Free Republic

Newt Gingrich criticized Republican rival Rick Santorum on Tuesday afternoon for his “complete misunderstanding of modern warfare” over the former Pennsylvania senator’s remarks on women in combat. Santorum on Thursday said he had “concerns about women in frontline combat.” “I think that could be a very compromising situation … where people naturally, you know, may do things that may not be in the interests of the mission because of other types of emotions that are involved,” Santorum told CNN’s John King. Gingrich fired back at Santorum, calling his credentials to be commander in chief into question during a press availability...

While I understand that only a fraction of the population of this nation is directly affected by what you are about to read, I would never-the-less like to remind you that the remainder of the population is affected coincidentally. While the majority of the American population probably never even considered the Armed Forces as a possible career objective, there are those who never considered life without serving their country, in uniform, on a field of combat. Most of these young men and women never take the time to internalize some idealized vision of charging death for God and Country,

Rick Santorum, in an interview with CNN's John King a bit ago, was asked whether he thinks it's a good idea or a bad idea for the Pentagon to relax some of the rules about women taking frontline roles in combat, "perhaps opening the door to a broader role for, ultimately, women in combat." His answer was both praising of women serving the country, and as a part of the armed services, but he went on to explain why he would take issue with women on the front lines. "Look, I want to create every opportunity for women to be...

I've never been a soldier myself. But I understand why my country has been successful like no other on the battlefields of Europe (and even outside of our continent) throughout the centuries. A strong, well organized country will always enjoy a major advantage against an instable nation where many locals are willing to aid the invading forces. We've beaten the Russians with an army 1/10 their size (at Narva). Afterwards, Charles XII of Sweden said that it was "great fun fighting fleeing Russians, because you could actually sit comfortably mounted on your horse and shoot them like they were little...

Reporting from Washington— On the evening of April 5, a pilot settled into a leather captain's chair at Creech Air Force Base in southern Nevada and took the controls of a Predator drone flying over one of the most violent areas of southwestern Afghanistan. Minutes later, his radio crackled. A firefight had broken out. Taliban insurgents had ambushed about two dozen Marines patrolling a bitterly contested road. The Air Force captain angled his joystick and the drone veered toward the fighting taking place half a world away, where it was already morning. He powered up two Hellfire missiles under its...

Emerson Knives, Inc. has been building custom knives for the Navy SEALs since its founding in 1979. This month, Emerson is memorializing the SEALs whose helicopter was shot down by insurgents in Afghanistan on August 5th with a commemorative Emerson CQC-6 combat knife with a blade constructed with steel from the World Trade Center. The Emerson CQC-6 design has been a sidearm staple for the SEALs since the 1980s. The knife’s letters, CQC, mean “Close Quarter Combat,” and the “6” refers to SEAL Team 6. According to Ernest Emerson,

Sacramento, Calif. (AP) -- California officials have released thousands of insects in the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta to combat an invasive weed that has clogged the waterway. The state Department of Food and Agriculture let more than 5,000 water hyacinth plant hoppers go at several locations in San Joaquin and Sacramento counties this month. Officials hope the insects, which are native to South America, will establish self-sustaining colonies and begin chomping down on water hyacinth. The invasive plant forms a dense carpet on the surface of waterways, impeding boat access and clogging water intake systems.

U.S. Army may soon equip troops with smartphonesBy Mark Milian, CNN July 12, 2011 For U.S. Army troops, smartphones could become requisite field gear, along with boots, guns and ammunition. **SNIP** This dry run has proved so encouraging that Army officials say they expect the first wave of smartphone-equipped soldiers could be shipped overseas later this year. Certain members of brigades are already assigned tactical radios. The phones wouldn't replace radios, but they would be distributed more widely and would ideally operate in conjunction with older equipment, officials said. The infantry is using smartphones to text message updates about their...

The daughter of a prominent New York lawyer has told of her amazing transformation from sheltered, society girl to seasoned combat veteran. Former Manhattan jetsetter Jane Blair swapped her pampered life in New York to become one of the first women on the frontline in Iraq. In her new memoir Hesitation Kills, Mrs Blair, now a 38-year-old captain in the Marine Reserves, recalls the moment that changed her life. She said: 'I grew up in this environment where I never had to work for a living. My dad told me, "I will always take care of you".' She was in...

