http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/usmilitary/ en-us Mon, 6 Oct 2008 02:04:29 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2098368/posts Civil unrest and martial law in the US Several of you have privately pointed me to this story from last week in Army Times, which reports on the new, permanent mission of the 3rd Infantry Division's 1st Brigade Combat team. It's not Iraq; it's within the United States. Excerpts: Beginning Oct. 1 for 12 months, the 1st BCT will be under the day-to-day control of U.S. Army North, the Army service component of Northern Command, as an on-call federal response force for natural or manmade emergencies and disasters, including terrorist attacks. It is not the first time an active-duty unit... blog.beliefnet.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2098368/posts#comment Mon, 6 Oct 2008 02:04:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096537/posts In preparing for possible future military interventions, the United States needs to shift substantial resources to the Department of State and U.S. Agency for International Development, and military-civilian efforts must be integrated from top to bottom, according to a new report issued today by a group of veteran government and private-sector leaders. The report also recommends delegating spending authority to the field level and requiring that civilians and military officers gain extensive cross-agency experience in one another's disciplines. The report was developed to provide a set of national security recommendations to the incoming presidential administration and new Congress. The effort... RAND Corporation http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2096537/posts#comment Fri, 3 Oct 2008 12:22:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086463/posts As part of our special investigation "Mission Creep: US Military Presence Worldwide," we asked a host of military thinkers to contribute their two cents on topics relating to global Pentagon strategy. (You can access the archive here.) The following dispatch comes from Katherine T. McCaffrey, an assistant professor of anthropology at Montclair State University in New Jersey and author of "Military Power and Popular Protest: The US Navy in Vieques, Puerto Rico". Mother Jones http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086463/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 12:02:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083533/posts Report: Top U.S. Military Officer in Pakistan on Unannounced Visit With Senior Leaders ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A top U.S. military officer has flown to Pakistan for an unannounced visit with senior leaders amid Pakistani orders to fire on U.S. troops conducting cross-border raids from Afghanistan... The Pakistan's military ordered its forces Tuesday to take the offensive if U.S. troops launch another air or ground raid across the Afghan border, an army spokesman said Tuesday... Fox http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083533/posts#comment Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:56:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081752/posts I'm having trouble finding facts on whether during the Clinton Administration the military and intelligence agencies were subject to spending cuts. I've often heard this and was wanting to know whether it is correct. Any help would be appreciated, thank you. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081752/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 20:13:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081317/posts The US military conducted another airstrike inside Pakistan's lawless tribal agencies. The target of the strike was an al Qaeda-linked group called Al Badar, which is run by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Unmanned Predator aircraft launched several missiles in the early morning at a target in the village of Tol Khel on the outskirts of Miramshah, the administrative seat of North Waziristan. Twelve members of Al Badar (or Al Badr) were reported killed and 14 were reported wounded in the attack, according to AFP. Al Badar is a Kashmiri terrorist group supported by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. The group "is reported to have training... longwarjournal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081317/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 01:57:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080407/posts When it comes to the demographics of the U.S. military, conventional wisdom alleges the armed forces are a magnet for poorly educated and disadvantaged minorities who enter the service because they lack better options. However, a new Heritage Foundation report debunks those assumptions. According to the study's findings, 95 percent of military officers earned at least a bachelor's degree and more than 98 percent of enlisted members have obtained a high-school degree—numbers far greater than their civilian peers. The report also found that minorities are not overrepresented in the military, with officers and enlisted troops more likely to come from... WORLD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080407/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:42:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076063/posts The US military provided combat training to 80 Georgian special forces commandos only months prior to Georgia's army assault in South Ossetia in August. The revelation, based on recruitment documents and interviews with US military trainers obtained by the Financial Times, could add fuel to accusations by Vladimir Putin, Russian prime minister, last month that the US had "orchestrated" the war in the Georgian enclave. The training was provided by senior US soldiers and two military contractors. There is no evidence that the contractors or the Pentagon, which hired them, knew that the commandos they were training were likely be... Financial Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2076063/posts#comment Sat, 6 Sep 2008 15:42:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072831/posts The Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD, has called off an operation aimed at infiltrating and sabotaging Iran's weapons industry due to an assessment that a US attack on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program is imminent, according to a report in the country's De Telegraaf newspaper on Friday. The report claimed that the Dutch operation had