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Military News Hightlights: January 12, 2011

Bombs targeting Afghan intelligence service kill 6

How ironic that intelligence officials can be targeted so readily in Kabul by a suicide bomber.  That kind of intelligence is supposed to be secret. You know, the fact that there are intelligence service employees and a top intelligence official in a specific vehicle in downtown Kabul.  Coincidence?  Nah.  Inside information of a personnel manifest in a vehicle on a specific route at a certain time was passed along.  That’s pretty ...

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Military News Highlights: January 11, 2011

Is the tide turning in southern Afghanistan ?

Back in the fall of 2006, the Kagans, Frederick and Kimberly, from the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), peddled the “surge” on a set of Power Point slides via General (Ret.) Jack Keane.  First to the Office of the Vice President, then to the President, then to the Pentagon, and then to CENTCOM, and finally to Congress – standard operating procedure back then.  The result?  The “surge” into Iraq and the “reversal ...

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Military News Highlights: January 10, 2011

Afghan insurgents match surge with more IEDs

The US surges 30,000 troops (plus 1,400 US Marines from the 26 MEU) to Afghanistan.  The Taliban threat surges thousands of roadside bombs and IED’s.  Quid pro quo.

But attributing a recent increase to “a mild winter” that has kept mountain passes open is simply ridiculous.

Another US/NATO servicemember was killed over the weekend by an IED…the grind continues.

U.S. wounded rate in Afghanistan soars

Key Highlights:

  • The number of U.S. ...
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Military Budget Cuts: Does it make sense?

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates unveiled a new plan which calls for significant cuts in our military budget.   In a Washington Post article published today, Secretary Gates and the administration agreed to of less than 2.7% based on the 2012 military budget of $553 billion.

This represents a major victory for the Pentagon, military contractors, lobbyists and armaments manufacturers.  While the traditional beltway insiders continue to benefit from the Pentagon’s largess, the ultimate sacrifice will be paid for the the ...

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Military News Highlights: January 7, 2011

Gates Recommends Dempsey as Next Army Chief of Staff

Secretary of Defense Gates has recommended General Martin E. Dempsey to be the next Chief of Staff of the Army.

An armor officer General Dempsey previously served as commander of the 1st Armored Division in OIF, Commander of the Multinational Security Transition Command in Iraq, acting commander of U.S. Central Command, and is currently serving as Commander, Training and Doctrine Command.

Highlights from the Gates-Mullens DoD efficiencies briefing

In summary, ...

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Military Body Armor Tests: Incompetence or Corruption?

In yet another glaring example of sloppy body armor test procedures, the Inspector General says that the US Army “cut corners” when testing body armor according to Richard Lardner of the AP.  This is not the first time – nor is it likely to be the last – that SFTT and major news organizations have reported on the systemic failure of the US Army and DoD to follow established test procedures when evaluating protective gear fielded by our young men and ...

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Military News Highlights: January 5, 2011

Reintegrated Taliban Join Afghan Police

While reintegrating former Taliban members into the general Afghan community and allowing them to join the Afghan Police may be well intentioned.  Prudence is required considering the increased Afghan security force blue-on-blue incidents resulting in numerous US/NATO murders.  Unfortunately provincial, district, and tribal elders vouching for Taliban reintegration will not be intended targets if these former members reconsider their newfound allegiance. It is a risk, plain and simple, like throwing caution to the wind.

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Military News Highlights: January 4, 2011

U.S.-funded infrastructure deteriorates once under Afghan control, report says

Since 2001, the Commanders Emergency Relief Program (CERP) in Afghanistan has provided commanders quick and readily available resources to fund projects – to build schools, to build local government facilities, purchase generators, pave roads, etc.  And because Afghanistan is a target rich environment for CERP related projects given the effects of over 30 years of war and the lack of government capacity to provide services, CERP is sometimes the only ...

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Military News Highlights: December 30, 2010

Busy With Afghanistan, the U.S. Military Has No Time to Train for Big Wars

Clearly the US military, and especially our infantry-centric units, are on the “margins” when only one brigade combat team has been able to break away from COIN focused training this past decade and conduct full-spectrum operations type training necessary to maintain current and future US strategic interests.  Further, the capability to conduct forcible entry operations has atrophied and “takes practice, and we don’t get a ...

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