Yesterday, the local morning conservative talk show host brought up a question about the status of veterans. He said that words mean things and he's right. The issue was the Stolen Valor Act (which I disagree with, believe it or not) and whether veterans that never served in Vietnam, but served in the military during the Vietnam War, can be called "Vietnam Veterans." The host was trying to make the case that if someone serves in the military during a time of war, there is nothing wrong with calling themselves a "[insert campaign/war name] Veteran." I wholeheartedly disagree. I see...

Pentagon Sets Stage for U.S. to Respond to Computer Sabotage With Military ForceWASHINGTON—The Pentagon has concluded that computer sabotage coming from another country can constitute an act of war, a finding that for the first time opens the door for the U.S. to respond using traditional military force. The Pentagon's first formal cyber strategy, unclassified portions of which are expected to become public next month, represents an early attempt to grapple with a changing world in which a hacker could pose as significant a threat to U.S. nuclear reactors, subways or pipelines as a hostile country's military. In part, the...

A bill that would end the ban on military women fighting in combat has been introduced by Rep. Loretta Sanchez, D-Santa Ana. “In actuality, this bill would officially recognize what is already happening on the battlefield – the fact that our military women are fighting in combat every day, all over the world,” Sanchez, the ranking female member on the House Armed Services Committee, said in a news release.

They rarely get glory. Their funerals aren’t broadcast on TV. And they’ll never ask for praise. But there are 2,700 of these “soldiers” serving in the U.S. military. Who are they? They’re furry, have long noses, and walk on four legs. They are the military’s canines. In fact, the New York Times reports that one such dog was involved in the raid on Osama bin Laden, sparking a wave of interest in what is becoming an essential tool in the war on terror. “In 2007, the Marines began a pilot program in Afghanistan with nine bomb-sniffing dogs, a number that...

In Australia, a “debate” is raging. Should women fight alongside manly men on the frontlines? The left-leaning APP reports: “Prime Minister Julia Gillard has voiced strong support for women taking on military combat roles to allow them to fight and if necessary die for their country.” As well, the APP uncritically reports: “Australia lagged behind Canada and perhaps New Zealand.” But that’s a Labor talking point – not a fact. Who fears Canada? Who fears New Zealand? In military terms, these allegedly progressive countries can’t even defend themselves. Also, in recent token-related history the Air Force Times (U.S.) reports: “Air...

Last night I watched the movie 9th Company on Netflix. This is an outstanding war movie that in my opinion is not to be missed by war movie aficionados. It's a riveting, true account of a group of young enlisted Soviet paratroopers. In the beginning, you follow this group of young men through the rigors of bootcamp where they eventually develop a close camaraderie. They're mentored by a tough, stomach-punching drill sergeant who's the lone survivor of his unit from the Afghan conflict. Even though he's tough as nails, he cares about his soldiers he mentors and wishes he could...

President Obama’s actions in Libya were already suspicious for a number of reasons. First, during Obama’s presidential campaign, he asserted that his priority was to get America out of the two wars it was already fighting. Second, Obama was a staunch critic of the Bush administration for unconstitutionally embarking on a war without congressional approval — an action of which President Obama is now guilty. Finally, as the economy is teetering on collapse, one would assume the last thing the President would want is to have to fund a third war. And yet here we are. However, once we delve...

The Pentagon is about to pull its attack planes out of the international air campaign in Libya, hoping NATO partners can take up the slack. The announcement Thursday drew incredulous reactions from some in Congress who wondered aloud why the Obama administration would bow out of a key element of the strategy for protecting Libyan civilians and crippling Moammar Gadhafi's army. "Odd," ''troubling" and "unnerving" were among critical comments by senators pressing for an explanation of the announcement by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs chairman Adm. Mike Mullen that American combat missions will end Saturday. "Your timing is...

WASHINGTON, March 7, 2011 – A commission established to study diversity among military leaders is recommending that the Defense Department rescind its policy that prevents women from being assigned to ground combat units below the brigade level. In a report issued today, the Military Leadership Diversity Commission recommends that the department and the services eliminate combat exclusion policies for women, as well as other “barriers and inconsistencies, to create a level playing field for all qualified service members.” Retired Air Force Gen. Lester L. Lyles, who chaired the commission, said the recommendation –- one of 20 in the report and...

Combat troops to get gay sensitivity training—The Washington Times, Feb. 25 From: Commander U.S. Forces, Afghanistan To: All Officers Re: Homosexual Sensitivity training As everyone by now knows, the president has signed the order rescinding Defense Directive 1304.26 – “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” As the DOD implements this policy change, all U.S. forces in every theater must receive integration training, otherwise known as “sensitivity training.” This training will be immediately and will include every unit in this theater, including combat units, wherever they are operating.