been "extremely successful," and had been stopped because the US military was planning to hit targets that were "connected with the Dutch espionage action." The impending air-strike on Iran was to be carried out by unmanned aircraft "within weeks," the report claimed, quoting "well placed"... The Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072831/posts#comment Tue, 2 Sep 2008 08:22:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071425/posts Army Deploys 'Experience Center' The high-tech launch in a Philadelphia mall features giant TV screens, helicopter simulators and a cafe Aug 29, 2008 -By Andrew McMains   NEW YORK The U.S. Army today opened an "Army Experience Center" in a major mall in Philadelphia with the goal of explaining how the modern Army operates and becoming a hub for community outreach programs. But unlike recruitment centers in office complexes, the center is surrounded by retail stores and designed to look hip and modern, with giant plasma screen televisions, brushed stainless steel fixtures, interactive displays, helicopter and Humvee simulators, a gaming... Adweek, various others http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071425/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 21:06:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067347/posts After a century of green uniforms, the last one is being retired from the U.S. Army. The new "Class A" uniform, as of August 21st, 2008, will be the current blue "Dress Uniform.". By 2010, troops graduating from basic training will be issued the "dress blues" as their "Class A" uniform. The "Class B" uniform will be the dress blue trousers and a white shirt with decorations (ribbons, combat badge and so on). For both enlisted and officers, rank will be worn on epaulets. The new uniform "system" is similar to the one the U.S. Marine Corps has been wearing... Strategy Page http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2067347/posts#comment Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:26:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065960/posts At a town-hall event in New Mexico today, John McCain was asked about veterans' care, but the questioner added a provocative point at the end of her question. Take a look: (YouTube link) For those of you who can't watch clips online, a woman in the audience told the presumptive Republican nominee, "Senator McCain I truly hope you get the opportunity to chase Bin Laden right to the gates of hell and push him in as you stated on your forum. I do have a question though. Disabled veterans, especially in this state, have horrible conditions... I think it is... The Carpetbagger Report http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2065960/posts#comment Fri, 22 Aug 2008 03:20:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063187/posts On January 8th of 2003, Congressman Charles Rangel [D—NY] began an extensive campaign to bring back the military draft. He repeatedly submitted legislative bills to begin a military draft and compel all American men and women up to the age of forty—two to serve two years of military service. Under the Republican—controlled Congress, such bills went down to defeat. One of the few notable supporters of the draft was Congressman John Murtha [D—PA]. Congressman Murtha reportedly is preparing to campaign to take over the highly influential position of House Majority Leader. Congressman Rangel is set to take over the House... American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2063187/posts#comment Sun, 17 Aug 2008 06:21:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062064/posts TBILISI, Georgia, Aug. 14, 2008 – A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III transport jet departed Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and landed at Tbilisi International Airport here yesterday, delivering $1 million in humanitarian aid to reduce the suffering of the people of the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Air Force Staff Sgt. Chris Broegemueller, assigned to the 86th Airlift Wing's Contingency Response Group at Sembach Air Base, Germany, helps to push out the first of 16 pallets aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III in Tbilisi, Georgia, Aug. 13, 2008. The humanitarian assistance delivery consisted of $1 million... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2062064/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 23:26:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061713/posts AMERICA'S George Bush delivered a stark warning to Russia this week that led Russia to begin to pull back its forces in Georgia. Mr Bush sent his secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, to Georgia and told his defence secretary, Robert Gates, to organise a humanitarian-aid operation. The first American military aircraft landed at Tbilisi airport on Thursday August 14th. This conflict is about more than the two separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, or displacing Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s hot-headed president. It is about Russia, resurgent and nationalistic, pushing its way back into the Caucasus and chasing others out, and... The Economist http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061713/posts#comment Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:09:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061342/posts President George W. Bush announced the dispatch of a U.S. military aircraft carrying medical supplies to the Georgian capital of Tblisi on Wednesday morning, warning Russia that he expected it to be allowed to deliver its aid by air and sea. The statement, with its echoes of the 1961 Berlin airlift, upped tensions between the two former Cold War adversaries. The day after Russia agreed to a French-brokered cease-fire, Russian troops followed by irregular fighters pushed deep into Georgia, aiming to seize the strategic city of Gori and cutting the main highway that crosses the country to the capital Tbilisi.... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061342/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:56:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061339/posts President Bush dispatched US military hardware to the heart of the Caucasus today and warned Russia that it could be frozen out of international bodies as punishment for its aggression in Georgia. In his toughest criticism of Russia since becoming President, Mr Bush accused Moscow of breaching the provisional ceasefire agreed with Georgia just 24 hours earlier. He cited intelligence showing that Russian troops had again taken the town of Gori and could now divide the country and threaten the capital Tbilisi. He insisted that Moscow respect the former Soviet republic’s territorial integrity. There were also reports of Russian-backed militia... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061339/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:55:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061206/posts With the DNC platform supporting gays serving openly in the military, the question arises, can we afford it? Logically, the number of gays would increase in the military if they could serve openly. With that comes the greater opportunity for AIDS/HIV. Are we prepared to classify AIDS/HIV as a service-related disability and provide a lifetime of treatment for practicing unsafe sex? No doubt, the homosexual lobby will reiterate the lie that AIDS?HIV is not just a gay disease, but anyone with an ounce of sense knows how it is primarily spread. What abour housing for gay couples, the officers and... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061206/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:33:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061302/posts Mideast edition, Thursday, August 14, 2008 ARLINGTON, Va. — President Bush has ordered the U.S. military to begin a humanitarian mission in Georgia. "This mission will be vigorous and ongoing," Bush said Wednesday at the White House, adding that a U.S. C-17 aircraft with humanitarian supplies was on its way to Georgia. Russian troops and tanks invaded the country last week in response to a Georgian offensive intended to retake the breakaway province of South Ossetia. The Russian president later ordered Russian forces to halt their drive into Georgia, but it was unclear Wednesday whether Russian troops had moved further... Stars and Stripes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061302/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 19:03:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061298/posts President Bush has directed the U.S. military to lead a humanitarian mission to Georgia where tens of thousands have been forced out of their homes following a Russian invasion last week that has been described by Georgia's president as an "ethnic cleansing." A U.S. C-17 aircraft with humanitarian supplies already has arrived in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi and another C-17 will arrive there Thursday with additional medical and humanitarian aid, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said after the president's announcement. Speaking from the White House Rose Garden with Defense Secretary Bob Gates and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Bush... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061298/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 18:52:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061239/posts U.S. to take control of Georgian ports: Saakashvili Wed Aug 13, 2008 1:07pm EDT TBILISI (Reuters) - President George W. Bush's pledge to send aid to Georgia means that the U.S. military will take control of the ex-Soviet state's ports and airports, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Wednesday. Reuters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2061239/posts#comment Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:15:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060288/posts Bush administration officials, worried by what they saw as a series of provocative Russian actions, repeatedly warned Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili to avoid giving the Kremlin an excuse to intervene in his country militarily, U.S. officials said Monday. But in the end, the warnings failed to stop the Georgian president — a Bush favorite — from launching an attack last week that on Monday seemed likely to end not only in his country’s military humiliation but complete occupation by Russian forces. SNIP Pentagon officials said that despite having 130 trainers assigned to Georgia, they had no advance notice of Georgia’s... McClatchy http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060288/posts#comment Tue, 12 Aug 2008 02:17:08 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060177/posts The US military was surprised by the timing and swiftness of the Russian military's move into South Ossetia and is still trying to sort out what happened, a US defense official said Monday. Russian forces surged into the breakaway region last week after weeks of clashes, threats and warnings between Tblisi and Moscow which culminated August 6 in a two-day Georgian offensive into South Ossetia. That the two countries were on a collision course was no surprise to anyone, but the devastating Russian response was not expected, officials said. "We were tracking it earlier in that week and we knew... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2060177/posts#comment Mon, 11 Aug 2008 22:49:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059560/posts US begins flying Georgian troops home from Iraq By KIM GAMEL BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military began flying 2,000 Georgian troops home from Iraq on Sunday, military officials said, after the Georgians recalled the soldiers following the outbreak of fighting with Russia in the breakaway province of South Ossetia. The decision was a timely payback for the former Soviet republic that has been a staunch U.S. supporter and agreed to send troops to Iraq as part of the U.S.-led coalition. Georgia was the third-largest contributor of coalition forces after the U.S. and Britain, and most of its troops were... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2059560/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:35:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2059473/posts 'So, let me get this straight,' Graham the co-pilot says over the intercom. 'We're up here getting shot at. We have some guy on board who has spent a morning trying to kill US soldiers, whose very desire is to die in battle. We are spending $4,000 per hour per bird. We're shipping his ass to Bagram to give him the best medical care available in Afghanistan.' He pauses for effect. 'Just so he can get better and come after us all over again.' Another pause. 'Everyone OK with that?' The dailymail.co.uk/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2059473/posts#comment Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:59:09 GMT