.S. officials also called on 60 million coastal residents to make their own disaster plans.
Officials from Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas told The Washington Post that much work and system testing remains to be done."It's kind of a race: Can we get all the things people needed before the 2005 hurricane season done before this hurricane season?" Florida Emergency Management Director Craig Fugate told the newspaper.
Yeah, we’ll be ready… perhaps too ready. I fear that this year, the first little hurricane that hits a US city will trigger a massive overreaction. Prepare for a convoy of MSM assets deploying to the first minor disaster that pops up, a National Guard Heavy Brigade Combat Team rolling into a seaside city with minor damage, prepared to finally find and dispatch with extreme prejudice that one guy who we heard might have shot at a medevac chopper one time.
Anyway, the Guard is ready to roll at a moment’s notice. I hope there isn’t a repeat of Katrina this year. Not because we won’t be ready, but because of the enormous damage it did. For those of you who haven’t seen the ridiculous destructive power of a hurricane, click below the fold so for some shots from last year’s disaster area.
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Self Explanatory
By John
This google communique was intercepted earlier by Steve Spruiell at NRO. Speaks for itself.
Yeah.
Hotel Tango to SMASH.
Border Update
By Charlie
Well, the President says 6,000 Guard troops will be deployed to the border. That's probably 2 Brigades (-), plus a division headquarters element.
Questions left to be asked:
How long will the rotation be? one month? two? PCS?
Where will the troops come from? Border states, or the entire US?
Rules of Engagement?
What is the duration of the mission?
*Update: After seeing COL Hunt's FOX News brief to Bill O'Reilly, here is my $0.02 on how the troop deployment will shake out. BLUF: A (motorized) Light Infantry heavy force with robust MI/MP/CA support. Here's how *I* would organize our Border Task Force:
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