American combat troops will get sensitivity training directly on the battlefield about the military’s new policy on gays instead of waiting until they return to home base in the United States, the senior enlisted man in Afghanistan said Thursday. The Pentagon is launching an extensive force-wide program to ease the process of integrating open homosexuals into the ranks, including into close-knit fighting units. Army Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin Hill, the top enlisted man in Afghanistan where 100,000 U.S. troops are deployed, said that the sessions on respecting gays’ rights will go right down to the forward operating bases, where troops...

The Administration’s “Military Leadership Diversity Commission” is reported to be about to announce a recommendation that women should be allowed to serve fully in combat, Big time bad idea. The commission says that it is seeking to dismantle the last major area of “discrimination” in the armed forces. The commission was established by Congress two years ago. The panel is to send its proposals to Congress and President Obama. According to initial reports, “It is time to create a level playing field for all qualified service members.” “To provide a level playing field” for what?

Reactions mixed on women in combat arms By Nancy Montgomery Stars and Stripes Published: January 14, 2011 HELMAND PROVINCE, Afghanistan — The notion that women in the armed forces might be allowed to serve alongside men in combat provoked sharp reactions Friday among a sampling of Marines on the front lines of the war in Afghanistan, suggesting a heated debate yet to come. “It’s very tough, what we have to go through,” said Lance Cpl. John Rolfes of 2nd Battalion, Third Marines, deployed with a Marine infantry unit at Patrol Base Jaker in Nawa. “I personally don’t know any women...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A military advisory commission is recommending that the Pentagon do away with a policy that bans women from serving in combat units, breathing new life into a long-simmering debate.

The Army is studying whether to open combat arms units to female Soldiers, the Army's top officer said Jan. 6. "We're looking at revising the policy," Gen. George W. Casey Jr. told a breakfast gathering of the Association of the U.S. Army in Arlington, Va. "We've had some work going on for a while, and that'll double back up to the secretary, I would think, in the next couple of months." Women are currently barred from infantry, armor and Special Forces branches, Casey said. He did not say whether the Army is considering opening up all three areas to women,...

Dear friends, How are you? I hope my Christmas greeting finds you well! For many people Christmas is a joyful season because THEY HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE enough to have received from their parents or from other faith communities a knowledge and a first hand experience of what Christmas means in the lives of people around them. Many others, who HAVE NOT BEEN SO FORTUNATE to have experienced a true communion of love with God personally and with others, have taken refuge in the less demanding belief of deism. They believe that God is a supreme being; at the beginning of...

A U.S. Marine Corps sergeant in action in Sangin, Afghanistan on Nov. 9, 2010. (Defense Department photo/Lance Cpl. Dexter S. Saulisbury, U.S. Marine Corps) (CNSNews.com) - 66.5 percent of U.S. Marine combat forces surveyed by a special Defense Department working group said that putting homosexuals in their units would hurt their effectiveness in the field, and 47.8 percent of Marines in combat units specifically said putting homosexuals in their units would hurt their effectiveness “in an intense combat situation.”The U.S. Congress voted last week to repeal the law—commonly known as Don’t Ask, Don’ Tell—that barred homosexuals from serving in the military.Earlier...

Taking the lead where Washington has wavered, California on Thursday is expected to adopt the nation's most ambitious plan yet to curb global warming. The California Air Resources Board is all but certain to vote to approve comprehensive "cap and trade" regulations designed to cut greenhouse gases. The regulations would impose limits, or "caps," on emissions from large industrial polluters through permits, or allowances, that could be traded on a market. California's plans to forge ahead are in sharp contrast to the lack of action from Washington, where Congress has rejected cap and trade at the national level. While the...

An actual read-through of the results shows much greater combat troop opposition to repeal than the initial public statements would have you believe. According to an early media report of the just released Pentagon study on elimination of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) it was recognized that it “might cause some disruption at first but would not create widespread or long-lasting problems.” In the absence of any explanation of “some disruptions,” “at first,” and “widespread or long-lasting,” and the lack of reference in that assertion to combat effectiveness, that is not entirely comforting. Some top leaders of the military have...

Imagine a future when a Soldier's helmet is an integrated communications center with a heads-up computer display, night vision, thermal sensors and enhanced hearing. That future is nearer than many think. During the 2010 Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting Oct. 25-27 at the Washington Convention Center, civilian researchers from the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center displayed futurist equipment design concepts to senior Army leaders, congressional staffers and Soldiers attending the show. "What we're trying to do is tell the story of how we're setting the force for the future," said Jean-Louis "Dutch" DeGay, Strategic Outreach,...

