News
News items that can be found in the G-2, Watch Center &
Back Channel sections of Military
Rift in the Taliban
There are some serious internal rifts in the Taliban as well as tensions between the Taliban and al Qaeda. At the center of all this is Taliban supreme leader Mullah Omar who desperately wants to regain power in Afghanistan. This may be one reason why some Pakistani Taliban leaders have signed truces with the Pakistani government so they can focus their attention on Afghanistan. Al Qaeda, however, has larger ambitions and would like to leverage the Taliban’s influence with the Pushtun tribes on both sides of the border to further the jihad in Pakistan.
Last gasp?
Osama bin Laden has joined in to support the Palestinian cause as evidenced in an audiotape urging al Qaeda members and supporters to shift their efforts to Palestine. While al Qaeda has admitted defeat in Iraq, it has encountered stiff opposition in Afghanistan and now Pakistan, and operations aren’t going very well in North Africa either. That just leaves the Palestine-Israel conflict as a place to seek refuge and fight another day.
Media returns to Mogadishu
Things have calmed down enough in Mogadishu in the last year for various local broadcasters and foreign reporters to resume operations; however, this has led to more attacks on journalists who fail to understand the hostile environment they are working in. Somalia is full of guys with guns and warlords who are easily offended and these angry warlords tend to kill or severely injure people who offend them.
Media dereliction of duty
The point of a free press is not to protect the powerful from the people but rather to protect the people from the powerful.
Lacks any experience
Senator Barack Obama, nearing the halfway point of his first term in the Senate, has done nothing but run for President since his arrival in Washington. Previously he served as an Illinois state legislator.
Precautionary measure
The Second Amendment to the Constitution is in place just in case the politicians ignore the other amendments.
Hanoi Taxi retired
The U.S. Air Force’s C-141 (tail #66-0177) known as the Hanoi Taxi after flying 100 POWs out of Hanoi on 12 February 1973, was retired from active service in May 2006. During the POWs flight of freedom, the men wrote the date they were shot down and taken prisoner on the face of the oxygen panel of the aircraft. Some of the POWs she brought home were present for the plane’s retirement ceremony and took the last flight aboard the Hanoi Taxi. Following the ceremony she was flown to Dayton, Ohio, to spend her final years in the Air Force Museum. She was the last of the 285 C-141s built by Lockheed to be retired from active service.
Adapt and overcome
The UN has agreed to more economic sanctions for Iran, which is not enough to really hurt them. So far the imposed sanctions have only caused Iran to spend more time and money to buy foreign goods. The Iranian government has been smuggling in sanctioned military hardware for over two decades and this gradual approach by the UN just gives the Iranians enough time to adapt.
Targeted assassinations
The Taliban in Afghanistan are putting more effort into targeted assassinations, as these Islamic terrorists want to kill government and tribal officials who are working out peace and reconstruction deals. While the Taliban does have some popular support, it is only from a minority in the southern Afghan regions where the Islamic terrorists operate.
Hippie Hillary
Having served just a little more than one term as a junior senator, Hillary claims to have the most extensive legislative record among the potential democrat nominees. However, she has no record of any significant legislative accomplishments other than her latest request to Congress for $1 million for a museum to commemorate Woodstock.
The thriving evil
Evil thrives only in the absence of strength and resolve.
The downhill spiral
Conditions in North Korea are becoming more chaotic as the secret police become more brutal in their attempt to bring corrupt local officials back under the control of the central government. Public executions of these corrupt officials have been reported, as well as people fleeing into the hills to escape the chaos and random violence. Most provinces, factories and collective farms remain stable, but the corruption and decline of discipline continues to spread. It’s worse along the Chinese border where there are more economic opportunities in China, but the spreading chaos is showing up all over. No one can predict when or if the entire country will collapse into chaos, but the lack of order is being seen throughout parts of the hermit kingdom.
Combat driving school
The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have set up combat driving schools to instruct troops on how to handle Hummers and armored vehicles under combat conditions. In the past, military drivers were taught to proceed in a disciplined manner when under fire; now, with the reality of Iraq and Afghanistan, a new form of combat driving quickly developed. Speed and agility are now paramount to avoid ambushes and roadside bombs, leading to an increase in vehicle accidents, resulting in the need for combat driving school. The downside is that combat driving skills acquired in Iraq and Afghanistan often translate into higher accident rates once the troops returned home, necessitating constant reminders of about how unsafe it is to drive personal SUVs or motorcycles the same way a Hummer was driven in Iraq.
Hillary
Hillary Clinton has the poise of a rattlesnake.
Disgruntled NATO members
NATO member nations are becoming less diplomatic over disagreements of who should do what in Afghanistan. The Canadian government threatens to pull its troops out of the country unless other member nations like Germany commit combat troops. Meanwhile, the Canadian troops refuse to turn prisoners over to Afghan police because the Afghans’ harsh interrogation methods do not meet Canadian “standards.”
