http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/war/ en-us Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:59:39 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2075572/posts How has Moslem opinion and support of Terrorism changed since the WOT began? I ask this question because I think it has the greatest bearing on whether we are winning or not. Let me explain, I remember Rumsfeld saying at the beginning of the war in Iraq that we needed better metrics in order to find a better strategy in Iraq, which we were losing at the time, he never did find them. It was eventually Gen. Petreus that developed the winning strategy, but a strategy that’s working in one theater of the War, doesn’t answer the real question of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2075572/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 20:59:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075276/posts ANKARA -- At the moment, 60 percent of Turkey's natural gas and about half of its crude oil demand are supplied by Russia. The report said that any possible disturbance in crude oil needs to be supplied from other countries and the international spot market, however, a similar solution for a natural gas crisis is not available. Turkey has threatened to retaliate against new Russian import controls that are seen as an attempt to punish Turkey for allowing U.S. warships carrying aid to Georgia to pass through the Turkish straits, which connect the Mediterranean to the Black Sea. Experts do... Xinhua News Agency http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075276/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 13:52:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075032/posts Washington, D.C. - At a conference in Washington, D.C., this week, a Department of Defense official sounded a startling alarm. "The defense community is critically reliant on a technology that obsoletes itself every 18 months, is made in unsecure locations and over which we have absolutely no market share influence," said Ted J. Glum, director of the DoD's Defense Microelectronics Activity unit. "Other than that," he cracked, "we're good." Forbes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075032/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 01:27:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074974/posts n injured paratrooper flown home from Afghanistan had to sleep in his car overnight after a hotel refused him a room because he was a serving soldier. Corporal Tomos Stringer, 23, had booked to stay at the Metro Hotel, in Woking, Surrey, while helping organise the funeral of a friend killed in action. On arrival, reception desk staff asked him for identification and he handed them his military pass. Corporal Stringer, who was not dressed in uniform at the time, was astonished when they turned him away, claiming it was not company policy to allow Armed Forces personnel to stay... daily mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2074974/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 00:09:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073958/posts An escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels in Mexico is spreading into the United States with federal officials warning that deadly shootouts and ambushes along the southwestern border pose a serious threat to both U.S. law enforcement and American citizens, according to a confidential multi-agency government report. The Aug. 29 report predicts a rise in the use of "deadly force" against U.S. police officials, first responders and residents along the border, and further spillage of drug-gang violence deeper into the United States. Written by the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (AcTIC) and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073958/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 19:22:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073659/posts Christopher S. Smith, a U.S. Army veteran who was injured in Afghanistan in 2006, died unexpectedly Thursday, Aug. 28, and will be buried with full military honors. Visitation will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2 at the Belton-Stroup Funeral Home, 422 E. Dayton-Yellow Springs Road in Fairborn. The funeral service will be there at 10 a.m. Wednesday, with burial in Byron Cemetery. Dayton Daily News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073659/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 12:58:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073473/posts TBILISI, Georgia — Just weeks after Georgia’s military collapsed in panic in the face of the Russian Army, its leaders hope to rebuild and train its armed forces as if another war with Russia is almost inevitable. Georgia is already drawing up lists of options, including restoring the military to its prewar strength or making it a much larger force with more modern equipment, like air-defense systems, modern antiarmor rockets and night-vision devices. Officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House confirmed that the Bush administration was examining what would be required to rebuild Georgia’s military, but stressed that... New York Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2073473/posts#comment Wed, 3 Sep 2008 03:02:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071879/posts [Excerpt]....“So fast forward to early August. You have a town, Tskhinvali, which is Ossetian, and a bunch of Georgian villages surrounding it in a crescent shape. There are peacekeepers there. Both Russian peacekeepers and Georgian peacekeepers under a 1994 accord. The Ossetians were dug in in the town, and the Georgians were in the forests and the fields between the town and the villages. The Ossetians start provoking and provoking and provoking by shelling Georgian positions and Georgian villages around there. And it's a classic tit for tat thing. You shell, I shell back. The Georgians offered repeated ceasefires, which... michaeltotten.