President Barack Obama told the nation we have ended combat operations in Iraq. So why the need to send ANOTHER Brigade to Iraq?! I thought he was going to bring all our troops home from Iraq! Wasn't there supposed to be a troop draw-down? Is this just another broken promise? [DOD announced today]..."The unit consisting of approximately 3,800 personnel will deploy in January... and will replace redeploying units with no increase in overall force levels." What?! No increase in force levels??!! What happened to a DECREASE?!

NAIROBI (AFP) – Climate change can be curbed by changing the diet of livestock, whose feed crops, farting, belching and manure contribute a fifth of the planet's greenhouse gas emissions, a new study said Friday. The study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) said livestock risk growing as global demand for meat and milk surges and recommended simple steps to curb livestock-related greenhouse gas emissions. It recommended using more nutritious pasture grasses, supplementing diets with crop residues, restoring degraded grazing lands and adopting more productive breeds, among other simple measures for tropical countries. ... The scientists said the burden...

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama is declaring an end to the U.S. combat role in Iraq after more than seven years of war, saying the country's future now is up to its own people. The president, who opposed the war as a senator, says: "It is time to turn the page." Comments of the president were released in advance of his prime-time Oval Office speech. .. Obama says that ending the war is not only in Iraq's interest — it is in America's, as well. In a sign of the domestic troubles weighing on his own nation, Obama reserved part...

The Navy indicated Monday there would be a several-month delay in awarding a high-profile combat ship contract. The Navy was expected to announce the winner of the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) contract this summer. Instead, it will take several more months to weigh the competitors’ offers. Lockheed Martin, teamed with Wisconsin-based Marinette Marine and Alabama-based Austal USA, a unit of Australian Austal Ltd., are competing for the contract, which is initially worth about $5 billion for 10 shore-hugging combat ships and includes combat systems for five additional ships.

Link only due to posting guidelines MASH HERE

(CNSNews.com) – A majority of all combat-related U.S. casualties in the nine-year-long war in Afghanistan have occurred since President Barack Obama was inaugurated a little more than 17 months ago. Between Jan. 20, 2009 and July 2, 2010, according to CNSNews.com's database of Afghanistan war casualties, U.S. military personnel suffered 452 combat-related deaths in Afghanistan. That amounts to more than half of the total of 900 combat-related fatalities suffered by U.S. forces in Afghanistan during the entire nine years of the war.

Recent discourse concerning the Chinese People’s Liberation Army's (PLA) modernization has principally focused on technological advances and less on the human dimension of PLA force transformation. In particular, a review of these discussions revealed the absence of a publicly available database of Chinese military leaders with the rank of full general (shangjiang). Against the backdrop of the PLA’s stated intention to reorient the armed forces as part of its modernization efforts, an analysis of promotion patterns of the 118 PLA generals (1981 - 2009) may yield important insights into the foci of PLA force transformation. PLA to Build Up Navy...

When you think of Americans in war zones, don't stop with those wearing combat fatigues and carrying big guns. Since 2001, more than 44,000 civilians have been deployed to dangerous places, notably Iraq and Afghanistan. But unlike those in uniform, who are linked by a common set of pay and benefits, the civilians work under a variety of standards that can cause confusion. Having employees labor next to each other in the same hazardous situations, but with different wages and health coverage, can produce added stress at a time when no one needs it. The Obama administration is trying to...

The Army says four more soldiers from Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Washington state have been charged with premeditated murder in the killing of three Afghan civilians earlier this year. In all, five soldiers have been charged. All are assigned to the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Every year on Memorial Day and Veterans Day, I share "My Father's War Stories From World War II" as my small way to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

BRUSSELS – European Union finance ministers backed tougher sanctions to prevent them running up too much debt in the hopes of winning back market confidence and getting a handle on the debt crisis that is threatening the euro. The European Union's president Herman Van Rompuy said the talks Friday showed that "it was very clear that there was a broad consensus on the principle of having sanctions" — both financial and political. Current limits on debt and deficits are backed up on paper by heavy fines, which have never been imposed — effectively allowing Greece and others to ignore them...

This Dick Blumenthal even looks a little like Eliot Spitzer. And now it turns out, as somebody said yesterday, even Jane Fonda spent more time in Vietnam than he did. We’re talking about Connecticut Atty. Gen. Dick Blumenthal - you can call him “General.” .....

