My friend is on his fourth and last deployment to Afghanistan assigned to a unit training the Afghan National Army. He had a WTF moment the other day when he boarded a Huey UH-H1 and flew over the Jalalabad Pass, “Is this Apocalypse Now?” I guess his disillusionment finally surfaced. Can you blame him? Riding in a Huey? I thought the fleet was officially retired from the Active inventory last October 2009! Appropriately, this seasoned warrior closed with “Savages Don’t ...
Continue Reading →Military Helmet Sensor Data: What does it show?
Two years ago, sophisticated sensors were implanted in military helmets of some 7,000 troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. The purpose of the sensors was to evaluate the extent of concussions and brain trauma injuries caused by IEDs and other combat related incidents. According to the military video shown below, data from these sensors was downloaded monthly to a computer terminal and then forwarded to a “secure” data center in Aberdeen, MD for analysis.
Continue Reading →
The B.E.S.T. Annual Benefit scheduled for October 15, 2010 in Greenwich
The B.E.S.T. (Best Equipment to Support our Troops) 4th Annual Benefit is set for October 15, 2010. Proceeds as always help SFTT protect America’s frontline troops by ensuring they have the best available equipment to make it home alive and in one piece.
B.E.S.T. is the annual ...
Continue Reading →U.S. Government Loses FOIA Ruling on Body Armor Records
Thanks to superb pro bono legal representation by a team from the NYC office of Kirkland & Ellis, LLC, a federal district judge has issued his ruling on SFTT’s editor’s request under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”) for forensic records held by the Department of Defense regarding the performance of government-issued body armor. The ruling was characterized in the following way by a news service covering legal issues:
U.S. Loses FOIA Ruling on Body Armor Records
(CN) – A ...
Continue Reading →Supplying US Military Forces in Afghanistan
Supplying US military forces in Afghanistan has become a logistical nightmare. Sources from the field suggest that US combat troops are “asked” to carry increasing loads since resupply opportunities are limited. Found below is an excerpt from CLOSE HOLD which accurately describes the dilemma and increasing kit loads of US forces in Afghanistan: “‘King for a Day’ Kit-Wise”
“From 2005 until this past spring US forces have had a short stock of gear that could be tailored to ...
Continue Reading →Facebooking from the Pat Tillman USO Center
Today I want to tell you about one change in Afghanistan: Now the troops have access to social network sites while previously the command restricted access under the guise of operational security. The donnybrook over this issue raged until the policy changed last year, due largely—or so I hear—to Chairman Mullen using Facebook and Twitter to communicate with the troops. The thought probably was if the top uniformed officer ...
Military News you may have missed – August 22, 2010
- And I Thought U.S. *Military Procurement* Was Slow
August 21, 2010 – Looks like our British allies have been afflicted by the same military procurement virus that has devastated the US military procurement system. Is there anyone we can fully trust?
- Northrop Grumman wins $300 million contract from *US Army*
August 21, 2010 – Significant upgrade in communications security for our ...
Logistics: The Long Pole in The Tent
“Logistics, logistics, logistics!” That’s what I immediately thought of last December when I heard the President’s decision to double down in Afghanistan and increase the current troop strength by 30,000 over a 5-month period. The most honest answer to the question that immediately comes to mind — How the Hell’s the U.S. Military going to pull this one off? — came from General Webster, the Commander of the Third Army: “Hannibal trying to move over the Alps had a tremendous ...
Continue Reading →US Troops: Stressed and Tired. You can help!
As readers of SFTT are aware, we have recently introduced CLOSE HOLD, a column developed by a “master intelligence analyst” with deep ties to the grunts in the field and a committed warrior who wants to make sure that our troops have the best combat equipment possible to come home alive and in one piece. CLOSE HOLD covers stories from the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq to the DC Beltway to bring you closer to the real-life stories that are unfolding each day that affect the ...
Continue Reading →Brain Trauma Injuries and A.L.S.
In a paper released this week, there are new indications that brain trauma injuries may mimic many of the symptoms of Lou Gehrig’s disease. In an news article published August 18th by the New York Times entitled Brain Trauma Injury can mimic A.L.S., NYT’s reporter Alan Schwartz indicates that A.L.S. or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly referred to as Lew Gehrig’s Disease may have been triggered by concussions and other traumatic head injuries.
According to the New York Times report, ...
Continue Reading →