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071879/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:31:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071809/posts MOSCOW, August 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's Black Sea Fleet is capable of destroying NATO's naval strike group currently deployed in the sea within 20 minutes, a former fleet commander said on Friday. Russia's General Staff said on Tuesday there were 10 NATO ships in the Black Sea - three U.S. warships, the Polish frigate General Pulaski, the German frigate FGS Lubeck, and the Spanish guided missile frigate Admiral Juan de Borbon, as well as four Turkish vessels. Eight more warships are expected to join the group. "Despite the apparent strength, the NATO naval group in the Black Sea is... RIA Novosti http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071809/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:17:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071415/posts Tony Halpin in Moscow The Kremlin moved swiftly to tighten its grip on Georgia’s breakaway regions yesterday as South Ossetia announced that it would soon become part of Russia, which will open military bases in the province under an agreement to be signed on Tuesday. Tarzan Kokoity, the province’s Deputy Speaker of parliament, announced that South Ossetia would be absorbed into Russia soon so that its people could live in “one united Russian state” with their ethnic kin in North Ossetia. Timesonline UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071415/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 20:46:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071376/posts Spiegel: OSCE observers fault Georgians in conflict Europe News Aug 30, 2008, 9:52 GMT Hamburg - European observers have faulted Georgia in this month's Caucasus conflict, saying it made elaborate plans to seize South Ossetia, according to the German news magazine Der Spiegel on Saturday. In a report to appear in its Monday edition, it said officials of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) had said acts by the Georgian government had contributed to the outbreak of the crisis with Russia. Spiegel said OSCE military observers in the Caucasus had described preparations by Georgia to move into... M&C http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071376/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:40:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2071250/posts Some how, the Old Media has missed the good news on Iraq. On August 27, the Rasmussen polling organization published a poll that showed American confidence is at its highest level ever in support of the War on Terror since they've begun tracking in January of 2004. This poll got little notice by the Old Media, of course, but it illustrates an issue that McCain should exploit to his benefit -- especially after Obama's acceptance speech last night. Rasmussen found that Fifty-four percent of American voters now think that the U.S. is winning the war in Iraq and forty-eight percent... publiusforum.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2071250/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:41:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071134/posts "The 'entente cordiale' did not work," Russia's NATO ambassador Dmitry Rogozin has said, referring to accords between Britain and France signed in the early 20th century that put a line under centuries of hostility and conflict. "Relations should now be pragmatic," he said. "The good performance of our army in Ossetia has already impressed our partners," he added. "We should do everything to uphold this impression and end once and forever any temptation by our partners to resolve any problems by force.." reuteurs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071134/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:37:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071128/posts Major Malkhaz Dumbatze was in a celebratory mood. His 14 Georgian tanks had just taken control of the rebel South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali, and he was already looking forward to a trip to Israel to study new battle command systems. The jets flying over the city, where his men were mopping up Ossetian snipers, he took to be Georgian fighters. Major Dumbatze is still going to Israel, but now it is to have reconstruction surgery on his legs. The aircraft he had spotted were in fact Russian, and one of them dropped two bombs on his armoured unit. Speaking with... times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071128/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 12:24:23 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071101/posts The Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA) released date on deployment of the Russian military on various locations on the Georgian territory as of August 27. “All locations and numbers given here are double-checked,” the ministry said. “MIA could not verify all information available and the actual number of both Russian military equipment and personnel on the ground may be much higher.” Below is the data as provided by the Georgian MIA: Locations of the Russian illegal check-points in the Eastern Georgia, including Shida Kartli, other adjacent areas of “South Ossetia” and “South Ossetia” itself according to the MIA sources... Civil.ge http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071101/posts#comment Sat, 30 Aug 2008 10:43:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070411/posts Part II of the leadership comparison of McCain and Obama How much of the President of the United States’ job has been in the capacity of Commander in Chief? To start—but in no way to finish—answering this question, consider this (difficult) picture: Wars of the USA This charts all major military activity of the USA since its birth in 1776. Only wars and conflicts of importance are included; that is, not every use of military force if plotted. For example, Commodore Perry’s mission to Japan, while vastly influential, is not included. The Boxer Rebellion, because it directly used a minimal... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070411/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 10:51:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070204/posts Russian-backed paramilitaries are “ethnically cleansing” villages on Georgian soil, refugees and officials told The Times yesterday. South Ossetian militiamen have torched houses, beaten elderly people and even murdered civilians in the lawless buffer zone set up by the Russian Army just north of Gori. The violence, close to the border with the breakaway republic recognised by Russia this week as independent, has prompted a new wave of refugees into Gori, 40 miles north of Tbilisi. People who had started to return to their villages in the area are now fleeing for a second time, joined by many elderly people who... The Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070204/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:06:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069801/posts Both sides had an interest in escalating the conflict, say political analysts. Russia wanted to show that Mikheil Saakashvili, Georgia’s president, was an irresponsible firebrand who could not be trusted with the responsibilities of Nato membership. Georgia, meanwhile, wanted to paint Russia as the imperial aggressor it has traditionally been in the Caucasus, which would have strengthened Tbilisi’s case for Nato membership. Each can be seen to have acted swiftly, with a great deal of preparation, later trying to make their behaviour appear spontaneous. Mr Saakashvili, despite repeated denials, clearly drew first. But Russia was not far behind, indicating that... FT.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069801/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:29:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069637/posts TSKHINVALI, Georgia (AP) — The interior minister of the separatist-held region of South Ossetia says his forces have shot down an unmanned Georgian spy plane. Mikhail Mindzayev said the drone was shot down over South Ossetia on Thursday by local forces. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069637/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 09:02:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069878/posts 'Anybody who thinks that Moscow didn't plan this invasion, that we in Georgia caused it gratuitously, is severely mistaken," President Mikheil Saakashvili told me during a late night chat in Georgia's presidential palace this weekend. "Our decision to engage was made in the last second as the Russian tanks were rolling -- we had no choice," Mr. Saakashvili explained. "We took the initiative just to buy some time. We knew we were not going to win against the Russian army, but we had to do something to defend ourselves." I had just returned from Gori, which was still under the... Wall Street Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069878/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:02:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069779/posts Moscow has issued an extraordinary warning to the West that military assistance to Georgia for use against South Ossetia or Abkhazia would be viewed as a "declaration of war" by Russia. The extreme rhetoric from the Kremlin's envoy to NATO came as President Dmitry Medvedev stressed he will make a military response to US missile defence installations in eastern Europe, sending new shudders across countries whose people were once blighted by the Iron Curtain. And Moscow also emphasised it was closely monitoring what it claims is a build-up of NATO firepower in the Black Sea. Enlarge Russian President Dmitry Medvedev... thisislondon | Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069779/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:08:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069362/posts The army is about to undergo its biggest organisational shake-up in 35 years as it prepares for a future in which there will be less emphasis on killing people. New Chief of Army, Lieutenant-General Ken Gillespie, has outlined a series of changes to higher command under the ''Adaptive Army'' initiative. He said the army had too many headquarters between units and high command. ''This slows down decision cycles, constricts the passage of information in an age of email and Blackberries, and the sharing of lessons learned,'' he said. General Gillespie said the past decade's high tempo of operations had shown... Canberra Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069362/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:55:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069214/posts Russian-backed paramilitaries are ethnically cleansing villages inside a buffer zone within Georgia, refugees from the area and officials in the nearby town of Gori told The Times today. The South Ossetian militiamen have torched houses, beaten elderly people and even murdered civilians in the lawless zone just north of Gori, set up by the Russian army, close to the border with the breakaway republic whose independence Russia recognised this week, locals said. The violence has triggered a new wave of refugees into Gori, 40 miles north of Tblisi. People who had started to return to their villages in the area... Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069214/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:14:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069290/posts Military help for Georgia is a 'declaration of war', says Moscow in extraordinary warning to the West Last updated at 16:47pm on 27.08.08 Moscow has issued an extraordinary warning to the West that military assistance to Georgia for use against South Ossetia or Abkhazia would be viewed as a "declaration of war" by Russia. The extreme rhetoric from the Kremlin's envoy to NATO came as President Dmitry Medvedev stressed he will make a military response to US missile defence installations in eastern Europe, sending new shudders across countries whose people were once blighted by the Iron Curtain. And Moscow also... thisislondon.co.uk http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069290/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 19:56:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068924/posts PARIS (AP) — French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner on Wednesday accused Russia of breaking international law by recognizing the independence of the Georgian territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Kouchner also warned in an interview with Europe 1 radio of signs of ethnic cleansing by Russian forces in South Ossetia. (snip) Asked about his own earlier comments warning of a risk of ethnic cleansing by Russian forces in the territories, Kouchner responded: "I hope that didn't happen overnight. But there has already been evidence that the armies are pushing away the Ossetians who favored Georgia, and in a certain way,... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068924/posts#comment Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:49:59 GMT