All around, men roared and rifles thudded. Sprawled in the earth in an open field, an American soldier to the left handed me a wounded man's ammunition belt. Even as Taliban bullets whipped overhead, I thought about professional codes of conduct. Carry the belt? Or not? I was a journalist, not a soldier. My job was to observe without bias, not take part. Yet surely it was a time for instincts rather than circumspection; a time for decisions geared to survival. In four weeks of reporting on the war in Afghanistan as a journalist embedded with the U.S. military, I...

PAKTIA PROVINCE, Afghanistan, April 7, 2010 – Air Force Maj. Kim Floyd and Air Force Senior Airman Jessica E. Delgado just want to talk. Air Force Maj. Kim Floyd speaks with Army Spc. Autumn L. Gregg at Forward Operating Base Lightning in Afghanistan’s Paktia province, April 1, 2010. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Andrew A. Reagan  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Floyd, a psychologist deployed from the 92nd Medical Group at Fairchild Air Force Base, Wash., and Delgado, a mental health technician deployed from the 5th Medical Group at Minot Air Force Base, N.D., make up the Combat Stress...

  Story by Staff Sgt. Christine Jones22nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment KANDAHAR, Afghanistan - Seconds can feel like hours . . . pulse racing, heart pounding, hands shaking uncontrollably, as all around lives are changed forever in the blink of an eye. But in that blink, time doesn't stop. Life is still happening around you and it is your mission to photograph every part of what is happening in that moment. Even after an explosion.As Combat Camera, that is the job. As a member of the 4th Combat Camera Squadron it's my mission.Images and video by 4th Combat Camera...

Strange Bunch These Jewish People By Norma Zager and Ari Bussel “Since God chose you to be the holy people He loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience…” The Bible The other evening we were privileged to hear an IDF colonel speak about Israel’s battle against terrorism. Much has been written and spoken lately about an egregious anti-Semitic document called the Goldstone Report alleging Israel of misdeeds. We were anxious to learn the truth from someone who is in the fray daily and literally on the front lines of battle. Viewing real footage from...

February & March 2010Table of ContentsFeatures:Mothers in Combat Boots By Mary EberstadtReassessing a military policy font-size: 300%; float: left; color: #000000; font-family: sabon,garamond,serif; In november 2009, one of the uglier fruits of the current practice of seeding mothers into the American military burst briefly onto the national stage. Ordered to Afghanistan from Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia, an Army cook named Alexis Hutchinson refused to go. A 21-year-old single mother, she explained that there was no one to care for her infant son because initial plans to leave him with her own mother had fallen through. What happened next should...

CAMP TAJI, Iraq, Feb. 9, 2010 – Ask Army Chief Warrant Officer Anthony Potter what it takes to reach more than 2,000 combat flight hours and he'll tell you it requires the support of a loving family and fellow soldiers. Before being a senior in high school, the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter instructor pilot from Company C, 3rd Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry, said he always knew that he wanted to fly; that he wanted to be a pilot. So when it came time to choose a college, he made it abundantly clear aviation would...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Troops are being sent to war zones without proper training and suitable gear, according to two senior Democratic lawmakers who say they've been told by soldiers about problems ranging from their backpacks to their rifles. In a Dec. 10 letter to the Pentagon's top leaders, Rep. Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, and Rep. Solomon Ortiz, who heads the subcommittee on military readiness, said they are "greatly troubled" by what they learned as the Obama White House begins escalating the U.S. presence in Afghanistan.

Nobody wants to buy them a beer. Even near military bases, female veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan aren't often offered a drink on the house as a welcome home. More than 230,000 American women have fought in those recent wars and at least 120 have died doing so, yet the public still doesn't completely understand their contributions on the modern battlefield. For some, it's a lonely transition as they struggle to find their place.

The U.S. Army Special Forces is equipping 18 A Teams (officially known as ODAs, or Operational Detachment Alpha) with Land Warrior electronic equipment. But the Special Forces gear will have one special addition; satellite communications. Normally, Land Warrior comms use line-of-sight (FM) radio. But in the hilly Afghan terrain, and with the dispersed tactics used by Special Forces, satellite communications makes more sense. This is yet another field test for the cancelled Land Warrior project. Last Summer, the army sent an infantry brigade, equipped with Land Warrior gear, to Afghanistan. All this is happening, in spite of the fact that,...