The rising dragon
While China is still a minor player in the world of high tech military hardware, the government is pouring lots of money and effort to change this. Expensive and long-term efforts are being made to produce high tech items like jet engines, missiles, and military electronics. At the current rate of progress Chinese military technology will match and likely surpass that of the U.S. in a decade or so.
Stay strong or perish
America has to stay strong or it will cease to exist.
It’s all about the oil
To protest a South Korean deal to develop oil fields for the Kurdish government in northern Iraq, the Iraqi government cut oil shipments to South Korea. The Kurds are determined to move forward with the development of oil deposits in the area they control because the Iraqi Arabs in the south are not capable of stopping them. However, in another four to five years, the Iraqi Arabs will have built up an armed force capable of making the Kurds obey, thereby repeating a pattern that has persisted for over a thousand years.
Doing something
“No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” — Edmund Burke
Freedom to die
The government-run health care system being touted by Hillary and the liberal left will deny treatment to the old and those whom the government decides have unhealthy lifestyles.
Lunatic dictator
Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez has begun a propaganda campaign to convince his citizens, and as many foreigners as possible, that Colombia and the U.S. are conspiring to invade and overthrow him.
Making a difference
The U.S. Army has achieved an extraordinary feat despite the doom-and-gloom media by sustaining its strength in a long war using only volunteers. The main reason for this success is the willingness of soldiers already in uniform to stay, and because reenlistments have been higher than before the war on terror began in late 2001. The invasion of Iraq resulted in even higher reenlistment rates; there is patriotism and a feeling that wartime service is making a difference. Most of the troops have been to Iraq or Afghanistan more than once and they can see for themselves what’s going on and believe in it.
Get out and vote!
“A citizen of America will cross and ocean to fight for democracy but won’t cross the street to vote in a national election.” — Bill Vaughan, columnist and author
USAID official murdered
Two U.S. security experts were sent to Sudan to review the U.S. embassy security following the murders of USAID official John Granville and his Sudanese driver on January 1. The murder is under investigation.
Flexing their muscles
In January, long-range Russian bombers flew down along the Norwegian coast to carry out military exercises off the coasts of France and Spain where cruise missiles were fired at imaginary targets. At the same time, a Russian naval squadron led by an aircraft carrier held exercises in the Mediterranean Sea. These are largely just PR exercises as there is no practical reason for Russian warships to prowl the Mediterranean or for Russian bombers to fire missiles in the Bay of Biscay. Apparently it’s all for show to demonstrate Russian military power to those who don’t understand it.
China plans for war
While the details of Chinese military plans are secret, the general strategy isn’t. The weapons, equipment and techniques its military uses, and discusses in professional journals, makes it clear just how the Chinese plan to fight U.S. forces in the next war. Many Chinese military experts describe the U.S. as China’s principal foe and that some kind of conflict is inevitable. The Chinese military doesn’t plan to destroy U.S. forces, instead through attacks via the Internet and electronic warfare the Chinese will disrupt them. The Chinese have also developed insights into the details of how the U.S. Armed Forces operate and will adapt their tactics to exploit any U.S. weaknesses.
No more parts
The U.S. government has forbidden the sale of any F-14 aircraft components to prevent Iran from getting any parts to keep its dwindling fleet of F-14s operational. Now all surplus F-14s and their spare parts must be destroyed.
Port of call open again
The long popular U.S. Navy port of call in Hong Kong is now open again, at least as far as the U.S. Navy is concerned. On 28 January the USS Blue Ridge (LCC-19) visited Hong Kong and its crew of 700 sailors was allowed to go ashore for some R&R. The port of Hong Kong had been closed to U.S. Navy vessels since November 2007, with no explanation given by the Chinese government for closing the port to U.S. Navy ships.
Double-dealing
The North Korean government refuses to completely dismantle their Yongbyon nuclear reactor and insist on leaving some of the structure intact; in addition, they refuse to surrender any unused nuclear fuel. This sort of double-dealing is typical with the North Korean leadership. The South Koreans have grown tired of it and, in response, have increased their defense budget by 9%.
As the killing continues
The schedule for fully deploying the UN-AU hybrid peacekeeping force into Sudan’s Darfur region continues to slip by. The UN now believes that it will take the better part of a year before the mission is fully deployed. The most pressing equipment shortage is the lack of a sufficient number of helicopters to transport peacekeepers, which means that the Sudanese government will continue its program of driving the non-Arab Sudanese tribes from the region.
Nuclear fuel delivered
Abiding by its agreement, Russia delivered 80 tons of nuclear fuel for Iran’s first nuclear power plant: enriched uranium, but not a high enough grade for nuclear weapons. This delivery of nuclear fuel makes it unnecessary for Iran to continue its uranium enriching program, however, Iran will continue to do so despite the suspicion that the uranium is being enriched for its use in nuclear weapons.
