Want to know how to set up camp in hostile territory? The Army’s Field Manual (FM) 3-05.230, Special Forces Tactical Facilities, is now on-line. It goes into a fair amount of detail about how the Special Forces troops establish outposts, and makes for fascinating reading. It deals with everything from calling in close air support, to …
Troops
Death in 11 Seconds: When Headlights Become Stars
You can fly the nation’s hottest warplanes flawlessly for 1,462.6 hours. But modern warfare is unforgiving. So in your final 11 seconds of flight, and life – when night and dust storms blind you, turn headlights into stars, and …
Goldilocking the “Insider Threat”
Make no mistake about it: when Afghan “insiders” turn their weapons on their U.S. and coalition allies and kill them, most either escape or are killed in the act. So gleaning intelligence about motivation can be tough. Forty …
Of Blowouts and Beards…
Probably makes sense that the military judge overseeing the court proceedings against five alleged terrorists – including purported 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed – put them on hold Thursday as tropical storm – and …
The Country Whose Name Dare Not Be Spoken
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta spoke to the sailors of the carrier USS John C. Stennis on Wednesday in Bremerton, Wash. He lauded their their service, but warned of the threats still out there:
We have threats of nuclear
…
The Hidden (High) Cost of War
It’s always surprising to discover the costs of war that you incur…after the war.
It seems Fort Drum, the Army post just outside Watertown, N.Y., has an “urgent requirement” for extra mental-health care.
That should …
Crisis Intervention Teams For Vets: Sure Beats Jail
Las Vegas — About 2.5 million troops have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That’s a lot of people who have seen war up close and personal. It can affect some of them adversely when they come back home. That’s why …
Military Affirming College Affirmative Action
Why It’s Time to Leave
One of the three Marine special operations personnel killed in Helmand Province by an Afghan police commander on August 9th was a friend of a close friend of mine.
“I don’t even know what to think about this,” was his gut …
No “Green-On-Blue” Blues Here
Amid “green-on-blue” attacks, it’s plain to see from this video from the Pakistan-bordering Kunar province in eastern Afghanistan that U.S. Army troops don’t have the blues (sure looks like friendly Afghan troops popping up at about 1:45 into the video).
Check out this just-posted cover of Call Me Maybe (as sung by Carly Rae Jepsen), …
“We are transitioning to Afghan security. And for us to train them effectively, we are in much closer contact -- our troops are in much closer contact with Afghan troops on an ongoing basis. And you know, part of what we've got to do is to make sure that this model works but it doesn't make our guys more vulnerable...we are deeply concerned about this from top to bottom.”
Perspective, Not Pedestal
One-time Army Ranger turned think-tank dweeb Andrew Exum, now at the Center for a New American Security, says the pedestal that American society has placed its military atop since 9/11 is “unhealthy”:
…American society as
…
Semper Infidelis
Of all the horrible “green on blue” killings that have happened recently in Afghanistan, perhaps the most horrific took place in Helmand province on Aug. 10. That’s when Aynoddin, who like many in that country goes by a single …