A rise in criticism
Because of the sad state of Iran’s economy, the Iranian people are criticizing Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad more often and more savagely. Ahmadinejad was elected based on his promise to deal with the economy — a task he has failed at — but his only concern has been to wipe Israel from the map. Inflation is at 19% and the Islamic religious leaders, who control the economy, couldn’t care less as long as they remain in power.
Conservatism vs. liberalism
If we don’t stand for the integrity of conservatism then liberalism will destroy this country.
Political expediency
“A political party cannot be all things to all people. It must represent certain fundamental beliefs, which must not be compromised to political expediency or simply to swell its numbers.” — Ronald Regan, at the Political Action Conference, February 15, 1975
Kurds call for punishment
Iraqi Kurds have called on the Iraqi government and other international agencies to punish businesses that aided Saddam’s regime in acquiring and making chemical weapons that were used in the late 1980s on Kurdish villages during the Iraqi military’s Operation Anfal.
Bearing the burden
U.S. government and Pentagon officials are complaining that NATO member countries are being sent to Afghanistan unequipped for combat. For example, there is a need for more air reconnaissance but few NATO countries have UAVs or recon aircraft. It is not popular in European countries to have any soldiers killed in Afghanistan; neither is spending the money to send them there in the first place. Even more unpopular is the expense of training and equipping these troops for combat-type operations and many NATO member nations like Germany do as little as they can get by with in Afghanistan. This is quite infuriating to the countries that have soldiers bearing the entire burden of combat while other troops are forced to sit on their hands because of political-correctness back home.
Abiding by treaty
The U.S. government confirmed that it would abide by the 2002 arms control treaty negotiated and signed with Russia by reducing its nuclear warhead arsenal from 6,000 to fewer than 2,200 by 2012. The Russians are reducing their nuclear arsenal as well.
Power shift to China
“I’m not looking for a worldwide recession. I’m looking for a significant shift of power and influence away from the U.S. in particular and a shift in favor of the developing world, particularly China.” — Billionaire and anti-American leftist George Soros during an interview with the BBC at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland
Worth fighting for
It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honors that we are fighting, but for freedom — for that alone, which no good man gives up but with life itself.” — Declaration of Arbroath, Scotland, 1320
Digging a deeper hole
U.S. soldiers in Iraq know the war has become less of a military conflict and more of a political football, but they wish the politicians would not blame those who are actually doing the fighting. The troops were particularly incensed at how, last fall, the Democrats proclaimed the war lost while the soldiers and marines were winning it. The media is going to have a very hard time, in the long term, regaining any credibility and trust among the men and women who have fought in this war. The anti-war media has dug a deep hole and it won’t be easy for them to climb out.
Shifting to Afghanistan
While the Iranian government has curtailed its support for anti-American terrorism in Iraq, it has focused its attention on support for the Taliban on both sides of the Afghan and Pakistani border. It appears as though the Iranian government radicals have accepted their defeat in Iraq but still believe the Taliban has a shot at retaking Afghanistan. Back in Iran, however, this support is not popular. Shia Iranians remember the years of Taliban propaganda that simply reminded them of the widespread atrocities the Taliban inflicted on the Shia Afghans.
The all-nuclear Navy
The U.S. Navy’s decision to equip its next class of cruisers with nuclear power was driven mainly by the rising cost of oil. Equipping a warship with a nuclear power plant increases the cost by about $800 million but, with the expected rise of oil prices, the additional cost of a nuclear power plant is expected to pay for itself over the 30-year life span of a warship.
The bear returns
It appears as though the secret police in Russia have retaken control of the country as President Putin, a former KGB officer and former head of the post-Soviet Union FSB, has brought in hundreds of former KGB agents and placed them in key positions throughout the government. Putin has gained control of the legislature through his political party and has backed a presidential candidate who likes the idea of appointing Putin as prime minister who, as such, will handle all the day-to-day work of running the country.
Voter ignorance
“The ignorance of one voter in a democracy impairs the security of all.” — John F. Kennedy
Defending freedom
“If we do not defend our freedom, no one will.” — Thomas Powell
Wary of journalists
One story the U.S. media won’t touch is the impact of inaccurate and biased war reporting on the troops. Unlike wars in the past, thanks to web access and e-mail, the troops are able to keep up with the news back home and the inaccurate and often hateful reporting on the military reaches the troops much more quickly. Aside from creating several million troops and veterans who no longer trust the mainstream media, the Internet has made journalists’ jobs much more difficult. New journalists now have come to expect that whatever inaccurate military reporting they have done in the past will be quickly discovered by any troops they now interview, because you can’t hide from Internet search engines.
Lying politicians
“A voter quickly forgets what a man says.” — Richard M. Nixon
Evading reality
“You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” — Abraham Lincoln
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